Renewable Energy

Isn't it somewhat crazy to think that in such an advanced world and society, that we would still be running things on a nonrenewable resource such as fossil fuels? While it may be the most ready and cheap form of energy in the short run, the long term effects are catastrophic. Although the use of clean renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric are slowly on the increase, the use of natural has and coal were about 66% of the United States source of electricity in 2015. You would think that a large country such as the United States could draw from its $600 billion annual defense budget and put it into something useful such as scientific research such as this. Think of all of the technological advances that could be made. Yet there is one critical problem to the employment of such tactics. The creation of facilities to do this would cost a tremendous amount of money - money that the government or private companies are not willing to spend for such a meager outcome. The fundamental principles of capitalism and materialism are blocking the dam to the future. I believe that with sufficient government backing, the world could be a much greener place in which we won't have to "tell our grandchildren about."

Screw the Humans, Save the Peng(uins)

Hello, my cousin Justin Peng has asked me to write a first person account of global warming. As a penguin, it is very saddening to see my home shrinking and visibly changing around me. With a spike in the increase of global temperature in the past few decades, the rim of the Antarctic ice sheets have been receding. It's no wonder that the global sea levels have been rising two millimeters every year. Because of this, my family and neighbors have been starting to come low on food as krill are unable to feed on the algae underneath the surface of the ice - and the effects are clear. Adele Penguins and Emperor Penguins like myself have been on a steady decline. As I wait for months to hatch an egg without food, it's very disappointing when in the end I get nothing more than a few scraps. While we may seem like "virtual uninhabitants," please don't leave "stretch marks" on my home. However, what frustrates me more is the apparent lack of belief in the phenomenon. Even with the irrefutable amount of scientific support and evidence, politicians still refuse to believe in it and go as far as to repeal efforts trying to help the cause. While it may be true that the increase in temperature may be due to a natural warming called Milankovitch cycles, it can't be a coincidence that the warming would coincide with the Industrial Revolution and consequential advancements in technology and the need for carbon emissions. The fact of the matter is, no matter what you believe in, the Earth is warming at an accelerated rate due to human activity. From deforestation to carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels, greenhouse gasses are filling the atmosphere and killing what lies underneath - like you and me. It would be much appreciated if with all of these newfound scientific advancements, you could figure out a self-sufficient source of natural energy such as wind and solar. It's outrageous if you think about it. How can a race so intellectually gifted allow themselves fall into this inevitable trap of self-extermination. Why not take some money out of that $597 billion dollar military budget and put some into the the benefit of the world? Although it would be interesting to see my home turned into an additional 60 meters of sea level, I think I liked it better the way it was before.

The Fine Line

Is racial profiling bad? The inherent answer is clearly "no." This social injustice has been fought for in cliche essays written to please the status quo and receive a good grades across the world. But have you ever really thought about the reasons and applications for racial profiling? If a certain group is statistically known to more known to perform a certain behavior, it just makes sense to suspect it more than others. It's simply counter intuitive to turn the shoulder and act as if that trend doesn't exist. If there was one group who were known to commit 99% of all crimes while the other was only responsible for the other 1%, it would be inefficient to treat everyone as if they were equal; it would be better if things were done through "the language of fear." Think about how much more efficient the world would be if all people had a similar mindset to this. However, the reason something like this can't happen is due to morals. The balance between ethics and goals is an everlasting struggle that is the reason the world is the way it is today. There is immense debate on where to draw a line between these two opposing forces in such a way that the world doesn't fall into neither a dystopia or a vegetable. If morals were a thing of the past, the world would theoretically be much more advanced than it is right now. On the other side of the spectrum, if the world was super conscious of the fact that everyone's feelings and status must be equal, the world would never able to fulfill its potential. However, the world without morals would face its obstacles such as the sacrifice of morals not truly being a more advanced society. Think of the European's oppression over the rest of the world. The cultural and economic advancements during this period were unprecedented but at what cost? The enslavement and extermination of countless civilizations is no justification for the things that were accomplished. Such times are not looked back upon in history as times of happiness or greatness but rather as a period of cruel existence. Now don't go jumping down my throat claiming that I'm a heartless human being that knows nothing about how to treat people. I am simply making an observation. While we were in class on talking about the different cartoons on the paper, I started to wonder why people are so against such profiling when trying to prevent crimes. Through this, I went down the thought process in which this essay has taken - eventually concluding that morals was the reason that it can never be employed. I never considered the side consequences of such inequality such as social backlash and the desensitizing of such behavior. I believe that we live in a world in which we have found the optimal mix of these forces. (P.S if you ever want to start a dystopian society hmu)