The Cove Discussion Questions

1. The biggest environmental problem I saw was the fact that scientists believe our whole ocean ecosystem will collapse in 40 years due to overfishing. That is sad when another scientist said that 7 out of 10 people rely on fish as their main source of food. I hate that with overfishing comes the excess of fish and a lot of it just goes to waste just because fishermen want more money. There are enough fish in the ocean to feed a lot of people and the animals that live in the ocean, but because of our selfish wants we are in danger of killing an entire ecosystem.
2. The fact that the Japanese government does not tell its people what is in their meat really scares me. In America we have the movie Food Inc. which reveals a lot about where fast food chains and easy to cook meals get their meat and veggies, but it can't be the whole story. I hate how we have GMOs and artificial meat. I know these items can't be healthy for humans and yet our government does not try to control or stop it because there is too much money in GMO and the population is increasing way too much. I try to eat local and organic as much as possible but even then I can't be 100% sure where my food comes from.
3. I believe that even if O'Barry had never introduced dolphins as an attraction, the Cove would still be a harsh reality and dolphin slaughtering would still occur. The Japanese government is telling the fishermen that the dolphins are pest that are eating all of "their" fish. Without O'Barry going through what he did and finding out what he had he would not be the activists he is today. What he went through was absolutely necessary for him to become what he is today and try to stop the slaughtering of thousands of dolphins.
4. O'Barry and he crew handled the confrontations with the people of Taiji extremely well and better than most would have. He is so focused on his goal that he did not let the irritating camera men get to him. He did not let them win by giving them the power to get him mad enough to harm them. He knew that if he even touched them that he could and would be arrested which would only set him back with his goals. He did not give them the satisfaction. I have so much respect for him because I do not know many people who could hold themselves back when someone was making them so angry. He is a great man.

The Cove Reaction

I heard about this movie and how sad it was but I never realised how disturbing it is. Not only is it disturbing on how they get all the dolphins together, but the sickest part was how in Japan you can see a dolphin show while eating dolphin. It is sad to think that the fishermen who do this care nothing about the dolphins or how they look to the rest of the world. It really made me angry when the Japan representative was fallind asleep during the meeting about fishing for whales and dolphins. As sad as this makes me I realised that when the representative said that he did not understand why dolphins were so important I thought about what we do to cows and even horses in some parts of the of the U.S. With dolphins it is a little different because they are more intelligent and belong in the wild. It makes me sick to think that Sea World is more interested in making money then the overall health of the dolphins. I did not know they could get ulcers from stress and that all the places do is give them pills to help it. I reallt feel bad for the man who "began" it all because I know he must feel extemely guilty and the story about the dolphins "suicide" in his arms really made me tear up that is the saddest thing I have ever heard. I cannot wait to finish the movie and I really hope that by exposing this evil it can stop because money is not as important as preserving our wild life.

Reaction to Microlending

This article finally put a light on the aftermath of what is happening in Haiti. It shows that eventhough the people of Haiti are doing better, there are still problems that need to be resolved. It sounds like these microbanks are trying to something good for their people, but it is hard because money to pay back the loans are hard to come by. It is sad to know that so many lost their lives and even more sad to think about all the people who have to live in poverty and who lost everything in the natural disasters that struck their home. It was heartbreaking to read about Mrs. Lino and how she has to support her entire family. Many women have to do this and it should not be so hard. The fact that many women use their loan in order to just put food on their families' table. I think their idea of helping the families by giving them something to sell like goats and chickens is a great plan. I would think that by letting them have the animals to make their own money and giving them a stipend to make sure they do not kill them is a better idea then just loaning them money. This way you are helping them in two ways, loaning them money and giving them a way to pay you back. Although this is not a sure fire way due to lack of money from other people it is better than nothing. I hope that these banks prosper and that the U.S. actually comes through with at least part of the money we promised because the people of Haiti have gone through a lot and deserve all the help they can get.   

Biome in Haiti

1. Haiti has a forest biome and and a desert biome.
2. The biome is part of the reason for Haiti's problems. For example because of soil erosion and deforestation Haiti has experiences flooding.
3. Honestly money never solves all of the issues. Fifty billion dollars would help with the land and the construction of homes and hospitals but only if the government wanted it. Everyone has to be involved in the solution of the problems in order for the solutions to work.
4. I think that if Paul Farmer is doing what the people of Haiti wants him to do then I think he is great. He stands up for what he believes in and he helps hundreds of people with medical care. ALthough I think he is doing a great job, I don't know how effective he is. He is doing great things with medicine but how much influence he has on the government is slim. I share his views on the mistreatment of the Haitian people by their government; however, I could not be as extreme as he is.
5. I think that Paul Farmer is doing what he should be. He is only one person and him concentrating on one area is good. He is not stretching himself out too thin. He should just concentrate on Haiti and their needs.
6. I absolutely LOVE that commercial. It got the message across in an effective yet cute way. I thought it was amazing.

"Mountains Beyond Mountains"

Right now I know Haiti is going through a lot like an epidemic and a natural disaster. It is located in the Caribbean and the people are Haitians. I would ask them why are they having so many problems. I wouldn't think that Haiti would be a typical stop right now because of the problems but other then that I am sure there are parts that are for tourists.
I think "Mountains Beyond Mountains" means problems you face that you have to fix and then you face more problems. There are always problems you have to face but its how you deal with them that is important. I think that it is spiritual because it is a way of thinking about the problems in life. When Kidder says he is "narrating Haiti" I think he means he is telling the story that no one knows about. Haiti is covered with fingerprints cause all of these other countries come in and take over weaker countries. They come in and take over Haiti's resources and sell them to make money for their home country. They take advantage to benefit their country.
The thing that got me the most when I looked at PIH was the pictures. I would make a donation because the pictures are so sad that I want to help in any way I can.

Water Botics

I think that the man who worked with the water robotics is interested in his job because his likes working with electronics. He probable likes working towards getting the robot as efficient as possible. He seemed really excited when he saw that the robot was successful in all it did. I also think he was excited because he was part of the original team and helped this project grow into what it is today.

Picher Oklahoma

This article is very shocking because it is a scary realization of what can actually happen to the world if we continue to treat it as we do now. This is yet another sad example of what happens when greedy people get their hands on nonrenewable resources. A perfectly good town got destroyed because it had something someone else wanted. The saddest part for me was when they were talking about how the land was originally taken from the Quapaw tribe and how they reluctantly had to be relocated. It was also shocking to read about how the kids were “sunburned” from the chemicals in the water. It is depressing to think that this beautiful town was destroyed to get raw materials for war and to kill thousands of people. Why do we jeopardize the environment for war and bloodshed? Why do we destroy the environment at all? The answer is simple we do it for selfish reasons and because we are constantly looking for ways to make our lives easier. Many families had to relocate because their town was inhabitable. For the people living there, they are breathing in harmful chemicals everyday and their drinking water is in jeopardy. I did however think it was interesting to read that the people who remain there bought a gas efficient car because they had to save on gas. When I read that I thought to myself, “Is that what it will take for people to be more environmental friendly, an apocalypse?” Sadly I realized that yeah that is what will have to happen for everyone to change their ways. It is easier to change what you are doing when you are forced verses just being told. I feel really bad for the people who had to leave but more so for the people who choose to stay because it seems to me like they are just killing themselves by staying there and breathing the air. Another thing that angered me was when I read about the vandals who take what they can find in this town and ride through it with no respect for the land or the people who still live on it. I also thought it was interesting to read that after all the trouble with the land, a tornado comes through and makes everything worse. What the most interesting part of this entire article was the idea that town is “undermined by massive voids- the earth was going to swallow it up.” I find that interesting because I wonder if it will actually happen. I hope that the whole world will not have to go through this in order for things to change and for people to realize that we are using limited resources and once they are gone, they are gone for good.

Expectations

When I first heard about this class I was instantly excited. I have very high expectations for this class from not only the projects but also myself. Service is something that is very important to me and it is something that I like to share with other people. I really hope that the small projects we do are successful, but most of all I hope the large one is very successful. I expect great things from this class because I know good things will happen. As I said before I am very excited to get to work and accomplish something amazing. I expect amazing thing to come out of this opportunity.

Stay Green,

Quitney Price