My Abstract

I wrote an essay about shark finning and how the Chinese government needs to end all importing of shark fins. This is the abstract I wrote, it introduces readers to my essay.

Sharks have inhabited the planet for over 400 million years. In the last century, humans have posed a bigger threat to sharks than any other animal. In only fifty years, shark populations have been reduced by 90 percent. Sharks have been hunted for their fins, teeth, jaws, skin, and liver oil. Shark finning has become a multi-billion dollar industry in recent years. China is one of the largest consumers of shark fins in the world. Chinese fishing vessels catch about 10,000 to 15,000 tons of shark fins annually. Shark fin soup has been a very popular dish in Chinese culture since the early 1300's. Today, shark fin soup has grown in popularity amongst middle and upper class Chinese people. Most Chinese consumers buy the soup because the emperors and nobles were eating the same soup hundreds of years ago in China. Many shark fin vendors make claims that the shark fins can cure cancer and have magical healing powers, which is completely untrue.

Today only seventeen countries have banned shark finning completely. Some of those countries include Switzerland, Tajikistan, Bolivia, Sudan, Mongolia, and Nepal. Each individual government created a ban; it doesn’t allow any fishing for sharks or shark fin trading on their coastlines. On November 19, 2009, the United States Senate passed a bill that closed a few huge loopholes in previous shark finning laws. The Shark Finning Prohibition Act of 2000 was a law passed by the Senate that was aimed to end shark finning in United State's waters. There were three main loopholes addressed in the Shark Conservation Act of 2009. The bill closed the loopholes that allowed for the transportation of shark fins that weren’t finned on the boat, the transfer of fins to other boats while in the ocean and it also allows the United States to confront nations that haven’t banned shark finning (Sea Shepherd). In Scotland, shark fishing is allowed only when a fisherman is granted a permit by the government. The Scottish government has also created a regulation requiring an observer to be on the boat to observe the catching of sharks. Most fishermen don't have enough money to pay for an observer to board their boat and the observer can report any illegal shark finning back to the government (Arkive). This new regulation has helped reduce the number of sharks fishermen catch because of the extra costs and preparations that are required. Countries that still trade shark fins include the European Union, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Yemen, and Mexico.

There are many solutions to end shark finning in China forever. Educating consumers about what they are eating is a huge step that the Chinese government could take to end the consumption of shark fin soup. "Research conducted in China indicates that when confronted with the truth, consumers will change their impression of the soup” (Shark Savers). Also implementing stricter rules and regulations will drive away a large amount of fishermen who rely on sharks for their fins. “According to the IUCN Shark Specialist group, the easiest way to implement a ban is to require that shark carcasses be landed with fins attached. The possession of fins alone on vessels would thus be illegal” (Sharkwater). There are bans like this in the United Kingdom and Brazil that are regulated by the government. These bans have helped stop a large amount of shark finning from continuing in these countries. Shark fin soup is a luxury item that isn’t essential to furthering our modern world. The only way the problem of shark finning can be combated is through education and action.

Government and Food

When it comes to choosing healthy foods I think some people let money, time and their opinions influence them heavily. Since big, corporate companies like McDonald's make their food cheap and convenient consumers tend to choose to eat there. When someone is rushed for time they

would much rather pick up a burger and fries over making a fresh salad at home. Money can

also be a key factor when someone chooses their food. Since organic and local foods tend to be

expensive , consumers try to save their money on food by purchasing unhealthy foods. When people

say they don't care what they eat, it confuses me so much. If you think your health is important at all,

why would you not care what you put inside yourself? I would much rather pay extra money for organic,local,

and healthy produce than live the rest of my life with cancer because I didn't care what I ate.

Everyone should be cognizant and aware of the food they chose to put inside themselves.

I think that the government should work to help educate and put restrictions on foods for consumers.

Since our government is supposed to work for the people I think they should be much more strict when it

comes to allowing certain foods to be marketed and sold. Too many people are misguided by big corporations, who

are always working to make more money. If the government stepped in and helped educate people

about healthy food choices it would only benefit us. I think that they should also help make fresh foods cheaper and

much more accessible for everyone. We honestly do not need junk food and processed foods in our diets,

the effects they produce are only negative. When the government makes healthy foods a priority it will

only benefit us and future generations.

How would you react?

Dylan and I went around Point Loma last week for our sociology project. We both blatantly filmed strangers and studied their reactions. We were deviants among normal people.

Novalena

Novalena was born in San Francisco. Coming from a loving family, she has dedicated her life to empowering women. She recently left a full time job at a technology to company to pursue her dreams. She is currently writing a book entitled, The Total Female Package. Throughout her life she has lived by five main principles, love, authenticity, connection, growth, and relationships. When she was a young girl her father taught her to always be authentic. He told her to always be herself and that she could accomplish anything she put her mind to. He decided at a young age to adopt this mindset in life. His parents told him that a career as a janitor would be safe and that it was the best decision for him after high school. He didn’t let his parents decide his fate and instead he became a computer technician. These kinds of lessons in Novalena’s life have shaped the person that she is today.

After graduating high school Novalena moved to UC Davis. She decided to attend Davis instead of UC Berkeley because she felt like the professors were much more interested in helping the students at Davis. She graduated from UC Davis and in 2001 she moved to San Diego. She worked for Clear Channel Radio at a radio show with an all women audience. While Novalena worked there she realized that she enjoyed helping women through motivation and building self-confidence. In the future she hopes to develop a book series that helps people. Novalena would also like to settle down in the near future with a perfect husband. She wants to find someone who she can rely on and share the rest of her life with. She also would like to have a large amount of children who she can always support. Novalena would like to raise her children the same way that she was raised, with support and love. 

The United States' Foreign Affairs

When or if the United States should enter another country is a very controversial subject. Throughout history America has acted as the global police trying to solve other countries problems. The U.S. government has taken the approach of stepping into another country whenever they feel like it is necessary. I think that this kind of behavior has hurt us as a nation more than it has helped us. I think that although we may feel like we are helping solve other countries problems, it usually ends up making us look more like dictators trying to spread our ideals on everyone else in the world. I think the best way for America to help out other countries is to only step in when they are asked by the country's government or when the people of that country ask for our assistance. A good example of the United States helping aid another country is in Uganda. 

The United States government has been working in Uganda to help create better infrastructure and has been working to help the people of Uganda through education and health outreach. The government has been helping countries like Uganda through USAID. In 2008 USAID gave about $138 million to Uganda to help assist them in rebuilding northern Uganda. USAID has programs in Uganda helping to reduce poverty, treat diseases like tuberculosis and malaria, and to create a stronger economy. This kind of positive intervention in a country is what I believe will help us in the global community for years to come. 

For the United States to offer its help to other countries is a much better way of dealing with foreign affairs. If we keep claiming to be liberators by forcing our way into other countries we will lose credibility and be looked at as a big bully forever. If we offer our assistance to a country and they deny it then we can deal with our own problems here in the U.S. I think sometimes problems in our own country are overlooked because we always find the need to heal and solve the world's problems. As a country it isn't our responsibility to look after all of the world. If we offer a hand to others and go about helping other people in a more civil and less violent way then we will be welcomed by others. We as a country need to get our problems solved before we can go out solving everyone else's problems. 

Creative Writing

We had to write a story based on this picture. All we were told was that the dog was named Barder and the orange turban gave him the power to fly. This picture was taken by Jan Von Holleben, here is a link to more of his work. 

Johnny Jones and Wonder Dog

Johnny Jones was a kid superhero, he wore an orange turban and a blue jacket. His dog Barder and him flew all around the city of Chicago fighting crime. His orange turban was magical and gave the duo the power of flight. One day they were flying through the city and Barder hit the side of a building. At first Johnny ignored it and thought Barder just shook him as a joke. But Johnny soon realized it was no joke. Barder began plummeting straight towards the asphalt below. Johnny tried to pull Barder's collar and direct him at an angle but it didn't work. The two slammed hard against the black road and Barder's leg was torn wide open. Johnny was too afraid to look at Barder's mangled leg because he was afraid of blood. He covered his eyes and tried to look away but he was shocked to see tiny white stars pouring out of Barder's leg. Barder soon passed away due to his injuries and this sent Johnny into cardiac arrest. They both laid dead on the long Chicago road. The end. 

Ralph From Scotland

For this assignment we were asked to choose a photograph from Bill Sullivan's website of a random person walking through a New York City turnstile. After choosing a photo we had to make a story about the person and the events leading up the time when the photo was taken. For more of Bill Sullivan's work click here. 

Ralph Westchester was a small lad from the lush highlands of Scotland. He had recently moved to Manhattan after his farm burned down in a terrible fire. He was depressed and left with nothing more than the clothes on his back. During his first week in New York City he met a young lady named Danika. She was a divorced immigrant from Croatia with three children. Ralph and Danika had an instant chemistry when they met in a busy city bus. They shared their life stories with each other over dinner at an Italian restaurant down the street from Ralph's work. Ralph worked at a cigar shop two blocks from Times Square. Ralph loved his job because he had conversations all day and he never had a dull day. Danika was always annoyed with Ralph's clothes smelling like cigars because it reminded her of her father. She never talked about her father. 

Three and a half weeks ago Ralph began saving up for a magnificent present he wanted to give to Danika. Every week he would stash away $130.00 he made at the cigar shop. Then one day he lost all of the money he had saved. His buddy Vinny from the cigar shop told him about a horse race he could triple his money on. Ralph was hesitant at first to put all the money he had saved on one unreliable horse. After a few days of weighing his options he decided to go through with it. Ralph got dressed up in his light brown blazer he had brought with him from Scotland and his favorite tan fedora. He never really wore ties but he felt like it was appropriate since he was going to the race track. He met Vinny at the race track two hours west of the city. He got there and Vinny explained to him how to bet and which horse he was counting on. The horse was named Lucky Lance and he had only won one race in the past. The odds were totally stacked up against Lucky Lance and Ralph, but Vinny was confident Ralph would walk away with more money than he originally had. The race began at 2:30pm and Ralph had just enough time to find a good seat where he could watch Lucky Lance take the victory. Since he was aging and had poor eye sight he sat in a seat very close to the track. The shot rang out exactly at 2:30pm and Lucky Lance got a heavy lead. As the horses began to pile up along the railing Lexington, a dark brown Stallion, took the lead from Lucky Lance. They were neck and neck up until the last furlong when Lucky Lance's knee buckled and he flipped. The crowd erupted in hysteria and fear as the white horse was trampled along with it's jockey. After the dust settled and the race ended the crowd was still in shock as they watched the jockey driven away in an ambulance and the horse was attended to by a medical team. 

Ralph couldn't believe it. He had lost over $400.00 in a matter of seconds. He was full of anger, sadness, and regret. Ralph got up from his seat and ran to the train station. He got on his train and headed to Manhattan. As he got off at his stop he walked with his head down and he kept himself from crying. He pushed his way through the turnstile and began his sad and slow walk home.