11. June 2009 by student.

Originally, almost half of the United States, three-quarters of Canada, almost all of Europe, the plains of the Levant, and much of the rest of the world were forested. The forests have been mostly removed for fuel, building materials and to clear land for farming. The clearing of the forests has been one of the most historic and prodigious feats of humanity. About one half of the forests that covered the Earth are gone. Each year, another 16 million hectares disappear. The World Resources Institute estimates that only about 22% of the world’s (old growth) original forest cover remains “intact” - most of this is in three large areas: the Canadian and Alaskan boreal forest, the boreal forest of Russia, and the tropical forest of the northwestern Amazon Basin and the Guyana Shield (Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Columbia, etc.)Today, forests cover more than one quarter of the world’s total land area, excluding polar regions. Slightly more than 50% of the forests are found in the tropics and the rest are temperate and boreal (coniferous northern forest) zones. Seven countries (Russia, Brazil, Canada, the United States, China, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) account for more than 60% of the total.   For millennia, humankind has influenced the forests, although much of the impact has been relatively minor. Today, the impact is enormous. Deforestation is expanding and accelerating into the remaining areas of undisturbed forest, and the quality of the remaining forests is declining.  Forests influence climate.  The within-year fluctuations in atmospheric CO2 in the temperate zone include a spring-through-autumn decline due to plant photosynthesis during the growing season, and an autumn-through-spring rise in CO2 as respiration and decomposition exceed photosynthetic uptake.  At a more regional scale, forests influence local climate and weather.  Rain forests transport great quantities of water to the atmosphere via plant transpiration. (Water is taken up by plant roots, bringing dissolved minerals into plant tissues.  Plants exchange gases with the atmosphere through openings in their leaves, and lose water in the same way.  That water loss provides the plant with a means to transport materials upwards, and so is beneficial, so long as water loss is not excessive).  Much of that transpired water replenishes the clouds and rain that maintain the rain forest.  If the forest is cut, much more of that rain will become river water, flow to distant seas, and the region will become permanently drier.  No rain forest can regenerate if this occurs.  Forests maintain local climate and strongly influence global fluxes of oxygen and carbon dioxide.  Before green plants appeared, it is believed that there was very little oxygen in the atmosphere.
 Forests protect the top soil and husband important nutrients.  A famous study of Hubbard Brook, New Hampshire found that, after forest harvest, summer streamflows greatly increased (because the forest was no longer transpiring water) and nutrient outflow also increased greatly.  The annual flood crest of the Amazon River has increased over recent years without any concomitant increase in rainfall, presumably due to deforestation.  Damaging floods are one frequent consequence of deforestation.
 Forests harbor tremendous biological diversity, and have the potential to provide us with new crop varieties and medicines. A good example of medicinal use of tropical rain forest plants is the success of the drugs vincristine and vinblastine, developed over the past 20 years from a wild periwinkle found in the forests of Madagasgar. These drugs dramatically improved the effectiveness of treatments for leukemia and other forms of cancer, Since fewer than 1% of tropical plants have been screened for possible use to medical science, ongoing deforestation results in the permanent loss to science of other species before their value can be recognized.  The winged bean is a new food crop whose value has only recently has been recognized. Deforestation has many causes.  Population pressures, profits, and internal social and political forces can all push up the rate of forest loss.  Access to markets, requiring roads and capital, is an additional powerful force, recently expanded due to the suite of changes referred to as globalization.  Poor countries with expanding populations, inequitable distribution of wealth and power, and possibly corrupt governments are especially vulnerable. In Indonesia, powerful families allied with government rulers control large and highly valuable timber concessions.  These forests are being rapidly liquidated, at enormous profit.
 In Brazil, many of the rural poor are moving to cities for work, and not finding it.  Productive farmland is controlled by a wealthy elite with a long history of land ownership, and so many of the rural poor are landless.  By opening its frontier – the Amazon forest - to its landless poor, Brazil seeks to provide a safety valve for what otherwise might be an explosive political situation.
 In many areas, poor people have few options to make income, and forests have few protectors, and so land is cleared for agriculture and valuable timber is sold for profit.

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11. June 2009 by student.

When we hear plastic surgery, what do we think? A hollywood star trying to delay the effects of aging? Somebody’s cute nose that cost quite a few allowances? People who want to change the size of their stomach, breast or other parts of their appearances because they see it done so easily on TV. According to The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Plastic surgery is very helpful for the people who had a bad accident such as; face or any part of their bodies are ruined because of a tragic accident and need reconstructuion to help patient’s improve their appearances, self images,and bring their confidence back through reconstructive , and cosmetic procedure. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons also reports a difference in the reasons teens give for having plastic surgery and the reasons adults do. Teens view plastic surgery as a way to fit in and look acceptable to friends and peers. Adults, on the other hand, frequently see plastic surgery as a way to stand out from the crowd. The number of teens who choose to get a plastic surgery is on the rise, meaning, more patients for the surgeons, more money they make, the richer they will be. Status in life also contributes to the rising of plastic surgery. The more money a person have, the bigger chance for them to have plastic surgery.  There are 335,000 people 18 years  and younger had plastic surgery in 2003, up from 306,000 in 2000. Some people who can afford turn to plastic surgery to correct physical defect, or to alter a part of the body that makes them feel comfortable. Other people do cosmetic surgery to feel better about the way they look. Often say that having the surgery gives them greater confidence and boost their self esteem. The United States News and  world report indicates  that there is an increasing research that says look matter in work places. That beautiful people make more money and have more opportunities for advancement. In the Corporate world, there’s a lot of emphasis on image and “ image goes with self confidence”, say’s Antonio Armani, A Beverly Hills Callifornia Cosmetic Surgeon, who specializes in hair transplant.

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11. June 2009 by student.

Reports show the growing trend in SUV and pickup truck sales in the United States, as well as, in China.  The only inhibitors to this trend have been the rise in fuel prices, but since fuel prices have dropped, SUV and truck sales are on the rise again.  If you take a look at all of the vehicles on the road, you will surely notice the quantity of these vehicles on the road.  Look again and you will notice that many of these vehicles do not have more than one person in the SUV or anything in the bed of the truck, which would be the practical reason to own and drive such a vehicle.   There are a few factors as to why this situation occurs.  SUV and truck drivers will argue that they drive the vehicles for a purpose such as work, kids, safety, etc.  However, there are many that will argue that SUVs and trucks are bought and driven as a status symbol.  This argument can definitely be considered due to the fact that SUVs and trucks are typically more expensive to buy, drive, and often times not used for their intended purpose.  This can be supported by the fact that many SUVs and trucks have aftermarket parts such as rims, oversize tires, and lift kits installed.  These items are not only detrimental to the fuel consumption but also hamper the handling and safety of the vehicle by increasing the already high, unstable center of gravity.  So why would one choose to drive such an impractical vehicle?  From a sociological perspective of status symbol, people will generally ‘show off’ their role or place in society and thus will buy large, overpriced vehicles in attempt to do so.  This makes sense considering how much time is spent in a vehicle and that it is most likely a person’s prime mode of transportation and thus seen most in the public eye.

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