Bison Reserve in South Dakota being Opposed

Today I am going to talk about plans for a bison reserve on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The only problem with this is the fact that Lakota ranchers face the possibility of losing their grazing rights.

Sandra Buffington, who is in her late 60s, faces losing her home, because she lives on that land, which was once leased by her father. She runs her cattle on 11,000 acres of leased land.

Without land, she will have to sell her cattle, and she will have to move as well. Her grandson’s dream of running the ranch will be shattered. Their permits for the land were going to expire in October of 2015, but they would have time to plan for it.

Buffington was offered a chance to move along the Nebraska border, but she stated that moving would be difficult at her age.

This would be the third time that their tribe would be forced off the land. The ranchers have decided to take a stand, and form the Red Shirt community. This community is rebelling against these decisions, and planned to meet with the tribal council deciding to take the land away.

They approved of a resolution, and asked the tribal council to rescind their decision. The council has decided to work with the National Parks to find a place for those buffaloes. This will be very difficult, and many leaders of the Red Shirt community and tribal council think that this will be an impossible task. Will they eventually find a place?

Works Cited

Cook, Andrea. “Oglala Sioux Tribe evicting tribal ranchers to make way for bison park.” 5 December 2013. http://www.rapidcityjournal.com. http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/communities/chadron/regional/oglala-sioux-tribe-evicting-tribal-ranchers-to-make-way-for/article_6a8b31be-5dc8-11e3-b105-001a4bcf887a.html. 6 December 2013.

Service is Fantastic!

If someone asks you to sit downl and think of all the service you’ve done for people, you realize you’ve done a pretty great amount of service during your life. Among the FFA, church, individually, other organizations, etc., you’ve realized that you are actually a pretty good person, and you may begin to feel good about yourself. It’s a spectacular feeling!

So, how does service demonstrate your character to others? What does it say about yourself? Service can demonstrate your characters to others by showing what a good person you are. It shows that you can be a big help, and for no pay. It makes yourself not only look good, but feel good on the inside.

Some people get mad about the service they have to do, but do it anyway. In my opinion, this person’s complaining slightly changes my opinion on their character. They still committed to their job, and were maybe just having a bad day. So, I give them a break, and think about the other troublesome things going on in their lives.

Enough about other people, onto myself! I think I play an average roll when it comes to serving. I am not much of a leader with groups that serve, and I am not always happy about it, but I still try to do it and get it done because I think that I should. I end being put into a better mood at the end and wind up glad that I did help. It also makes me feel good on the inside.

In the end, I think that service makes a good image for yourself. If you don’t want to do the service, just do it anyway! It will make you feel better about yourself in the end, knowing that you did it for a good cause. Even though you did not want to, but you did it anyway, the people will be glad you did anyway. In my opinion, service is a win-win situation!

The FDA Moving to Take Trans-Fat out of Food

As the title explains, the FDA is planning to take trans-fat out of foods, and are asking the companies that have not removed them to do so.

Not all companies will be affected by this, however. For example, this won’t affect your Thanksgiving pies, because the vegetable shortening maker removed trans-fat from its product years ago.

A lot of companies have actually already done this ten years ago. Health concerns caused many cities (such as New York and San Francisco). Another reason why many restaurants and brands do this is that in 2006, the FDA added a rule in 2006 that required trans-fats to be listed on the nutritional information, so many food manufacturers removed them. The Grocery Manufacturers of America say that since 2005, trans-fat has lowered by more than 73%. Now in 2013, only 12% remains.

So, why is trans-fat being removed? This is because trans-fat is proven to increase bad cholesterol and decrease good cholesterol. It is even said that there is no safe amount of trans-fat that humans should consume. Humans just don’t need it.

Even though this is not proven, statistics show greatly that the more trans-fat, the higher risk you have of getting heart disease. Heart disease is the biggest unnatural cause of death in the U.S., and it is said that trans-fat has been the cause of 15,000 of these cases and 5,000 deaths.

So, what’s the solution to replace these fats with healthier choices? There is no alternate. Companies are trying to find an alternate, but it is very difficult to find one. Why is it hard to find an alternate? This is because they are so handy in food production. Here are a few examples why trans-fat is important in food production:

Various Creams-Fresh cream would go rancid quickly without it.

Canned Frosting-Without it, frosting would melt and turn into goo.

Margarine-Using the trans-fat turns this into a spreadable solid (this can be used in various other ways, however, it is very expensive).

Baked Goods-Trans-fats allow the goods to brown (this can be done in various other ways, however, it is very expensive).

Microwave Popcorn-Trans-fats are used to make it shelf-stable longer and cause the oil to melt when the kernels pop.

Frying Oils-Trans-fats keep the oil stable and keeps it from going rancid (this problem is nearly fixed due to the use of soy oils).

Candy-Trans-fats are used to keep fat moist and protect the sugar in them from crystallizing.

In conclusion, yes, it is possible to get 100% rid of tans-fats, however, it would be very difficult. The switch will require some debating, because the U.S. is pretty split in opinions. Only 44% of a nationwide survey found that people wanted to do this, while 52% opposed, and 4% were undecided.

I personally think that over time, we can make the change. We have the kind of money to do that, and it’s for a good cause.

So, we can either become overweight, yet, not spend money. Or, we can make healthier choices, but for a price. Like I said, I think we can make the investment. Maybe we will no longer be referred to as the laziest country!

Works Cited

Weise, Elizabeth. “FDA moves to take trans fat out of food.” 7 November 2013. http://www.usatoday.com. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/07/fda-remove-trans-fat/3458465/. 11 November 2013.

Kristen’s Garden-Problem Solving

Here is the short edition of the story of a ten year old girl named Kristen. Basically, her family had a garden, and she enjoyed raising vegetables. She noticed that her family had a surplus amount, so she gave some away, despite the criticism of her brother, who had been in and out of jail.

This inspired her to start a program for juvenile detention centers gardening and other life skills.

In my opinion, if her brother had not teased, her, she would have still distributed the surplus plants, however, she would not have started the program for the juvenile detention centers.

Kristen used knowledge/wisdom to help her achieve success. This is because without her knowledge of plants, she would not have done anything at all.

This reminds me of a time when I identified a problem, and then took action to solve it. It is the time when an Internet star on YouTube that I watched started a charity to give clean water to families in Africa, who didn’t have access to clean water. I decided to help with the donation of $10.

I basically already knew about the unavailability of water in Africa and many other places, however, once the charity started, I began to realize how important water is. You need it on a daily basis in order to survive. It takes a lot of water to survive, and a lot more than these places in Africa actually have.

So, I identified the problem-thoroughly- and helped solve it in certain places of the world, by the donating of only $10. Inside, I feel really good about what I did, and it was to help others too. It truly was a great experience, and for a small price!

Thoughts on the First Lab-Grown Hamburger

A piece of meat. No sir, not a piece of meat from a cow. A piece of lab-grown meat. This lab-grown meat (cultured beef) may just change the world, or not. What will determine if this cultured meat will change the world? It all depends.

In order for it to change the world, people will want to buy it. The taste-testers of this cultured meat were Josh Schonwald and Hanni Rutzler. So, what did it taste like? Schonwald stated “It wasn’t unpleasant,” not saying anything good or bad about it, so we can assume it has a neutral flavor. Rutzler stated that it has quite an intense flavor, however, it needed seasoning. She also added that the surface of the meat was crunchy-surprisingly. She thought the taste itself was as juicy as meat can be. We can assume this meant she had a positive remark about this, thinking that it is just like regular meat. Schonwald also stated that it was leaner than regular meat, making it taste differently. Both of these responses could probably at least get people to try it.

This meat was funded by the co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin, and created by University of Maastricht physiologist Mark Post, who was on a budget of $330,000. Post has been working on this since 2008, and he is now revealing the secret to make one of these.

The process begins with nurturing the extracted cells so that they grow into small strands of muscle tissue, until about 20,000 are created, thus, making the hamburger. Of course, the cells can be mixed with other ingredients to produce a 5-ounce hamburger. The patty was fried in a pan and seasoned with salt and pepper.

If it does change the world, how long will it take? Mark Post states that it should take about 10-20 years for these meats to become commercially available.

In conclusion, I personally think that yes, it can change the world. However, when it eventually does become commercially available, the taste should be not so lean. They could probably fix this, which is the reason why I think it can and will change the world.

Works Cited

Jamison, Alastair and Alan Boyle. “‘Intense Flavor’: The $330,000 Burger that was built in a lab hits the spot.” 25 August 2013. http://www.nbcnews.com. http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/intense-flavor-330-000-burger-was-built-lab-hits-spot-6C10835460. 23 October 2013.

 

How am I Above Average?

I’m pretty sure everyone is above average in at least something. So, I am going to list three things that I am above average at. This list is about being above average in a sort of way, by helping people.

First, I am above average at math. So, how does this help people? Well, if we have a fundraiser, I could run the register, or something like it. Applying school skills can actually make you a better person!

Second, I am an above average writer. Once again, applying school skills can make you a better person! With my great writing skills, I could make a report, speech, or even a story to give awareness about a fundraiser.

Last, I above average with most electronics. My knowledge of computers, Internet, and other stuff may end up helping us with stuff like fundraisers! As an example, I could use them for writing, making a database, creating a poster, etc.

Even though these are small ways to help fundraisers or stuff like that, every little bit helps. All of these are school related, proving that school can really help you with stuff like this. Also, remember, every little bit helps, no matter how small the task!

My Fear

What is fear? Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by danger, evil, pain, etc. This threat can be real, as though you’re on top of a building and are afraid of heights. This threat can also be imaginary, such as a nonpoisonous spider that is thought to be extremely poisonous. (Dictionary.com)

So what can cause fear? Basically anything. Between having the rare fear of hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, which is fear of the number 666, or having a common phobia, such as arachnophobia, which is the fear of spiders. (Culbertson)

However, a fear I put up with is fear of criticism. This is called enissophobia. (Culbertson) Whenever I get criticism, I take it a lot more personally than I should, and get sad or angry. So, even though I often feel this way, I learn to overcome it by realizing that everyone has their own opinion, and that I often criticize people too. I’m not saying it’s a good thing that everyone criticizes each other, but, it just happens anyway. This fear has prevented me from small things, and by that I mean just the things I talk about. The next time I am faced with this fear, I will realize that it’s not a big deal and overcome it!

Works Cited

Culbertson, Fredd. “The Phobia List.” 2010. phobialist.com. https://phobialist.com/. 7 October 2013.

Dictionary.com. “Fear.” 2013. http://www.Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fear?s=t. 7 October 2013.

All About Zinc

You may have always wondered what zinc was. You may have seen it on the backs of many food products. However, have you ever wondered what it is and what is it used for?

To begin with the basic facts about zinc, you must know that zinc is an element itself. Its chemical symbol is Zn, and its atomic number is 30. Zinc comes with 30 protons and electrons, and 35 neutrons. It has a 65.37 g.mol^-1, and it has a density of 7.11 g.cm^-3 at 20^oC. Zinc melts at 420^oC and boils at 907^oC. It has a Vanderwaals radius of 0.138 nm and an ionic radius of 0.074 nm (+2). It has 10 isotopes, and it was discovered by Andreas Marggraf in 1746. Zinc is usually brittle and crystalline at ordinary temperatures, but it becomes more ductile and malleable when heated between 110^oC and 150^oC. It will combine with oxygen and non-metals, and it will also react with dilute acids to produce hydrogen. (Lenntech)

Zinc also has various applications. It is often used for galvanizing iron (50% of all zinc produced will go into this and while in its metal state), however, it is also used in the preparation of certain alloys, it is the negative plate in some electric batteries, roofing and gutters in building construction, the metal in U.S. pennies, and die casting in the automobile industry. It is also believed that zinc possesses anti-oxidant properties, which protect against premature aging of the muscles in the body. (Lenntech)

Zinc oxide is also used for many things, such as white colors in paint, and an activator in the rubber industry. In its pigment form, it can serve as various plastics, cosmetics, photocopier paper, wallpaper, and printing. (Lenntech)

Zinc is placed in a lot of things. It is commonly found greatly in vegetables, meats, and even chocolate! It is often found in drinking water, and is exposed to it even more when it is placed inside of a metal tank. (Healthaliciousness) Industrial and toxic wastes can cause zinc to get to such a high level that it is dangerous. (Lenntech)

Zinc is not only found in water, but also air and soil. The levels of zinc are rising unnaturally, and likely due through human activity. Some soils are now heavily contaminated with the zinc, and these are found where the zinc has to be mined. A huge increase in zinc could also be caused from sewage from various industries. (Lenntech)

If zinc heavily pollutes water, fish can absorb these large amounts, and be harmed in the process. Various animals can also be affected by the water by even just drinking it. (Lenntech)

Soils are not safe either. This is why plants are a rare thing to see near a factory. Not only does this affect plants, but it also affects earthworms and microorganisms as well. (Lenntech)

There are many types of zinc ores, including hemimorphite, smithsonite, sphalerite (commonly known as blende), and wurzite. These ores are mainly mined from Australia, Canada, Peru, Russia, and as well as U.S. Mainly these countries, but a few others produce about 7 million tons a year. (Lenntech)

Zinc is percepted as good and healthy thing, mainly because it is a mineral. However, this is not true when in large amounts. However, too little is also bad too. People must find a healthy medium.

When people do not get enough zinc, they can get a loss of appetite, decreased sense of smell and taste, slow healing, and/or even birth defects! (Lenntech)

It takes a truly enormous amount of zinc for it to be too much, but it is possible to get too much of it. This can cause anaemia, nausea, skin irritations, stomach cramps, and vomiting. An extremely high amount of zinc can even damage the pancreas, it can cause a decrease protein metabolism, can cause arteriosclerosis, and being exposed to it can cause respiratory disorders. (Lenntech)

So, in conclusion, zinc is a sensitive. We can’t survive without it, and we can’t survive with too much of it. Without it, we would get sick. With too much of it, we will get sick.

Works Cited

Healthaliciousness. “Top 10 Foods Highest in Zinc.” 2013. http://www.healthaliciousness.com. https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/zinc.php. 30 September 2013.

Lenntech. “Zinc-Zn.” 2013. http://www.lenntech.com. https://www.lentech.com/periodic/elements/zn.htm. 30 September 2013.

Foreign Foods and Their Tariffs

Here in the USA, we have so much good food. Most of it is made here in America, which is a good thing. However, we often have to rely on foreign foods that have to be shipped here to the U.S. What are some of these foods you may ask? Some may surprise you. Here are a two examples:

• Cheeze-It
• Pringles

First off, Cheeze-Its are orange crackers that are loaded with cheesy flavor. Cheeze-It is made by Nestle, which is stationed in Switzerland. I am not surprised that these are foreign, mainly because I know Nestle owns Cheeze-It, and I know that Nestle is stationed in Switzerland. Nestle uses tariffs on their products, so Cheeze-It does come with an additional price. (Globalization101)

Next, Pringles are chips, made by Unilever, which is stationed in the UK. I am surprised that this is a foreign product because Pringles’ icon looks American. It must be the moustache, which looks so American. There are tariffs on Unilever’s products, however, the CEO of Unilever himself (Paul Polman), argued for lower tariffs at the Rio+20 UN Conference last year. (theguardian.com)

So as you can see, I have not been surprised by the foreign Cheeze-Its but I have been surprised by the foreign Pringles. I have also learned about the tariffs that have affect them both in different ways. It is pretty interesting!

Works Cited

Globalization101. “Nestle and Fairtrade.” 2013. Globalization101.org. http://www.globalization101.org/nestle-and-fairtrade-2. 24 September 2013.

theguardian.com. “Unilever’s CEO urges sustainable growth at Rio.” 2013. theguardian.com. http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/unilever-urges-sustainable-growth-rio-20. 24 September 2013.

What I am Most Excited About This School Year

What am I most excited about this school year? I would have to say that I am most excited about our new laptops. They are Fujitsus that have Windows 8. They are new, fast, and they look great. In my opinion, Windows 7 is better, but Windows 8 isn’t bad. Homework will never take very long again on a new and fast computer!