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.