Blog 7: The Great Barrier Reef

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 *Video #1: What is "Coral Bleaching? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW8nCALx5iA&feature=related

1.  What is a polyp? What does a polyp need to be considered "coral"?

Coral larvae is a tiny animal that lives in the open water up to 30 days until it    finds a place to settle on the ocean ground. Once it settles, the coral larvae grows into a polyp, which looks like an upside down jellyfish. Zooxanthellae, tiny algae, move into the polyp and multiply, serving as food for the polyp and its astonishing color. After a while, the polyp grows and multiplies, creating many polyp colonies, which we recognize as coral. Then, when corals are created, a reef forms... The very thing that we are amazed with!

2. What types of things are coral sensitive to in the ocean?

Coral are very delicate animals and are sensitive to changes in the water. If the temperature rises a little bit above the normal ocean temperature, the coral becomes stressed. This "coral stress" causes the zooxanthellae to move out of the polyps, and the coral loses its main source of food and its color. This is known as coral bleaching...

3. When does coral bleaching occur?

Coral bleaching occurs when the temperature of the ocean remains above its normal temperature for too long. In other words, if the ocean is warm for a long period of time, large amounts of coral can be affected and die. However, if the ocean temperature returns to normal quickly, the coral still has a chance to recover to whatever state they were in before. 

4. Why do scientists think that coral bleaching is occurring more now than ever?

Coral bleaching is happening more and more nowadays, mostly due to climate changes and is now affecting many areas, including the Great Barrier Reef! 

5. List three ways people can reduce their impact to climate change.

Many things affect climate changes... People can help reduce these temperature fluctuations by adapting reef-friendly habits, such as saving energy by turning off unused lights and appliances, use public transport, and reusing and recycling unnecessary products as much as we can. 

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*Video #2: Why should we care about climate change/destruction of coral reefs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcoyj2VPCOM

1. How many species are there of fish, hard coral, soft coral, sea birds, and shore birds are there in the Great Barrier Reef? 

15,000 species of fish, 360 species of hard coral, 1/3 of the world's soft corals, 22 species of sea birds, and 32 species of shore birds.

2. What is responsible for warming our oceans?

Climate changes are constantly warming our oceans, which is one of the reasons that the Great Barrier Reef is at risk. Warmed oceans cause reefs to become bleached and die...

3. How does increased flooding affect the reefs and the fish that birds that live there?

Extreme weather, such as flooding, pollutes the reef. Fish move to cooler, off-shore waters which means less food for sea birds. 

4. List three additional ways that people can reduce climate change.

People can also buy environmentally sustainable products, open windows instead of turning on the air conditioners, and donate things that will be unused instead of putting them in landfills. 

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*Video #3/#4: Educating children about the effects of climate change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnqJMlnH5yM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEdoizgeNJk&feature=related

1. List two benefits and two drawbacks to using this kind of media to teach this information.

Both of these videos are very useful in grabbing peoples' attention in order to help save the Great Barrier Reef. They are very colorful, entertaining in some views, as well as kid-friendly. Cartooning the hermit crab or the coral helps get the main point across; however, the hermit crab didn't provide enough information on how to act upon this problem and help, while the coral explained what good and bad things happen, step by step. Some videos should not only focus in on little kids, but teens and adults as well, like documentaries, because they are the ones that will most likely spread the word and do something about it.

2. Videos that I feel would be more beneficial: 

Adults from Australia
This video is very appropriate for people already living in Australia, due to the fact that not only is it informational, more like a documentary, but it also specifies the problems The Great Barrier Reef is going through. Based off of background information that these people already may know, it also explains the effects they have around the world in many different countries.

Foreigners not from Australia
These videos are very much "to the point" of what kind of problems are occurring in the Great Barrier Reef, and possibly how we can help. Not only is it very informational, but also entertaining and can capture the viewer's attention in many ways. It shows actual coral reefs before and after several bleaches, as well as scientists and people trying to help. For foreigners, it may make them think about the world in a different light!

Tourists visiting the Great Barrier Reef

This video provides attention-grabbing pictures and information. Even though it sometimes extends the truth a little bit, the propaganda will open up the eyes of the tourists, making them want to help out The Great Barrier Reef in some way, shape, or form. No matter how old the tourists may be, there is always hope that they will contribute helping this problem.

Blog 6: A Stolen Generation

History is an amazing thing. One thing, one fact, can change everything for the world! This was sort of similar to what happened in Australia quite a long time ago...

During the time when the British were colonizing Australia, they were taking whatever land they saw first. Without thinking, they grabbed and never said a word. They didn't even care if it belonged to some Aboriginal clan. The British, in this case, made the Aborigine people move living places... It didn't matter if they owned the land, or not, or even if they had a government, or not. They just took it, paying no respects to those who were rightfully there first. When the British were colonizing, they also brought some diseases with them that were fatal to many Aboriginal people. These diseases included small pox, influenza, and teburculosis. Not only did they bring diseases, but when they brought their foreign animals over to Australia, such as sheep and cattle, the Aboriginal people started war for land and water.

Aborigines were forced out of their houses, stripped of land, had restrictions on where they could live, and who they could marry.

At this point in history, the "Stolen Generation" was being created, which was a generation of infants that were taken from their families for a long time, all being taught on how to reject their Aboriginal heritage and culture. They didn't want anyone of the Aborigines to continue on with their traditions. This "Stolen Generation" lasted until about the late 1960s. Here in history, they didn't take children away anymore.

Being a part of the "Stolen Generation" can influence a human in many ways. They can even be physically or mentally harmed... After this happened, many children came back home confused, not knowing where to go or what to do. Most of them didn't even know their families, or where they were! They were lost... trapped... not able to get out of a place where they will be stuck in forever. The world is a beautiful place, however the "Stolen Generation" came out for the worst. Not only were the children harmed in several ways, but they also got very involved in abuse, violence, drugs and alcohol, as well as ended up in very cruel places. This didn't have the best influence on the children... But on the other hand, what could have you done? This was part of life, and a part of history waiting to happen.

Nowadays, Australian people celebrate Journey of Healing Day in order to honor this event. I mean, even though the Aboriginal people received a statement explaining the bad behavior and what had been done, that's not exactly what they wanted. They wanted freedom, and a chance to be somebody... They wanted a true apology that meant something.

An apology can solve many things, like this problem. An apology can help cure what had happened in the past, help understand the truth, as well as help the future. However, it cannot turn back what had already happened. Families were torn apart, children were harmed, bad memories were made... What people saw in those times in history will never turn back and will haunt them until who knows when. They will always remember what happened, even if people try to make them not think about it. Even though these major problems cannot be healed with words, several words can make a difference! It can earn the Aboriginal people their honesty and respect, and that's what really matters... plus land.

The "Stolen Generation" is a big part of Australian history, so I hope you remember this too!

Blog 5: Savor the Trip, Don't Tweet It

When you come to think of it, technology takes up a great part of our lives!

We use cell phones, surf the Internet, watch TV, and many other great technologies to make our everyday lives much more easier... But what is easier isn't necessarily always the BEST thing to do.

Think of the "olden days" when you were younger and think about how much fun it was to go on a vacation trip and stare out the window while looking at all of the beautiful scenery in a different city, state, or even country! "Vacation meant leaving the world you knew for a world you didn't." This was the best thing ever when it came to having fun, but ever since we, as small children, were slowly being introduced to TV, phones, cameras, video cameras, and computers in the 1990s, we were also slowly drifting away from what was the whole point of a vacation. I remember when I used to do that. Nowadays, we still go on trips around the world, but with our "handy-dandy" technologies within the palms of our hands. "Now it's almost impossible to avoid seeing a vacation through the prism of your portable gadgets."  

The GPS is constantly telling you where to turn, when you could have gotten lost and found yourself somewhere you weren't expecting to be. You see famous national landmarks through a screen of your camera, when you could have seen the same sight with your own eyes. There are apps now that tell you the perfect route to experience your trip and have your browser show you recommendations for dinner and hotel spots, when you could have traveled endlessly on your own trying to find somewhere to stop or somewhere to go. We are greatly immersed into technology, maybe sometimes a little TOO much and "that essential, spontaneous part of the vacation is at risk of extinction." Technology has made travels a less memorable, less meaningful experience in the 21st century. 

Not only are we immersed into technology more than we should be, but we also tend to look at the world or our vacation spot through a screen of your phone or computer before we actually arrive there. We don't bother looking at the real thing when we get there... we always want to know what we're going to expect. This is another problem when it comes to using technology on a trip. We look at videos of wherever we're going, and we expect it to be JUST like that, but really, it's just a bunch of videos that give you a brief glimpse of what is actually out there..."It's fake, because you never had the experience in the first place." 

Yes, I agree with you. Technology is probably the next best thing in the world today, and using it gives you quite an advantage... However, vacation trips are for enjoying what the world has in store for you. Laying off on some technology during the trip is a great idea, as it gives you more time to actually enjoy your trip. But what Christopher Elliot is trying to get across is that "technology isn't really the issue; but too much of it is."

You will miss out on a lot, and when you come to think of it, what really is the purpose of your trip when technology makes up more than half of your time? To me, using technology is fine, like let's say on the plane, but when you step off of the plane, I think it's time to put it away for a while and enjoy the world while you're there... Otherwise, it could ruin your entire trip.

You probably can't live without technology, but try putting it away for a day, and you'll be surprised on what you'll find and discover!!!

When I go to Australia and New Zealand, I plan to learn about the culture of the countries, as well as enhance myself in the scenery... In other words, I want to learn something new and "breathe it in", because I never know if I will ever come back to same place again. This trip is more like a "once in a lifetime" opportunity. I am very excited for it now, and while I'm there, I want to take it all in and come back with stories to tell and pictures to show. I want the trip to become a part of me, and I never will want to forget it! 

I am going there in order to get away from the everyday, not just record the trip and take a bunch of pictures. Yes, I will have my camera with me, since it practically goes wherever I go, and yes, I will take lots of pictures, but I will not exceed to the moment where I won't even know what is going around me or even where I am. Being there is the key to understanding wherever it was you went... As everyone always says, "You had to be there to actually know what I'm talking about."

At first, I wanted to go to Australia because I have never been there before and wanted to experience it. But now, as we learn about the country more and more everyday, I am beginning to realize how much fun I will be able to have, and once again say that "I have been to Australia and New Zealand." Elliot's article emphasized something that I sometimes ignored during trips and just took an advantage of. If I'm glued to electronics and technology, I won't really have the chance to BE there, and hopefully, I will not do that and take away memories and sights that not many people will have the chance to.

I want to live in the moment of the trip!

As of right now, we already have our technology boundaries set for the trip... and I think it should stay that way. 

We should have the chance to use our cameras whenever and wherever to capture moments we don't want to forget, and use phones and listen to music back in our hotel rooms, or in case of an emergency. But bringing laptops or any other non-useful electronics on the trip, isn't that great of an idea...

I think that these simple boundaries should be fine... And I know personally that I won't be attached to my own electronics, and so will my classmates. Honestly, it's not THAT hard to put away technology for about 12 days... Is it?

Living in the 21st century is a great honor, as we get to use technology wherever and whenever, but too much of it on a trip of a lifetime is a bit over the edge and not such a great idea... 

A 21st century girl, like me, should be able to enjoy the world in the way of the past with no problems at all!