Ocean Ecology

We, human, live on land. However, land is only about one third of the whole world surface area. The rest is water. There are more creature living on this world beside terrestrial ones. There is a part of the world that human do not fully understand. That part is marine ecosystem. 

Marine ecosystem include oceans,  salt marshes, intertidal zones, estuaries, lagoons, mangroves, coral reefs, the deep sea, and the sea floor. Discovered only 5% with human technology, marine ecosystem is the home of many known and unknown creatures, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. It's "estimated" that there is about 1 million species. Oceans, like any water bodies, contribute greatly to climate change.

Humans get a lot of benefits from marine ecosystem, especially seas and oceans. The first and most obvious things are fish. Fisheries today provide about 16% of world's human dietary protein source. The second one is shipping and transporting. The third one is tourism. (Source: MarineBio) Together, all these things lead to economic development, with jobs, sales, salaries, etc. 

With that being said, humans, as always, are not every appreciative. We are destroying the marine ecosystem. We over-fish, not allowing resources to replenish. As fishing technology develops with nets and electricity, we are more destructive. 20,000 porpoises die in the nets of salmon fishermen in Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. (Source: YPTE). We pollute the water with oils and wastes. These poisons will contaminate the water and harm the marine organisms. There is also acid acidification created by carbon dioxide, which weakens shells of marine creature. 

This situation needs to be stopped. Here are what "some" people are trying to do: The Marine Conservation Institute tries to increase protected marine areas, some people try to encourage to stop using nets, some other try to clean up the oil mess with these methods, etc. Here are what you can do:
- Join and Support Organizations (Ex: WWF).
- Choose sustainable seafood (Here is a tool - Seafood Watch).
Respect the ocean!

 

Gender Equality

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!"

- Maya Angelou

Gender equality, in the context of modern day, has never been stressed enough. Gender equality states that women and men have equal value and should be treated equally. "Equally", neither more or less.

Gender inequality has been a serious problem around the world, especially in Eastern countries. According to Gender Index Organization,

1. In 2007, 34% of Vietnamese women report experiencing at least one type of domestic violence in their lifetime.

2. Vietnam male/female sex ratio at birth in 2013 is 1.12. There are some abortion due to boy bias.

It is a long-existing tradition in Eastern countries that boy is better than girl. This "tradition" brings a lot of inequality to women. "Not publicly," they are usually treated as lower class, receive lower salary and less rights.

At a broad view, gender inequality affects the whole society.

1. In economy: gender inequality limits the amount of money women can get. 

2. In education: literacy rate is lower for women, which is not fair.

3. In politics: there are less women politicians, making politics somehow biased.

4. In society: women sometimes receive a lot of sexual harassment and stereotypes.

Women's potential not fully used, we can never improve society with limited perspective.

Is there any solution for gender inequality beside laws and media? Can women just stand up and say "We are equal!"? That's what feminist are doing. Is it affective? To some degree. However, there are corners that neither laws nor feminists can reach, the dark corner in every little family. There is currently no absolute solution except laws and promotion for inequality...

Smoking

"When it looks like I may live longer than five minutes, I'll drop cigarettes like a hot potato."

Patrick Swayze

Tobacco has a long history. Originating in America about 600 - 900 A.D., tobacco was spread by Europeans. At first, tobacco was used for religious and medical purposes. However, during 1600s, tobacco become cash crop in North America. The bloom of tobacco business took place around 1800s. 

What is actually a cigarette?
Cigarette is a small roll of tobacco, having different strength and taste depending on tobacco leaf. 

Cigarettesa are deadly dangerous.

1. At least 69 of 4,000 chemicals found in tobacco cause cancers.

2. Most common disease caused by cigarettes are respitory and cardiovascular diseases.

3. Smoking can effect other people around smokers (secondhand smoke).

4. Smoking costs more than just cigarette money.

If cirgarettes are so dangerous, why do people still smoke?

In cigarettes, there is a addictive substance called nicotine. When nicotine is absorbed in your bloodstream, it reaches your brain in 10 seconds, causing brain to release adrenaline and creating a buzz of energy. This buzz fades away very quickly, leaving your body tired. This feeling encourages you to smoke again. Since your body builds up nicotine tolerance, you will need to smoke more for the buzz.

What are the solutions?
1. If you are not a smoker, STAY AWAY FROM SMOKING FROM THE FIRST PLACE. "It is always better to prepare and prevent than it is to repair and repent."
2. If you are a smoker, you can follow these following steps: (Source: Live Strong)
- Setting the stage to quit: gradually prepare your mind (about 5 days) and clean your stuffs that have tobacco smell.
- Control cravings: either by medication or hynopsis.
- Prevent a relapse: exercise, meditate, hang out with friends, and throw away the idea of "just one cigarette only".