River Monsters!

In 1976 a packed coach crashed into the Amazon killing 39 people. Did a school of piranha eat their flesh? Over the years, the mystery of freshwater fish have led to terrifying tales of fish that preyed on man.

Starting this week, in a new seven-part series from Animal Planet called River Monsters, biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade travels worldwide to solve these freshwater mysteries, to debunk these myths and to track down these harrowing tales.

In each episode, Jeremy Wade will come dangerously close to these predators in an attempt to try to understand their mystery and taste human flesh, putting his life at risk. He observes gigantic fish while traveling through Germany, Australia, Brazil and Texas. He confronts fascinating creatures as piranha, alligator gar, wels catfish, bullshark, piraiba, candiru and arapaima, all supposedly deadly creatures shrouded with mystery — especially their feeding habits.

We often think we know very little about oceans, but it seems like we also know very little about freshwater species and ecosystems. This would be an interesting series because we probably know less about what lives in freshwater than what lives in oceans.

Disneynature Earth

The first film in the Disneynature series, Earth, comes to theatres on Earth Day April 22nd. It is about the remarkable story of three animal families- polar bears, African elephants, and humpback whales- and their amazing journey across the planet we call home. Earth combines rare action and stunning scenery, while capturing some of the wildest and most elusive creatures. Directed by the creative team behind Emmy Award-winning Planet Earth, expect to be awed.

Buy a ticket for opening week and Disney will plant a tree in your honor.

Hong Kong

This year, I spent spring break in Hong Kong- a city where visibility is currently less than 8 kilometers for 30 percent of the year. Air is the source for many respiratory infections and asthma in the area, which is why many people wear face masks while out on the street. They even have stores that sell only face masks.


Los Angeles air even seems clean to me since I returned from my trip, as I no longer sneeze due to the dust in the air. Perhaps people in LA could adopt face masks to protect themselves from bad air, such as when bush fires occur.

Air pollution in Hong Kong recently reached its highest levels since records began. This is partly due to the large number of factories over the border in mainland China. But there is hope for them, as people are starting to reduce comsumption levels, which will eventually lead to less waste and pollution.

I was surprised at the environmentally friendly habits that the people in Hong Kong had. For example, many of them bring reusable bags with them to the grocery store. Some stores even offer a slight discount if you bring your own bag. At nearly every store that I went to where I declined a paper or plastic bag for my purchase, the salesperson thanked me for doing good for the environment. It made me feel feel virtuous and earth friendly, which is one of the reasons why the most of us recycle. It also helps that the Chinese are naturally thrifty, and households tend to reuse many things. But there is always room for improvement, as the household recycling rate is only 10 to 14 percent, compared to over 30 percent in England.

Hungry?

I was listening to the radio the one day, and I heard Taco Bell advertise their 'Fourthmeal'. 'Fourthmeal'? Really? Do Americans really need another meal?

According to the American Obesity Association, more than half the nation is overweight- 65%. And nearly one-third are obese. Why has the obesity epidemic hit America the hardest?

With our current lifestyle, it is easy to eat, it is easy to be lazy. Just because everything is so convenient. Technology and modern society has made it easier to be obese.

Cheap, tasty food is abundant and it tempts you constantly- fast food advertisements on the radio as you commute to work, billboards featuring juicy, succulent burgers, that oh-so-convenient drive-through on your way home. Between 1980 and 2005, the price of food fell 14 percent relative to non-food items, so it is not surprising that we are eating more food. Not only are we eating more food, we are eating more unhealthy food.

People today are strapped for time. There are only so many hours in a day and we have to work, commute, run errands, and watch our favorite television shows. Who has time to prepare a healthy home-cooked meal? So people tend to stop by that drive-through on the way home. And buying that combo meal is cheaper than just a burger alone. More bang for our buck- we get a side of oil-drenched fries and sugar-laden soda with our juicy beef patty slathered in some secret dressing. All it took was five minutes, and we didn't even have to get out of our car. In 1957, a burger contained little more than one ounce of meat, but by 1997 that same meat wad had grown to six ounces. Today we have McDonald's Angus Third Pounder. The average American now consumes almost 60 pounds of frozen potato products per year, more than triple the amount consumed per person in 1965.

At the same time, we are burning less calories. We drive practically everywhere. We circle the parking lot until we find a spot that is closest to the mall. We take the elevator to the second floor. It is natural that we gain weight when we live such a sedentary lifestyle. As long as there is demand for labor saving devices and cheap, tasty food, obesity will continue to be a significant problem.

Modern society has given Americans more incentives to gain weight than to lose it. Medical advancements have made it relatively easy to lower the health costs of obesity, by making available pills that will lower cholesterol levels and procedures that will reverse obesity such as gastric bypass surgeries. Such surgeries help people to lose up to one-third of their excess weight within one to four years. The availability of such technology may influence people to think that obesity is acceptable, because there is an easy surgical way out. The media has also played a part in influencing consumers to think that excess weight can easily disappear. How many of you have heard the endless commercials about the Lap-Band? Medical technology is so advanced today that, in fact, research by the Center for Disease Control reveals that today’s obese population has better blood pressure and cholesterol values than normal-weight adults did 30 years ago.

The obesity rate in China is just under 5%. If you visit Asian countries such as Hong Kong, you will notice that nearly everybody you see on the streets are fairly slim.

Why is this when it is just as developed a country as America? The answer lies in food portion, and an active lifestyle. Food portion in Hong Kong is significantly smaller than American food portion. Many Chinese foods are deep-fried and packed with fat and salt. Some Chinese favorites include fat cuts of pork and beef belly. But the people who consume them remain slim.


Because of small food portions, the Chinese feel more satisfied eating less, and are able to get balanced nutrients in their diet. Also, the lifestyle in Hong Kong is such that people walk to most places. Up and down the streets, down and out the subway system, all the steps add up. For people there, hiking is a popular pastime and many frequent the numerous indoor gyms and yoga centers to combat stress. However, as other cultures gain more Western influence, waistlines are bound to expand as Western fast food choices creep their way into everyday diets. Today, one in every five children in Hong Kong is obese, the highest number ever.

As the richest nation in the world, the prosperous American population lives very differently than fifty years ago. In the last five decades, changes have allowed Americans to give up wage earning hard labor in exchange for productive yet sedentary lives. As Americans, we make more money and enjoy a higher standard of living. Such prosperity and modern conveniences have increased the average American's free time. Just fifty years ago there were only four television stations. Now there are hundreds. Entertainment choices have multiplied. Videos, DVDs, video games, iPods, satellite and cable television, cell phones, calculators, computers, digital cameras, video cameras, global positioning systems, and the Internet. Most of these devices provide great entertainment and save time, but also lead to sedentary activity and further physical disconnection from one's body. Just thirty years ago, the average home had just one television. Many homes now have one television for every room in the house.


Wealthy Americans spend more time and money dining out, where they have no control over the amount of fat and sugar that goes into their food. Lower income individuals chose fast food, where they can consume most of their daily calorie needs in one meal. Health awareness must be raised among the public. Corporations have done a good job in packing the maximum amount of calories into a dollar- a Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger has 1520 calories! That is three quarters of an average 2000-calories-a-day diet in one meal. Consumers must learn about proper serving sizes and about nutrition labels so that they can make informed choices.Corporations must have incentives to provide healthier choices for their consumers.


According to the US Surgeon General, in the United States the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980. If current trends continue, it is estimated that by 2030, 86.3 percent of American adults will be overweight or obese. A recent article in British press said that there are more dangerously obese people in the world (over 1 billion) than there are people starving (800,000,000). Corporate America has had a significant role in the fattening of America, but it is ultimately up to the individual what goes into their body. Stop supersizing and get moving!

Spring Cleaning

With spring break just around the corner, get started on cleaning your house- a springtime tradition. This weekend, plan a yard sale. You can get rid of unwanted items that have been sitting around, and earn extra cash. You will also help others avoid buying new items.



The new season is perfect for planting some green. Head to your local nursery to see what people are planting this year. New plants would make your home more refreshing to live in. Also, support local farmers by exploring farmer's markets to see what early spring produce is available.

Ethics

Catuli's article brought up some very interesting views about our world today. Capitalism is so much a part of our everyday lives, and it has become so easy to blindly accept this system without questioning the reasons and ideas behind it. It was refreshing to read about the opinions of somebody who dared challenge the status quo. Is capitalism really the devil? It could be, if you are one of the 'little people who work for wages'. But to the 'CEO who is making millions', it might just be the best thing in the world.

It is possible that capitalism is a bad idea-- that it shouldn't have been implemented in the first place. But, imagine a world without capitalism. Can't, could you? We would not have any of the ammenities or luxuries that we take for granted today. There would be no internet. No cell phones. Who would have the incentive to develop such things if it were not for monetary purposes? This is the kind of hidden mechanism that converted the greed of individuals into some general good-- this is Adam Smith's "invisible hand". Such technologies have benefited far more people than they have harmed.

It is possible that a capitalist society deliberately aims to degrade our character and convince us that greed is normal, even good. Take celebrities, for example. They live lavishly and have high opinions of themselves because of their wealth. Some do try to give back to communities and charities, but the amounts pale in comparison with their wealth. Are we only as good as our material possessions?

However, it is not practical to hope that everybody would see the flaw of capitalism-- that they would opt to live like Buddha or Mother Teresa. Give up their television and computers? No way.

Capitalism may bear some blame for the state of our economy today, but we must also be grateful for the good that it has brought. Without capitalism, countries would not advance nor develop. People would not have access to the goods and services that they do now. Without capitalism, we would not have the resources to help other countries in need. And when the economy does boom again, Catuli may change his mind about capitalism.

But Catuli was right when he said that the solutions to greed are simple. Because they are. Just follow everything that your religion tells you to do, word for word. Oh, and always put others first. Simple, yes. Viable, no. Society is trapped too deep in the jaws of capitalism and our lifestyles are too rooted in that system. To undo capitalism, we must first change ourselves--we must become saints.

Electronic Waste

For most of us, when we think of recycling, the first things that come to mind are paper, plastics, and aluminum. But what about electronics? Electronic equipment has been recognized as a fast growing category of municipal solid waste. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, in 2005, discarded electronics totaled about 2 million tons. It’s estimated that only about 15 to 20 percent of this was recycled. Worldwide, between 20 million and 50 million tons of electronic waste is produced, according to a United Nations environment program. Since electronic equipment contains toxic chemicals, this can pose health and environmental risks, particularly in landfills where toxins may leak into the soil and ground water.

To prevent your old electronic equipment from ending up in landfills, you can donate them to charities or thrift stores, or even sell them on websites such as Craigslist and eBay. Recycling bins for electronics do exist, you just have to keep an eye out for them. I have seen bins specifically for old cell phones and related parts. The next time you replace your printer ink cartridge, place the old one in the envelope that usually comes with the new cartridge. You can then mail your old ink cartridge to be recycled. Postage is even pre-paid! Could it get any better than that? You bet. Staples currently offers a $3 rebate for any old ink cartridge that you bring into the store. Best Buy has also expanded their recycling program to all their stores nationwide.

Only about 11 percent of electronics are recycled, according to the most recent U.S. EPA estimates. Hopefully our actions can increase this number.