Final Thoughts on the class

What I initially wrote about the class in the first post mainly said how everything was new to me and I didn't feel like I was really taking it seriously.  As the semester comes to an end, I do feel like I have changed for the better.  The guest speakers, class discussions, and field trips helped me have a better understanding of my place on a local and global scale.  The topics we went over in class also related to other classes that I took this semester, such as in my philosophy and sociology classes.  At first I liked the idea of only having to come to class once a week, but now I think I would have liked it better if it was more frequent because it was one of the more interesting classes that I had this semester.  I wasn't that excited at first about the blogging, but it has been beneficial over the semester because for me often times it is easier to write what I am thinking and feeling.  The main thing that I will take away from this class is that it is important to have an open mind and try to think outside of the box.  I also learned that I should try to educate myself on things that matter to me, figure out how I can start making changes to help the environment, and to not be ashamed of my opinions.

Reaction to "Drowning Beautiful"

I've never heard of an artist making sculptures and then have them put under water.  At first I thought it was kind of a strange idea because usually that kind of art is displayed in museums, but I think it's a great idea because it is a form of art as well as something that helps the underwater environment by creating artificial reefs.  What I thought was interesting from his website was how it had a part about the different perspective of looking underwater, which included how objects appear 25 percent larger and how colors alter light.  It was nice to read that the one with all the children holding hands in a circle, called Vicissitudes, had a message about growth, chance, and natural transformation.  I think that this form of art is unique because there really is no limit to what one can sculpt, and it is kind of like a multi-purpose art.  It isn't just nice to look at, but it does something more.

Field Trip: December 10 @ Central Union Church

The second field trip that I went to was the HPU Winter Concert.  I have never been to a classical concert before, so it was a new experience for me, as well as for my friend that I brought along.  When we got there it was already packed, so we ended up standing on the side.  My reaction to the concert was that it was enjoyable to listen to and watch.  I thought the performances were meaningful and seemed very professional and well played.  The part that I really enjoyed was the singing because it showed how powerful the voice can be and the different texture of everyone's voices blending together helped create a feeling of unity.  This event made me feel like going to other concerts in the future because I liked the live sound better than listening to a recording.  The dynamics and sounds of the instruments and voices would be heard quite well.  After attending this event I plan on going to other concerts if I have the time.

Class Presentations: December 7

It was interesting to hear presentations on the different topics that the class chose.  A lot of the presentations were focused on the environment and recognized a problem and gave solutions.  One of the presentations that stood out to me was the one on deforestation because in a previous semester I did a research paper on that topic and when hearing the presentation I could relate and understood a lot of what he was talking about.  Another presentation that stood out to me was the one on hemp.  I didn't really know anything about it before the presentation, but I think he provided a lot of information and was knowledgeable on the subject.  Overall, I thought all of the presentations and presenters did a good job and was glad that I was able to listen.

Field Trip: November 20 @ Kualoa Ranch

At first I didn't think that the field trip was going to be that great because of getting up early and thinking that we were just going to do some chores on the ranch, but I ended up feeling differently about it at the end of the day.  Learning about the history of the fish pond and what was happening to it now was an experience that I will remember because people dedicate their time and effort and make it their job to conserve places like that and being a part of making it better made me feel like I contributed.  I wasn't expecting that many people to be there, but I'm glad there were a lot of hands helping because when I heard that they wanted to make trenches and saw where they wanted to make them I thought it would take forever, but it actually wasn't that long because of all the people.  I didn't really know what to do at first after the beach cleanup, so I helped with pulling out mangroves first and later with some shoveling.  I thought it was a good experience and wouldn't mind doing it again sometime.

Guest Speaker: November 23

I enjoyed listening to the guest speaker during the last class because I thought her presentation on tattoos was different and interesting from previous presentations.  I liked how she incorporated the history of tattoos in Hawaii, Rapa Nui, and the polynesian culture and showed pictures and explained the significance of each tattoo.  I also thought it was interesting that she was a tattoo artist and was amazed at the work that she did.  I don't have any tattoos, and have wanted to get one for a while, but haven't decided on what to get.  I would want something that has meaning probably for my family or something that is really special to me.  I thought that the presentation was informative and it was neat to see the different designs and learn of the messages behind them.

Reaction to "Geothermal's Second Chance"

The article was about how people are looking to use more geothermal energy instead of others sources, such as oil, to generate more renewable energy and to also help the local economy.  A problem with the idea stems from something that happened about 25-30 years ago when the first geothermal well was drilled and was unsafe because the emissions were not monitored well and the public was not in agreement and not very involved with it.  But another company has been successful and has done it the right way, which is PGV or Puna Geothermal Ventures.  Supporters of the project see geothermal as helping the local economy by creating cheaper energy, cheaper production, manufacturing agriculture, and transportation.  The main thing is that people want to do is the right way.  I think that geothermal would be a good way to go because it would be a way to reduce the dependence on other resources that are not renewable sources of energy.  It would be a way to harness the power of nature in a good way instead of letting it go to waste.  I think some people may be concerned with that, but overall it would be beneficial.  I think as long as it is executed correctly then it will help change our dependence on other things and can be a model for other communities with similar situations.

Reaction to "Judge torn on fate of nuke victims' care"

The article was about US District Judge J. Michael Seabright’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit regarding medical benefits for Pacific Island migrants in Hawaii that were exposed to nuclear testing.  The main issue is that the cost to provide care for the approximate 7,700 individuals in need of dialysis, chemotherapy, and other treatments, is much more than what the state is given.  It has also become an ethical issue on whether it is right or wrong to not give them the treatment that they need because of the nuclear testing.  I think that the victims should continue to receive care because it wasn't their fault that they became ill.  If the state doesn't have the money to supply sufficient care then they should be able to get more money from the government to help the victims.

Reaction to "Land 'evapotranspiration' taking unexpected turn..."

I think conservation and efficient energy use could be a solution to help evapotranspiration.  I don't know that much about the science of it all, but I think it could relate to deforestation.  The article mentions that South America is one of the places that has experienced sever drying.  I know that a lot of deforestation occurs over there because of logging and large scale agriculture and cattle farmers.  Preserving the rainforest would help to balance out all of the carbon dioxide that is emitted into the atmosphere.  A lot of the things that we use today give off harmful gases, and if we had better forms of energy I think it would help the environment.  The economy in those area could also be affected by evapotranspiration because it could lead to more droughts and less vegetation.

Guest Speaker: November 2

I had mixed feelings at first after the discussion, but overall I thought it was informative.  Learning about his background, what kind of job he had, and what he is doing today was in a way inspiring because he came to the realization that he was not satisfied with what he was doing and returned to his traditional culture.  Some students were saying something about how it would be hard for them to follow that kind of path because they are not familiar with their own culture or other reasons.  I would have to agree with that because a lot of people know what ethnic groups they come from, but don't know much about those cultures.  I was born and raised on Oahu, but I'm Filipino and Puerto Rican, and not Hawaiian, so I don't know how I would fit into that.  The speaker helped me to have a better understanding of how religion, culture, and environment are related to each other.  The main thing that I got out of it was that everyone can have different beliefs and choose what they want to believe in, and we shouldn't judge others if their beliefs are different from our own.

Reaction to "Are war crimes caused by bad apples or bad barrels?"

This article was interesting because I think war crimes are caused by both "bad apples" and "bad barrels."  I think there are individuals who really do have problems and hate for other people and I think that the situations that people are put in do play a role in how a normal person can do harmful things.  The article mentions that war is the "ultimate bad barrel," and I would agree with that because it can give someone a whole new mentality from what they experience and what they are expected to do while at war.  Earlier in the semester we briefly went over the Milgram and Zimbardo experiments in my sociology class, and I think it just shows that given the right situation people can become monsters and do things that they normally wouldn't do.  In the Zimbardo prison experiment, it seemed as though they actually thought the roles they were assigned was reality as time progressed, which caused the experiment to last a couple days instead of the two weeks that it was originally intended to last.  Although they were just experiments, I think it makes us question what really goes on in places where there is no controlled environment, such as war.

Video Clip: Social Media Revolution 2

I wasn't surprised by what the clip was saying because the internet has changed the world.  For many people social media is a part of their lives.  Almost everything we do now is somehow involved with our computers, phones, televisions, and other forms of technology.  The statistics and statements in the video were alarming, even if some may not be accurate according to some of the comments posted, but either way I think it's true that we are shifting into a different lifestyle.  For me, I rely on my computer for school, entertainment, sometimes I'll buy something online, and just organizing things that I have on there.  I think there are good and bad things that have come out of social media, but it is so convenient and easy that I think it will only get bigger in the future.

Reaction to "How to avert a global water crisis"

The article described the water usage problem on a global scale, and looking at some of the statistics such as water usage rising to 6.9 trillion cubic meters by 2030 was interesting because I wonder how much that would look like if we could see it.  I think monitoring how much large agricultural companies use would help alleviate the problem.  I think it's also a local problem.  Everyone can cut back on their water usage in different ways, but I think a lot of us don't realize how much we actually waste and take it for granted because some countries don't even have clean drinking water.  I hope that there is a solution to the problem and we start conserving because I wouldn't want to see it come to the point where we don't have clean water because by then it would be too late.

Reaction to "Time to find a second Earth, WWF says"

I think the article brings up a good point about how we use too much of our resources.  It is important to preserve and protect what we have, especially the environment and species.  The article does raise awareness to that issue, but I don't think it's realistic by saying we need to find a new planet.  I'm not sure if they mean we have to come up with the technology to find and inhabit a new earth by 2030, or we should be extracting resources from other planets by 2030, or are just really trying to make sure people get the point.  Either way I don't think it would be possible for that to happen because there is still so much we don't know about space, and there's still so much that we don't know about our own planet.  The cost to do that kind of work would probably be very pricey.  I thought it was sad that it said 1 billion people don't have access to an adequate supply of drinking water, and thought about how a lot of us take so many things for granted.  I think the article does get the message across that we need to start doing things now.

Movie: 180 degrees South

I didn't think I would like the movie at first because I thought it was going to be about something old or something that I couldn't really relate to.  It turns out that I actually enjoyed watching it and the discussion after about the possible messages it conveys.  I think the message that stood out to me the most was how development is inevitable, but necessary for us to progress in the world, and how we should realize the consequences of our actions.  I think the narrator's use of Easter Island as an example of what can happen to a society was powerful because it can really open up someone's eyes to the reality of something that can happen when resources are dwindling down.  Another thing that stood out was the aspect of adventure and leaving your life behind to do something out of the ordinary.  I find it very exciting, and would want to do something like that some day, but I would have to agree with what certain people in class were saying about how it is not realistic for a lot of us.  I think people now have too many obligations at home that they can't afford to drop them for a couple months to go on some adventure.  If someone has the chance though, I think they should take it, even if it's not the kind of journey the narrator took.  I think just traveling to new places would be enough to open our eyes to what's out there and see our own community better.

First Impression of the class and reaction to "Transgenic Fish Go Large"

I didn't know what to expect of the class before the semester started, because I've never taken a night class or a class that was scheduled for a three hour period.  And this is my late start to the whole blogging thing because I've never had one before, and it feels a little weird to be posting my thoughts like this on the internet, but I'm sure I will start to enjoy it once I get it going.  So far, I've been satisfied with the class.  I like the openness and laid-back atmosphere, while at the same time trying to learn new things with a different perspective.  I thought the guest speakers at the last class were interesting because of their life stories and how open they were to sharing them with us.

After reading the article, I have to say that I don't really agree with the transgenic salmon.  It just doesn't seem right to me to be modifying an animal like that for consumption.  I'm not sure, but I think we all eat food that is modified in some way, but I've never really asked about it, and having read the article made me more aware of the situation.  I like salmon, but genetically altered things kind of scare me a little, even if they taste good.  But, I suppose they would be alright to eat because they may be getting approved by the FDA, but I guess only time will tell, and we will see if there are any negative effects.