Overpopulating Earth

Overpopulation is a major concern in the world today. The world's population is increasing every second and there doesn't seem to be any practical way to stop it. Is there? China seems to be on the right track with their rule on one child per family, but I disagree that mandatory abortion is the solution if more than one child is conceived. In other words, i believe that there should be a practical limit to how many children can be conceived. Another reasonable way to stop overpopulation is a birth control "virus". If people in the world will not take into consideration how imperative this problem has become and stop having children in which they can or cannot care for, I believe scientist can come up with a so called birth control "virus", infecting the bodies of women everwhere. This virus would not be so serious to terminate any chances of a woman having a child, it would just be strong enough to limit the number of conceptions, without killing anyone.

Spiritual Emphasis Week and How It Has Effected Me

This year's spiritial emphasis week has been very interesting. It was different than any other year. I think I have been more involved this year than I have been in the past, considering we have had different speakers and activities to keep us interested, but I don't like the fact that the chapels did not have one particular focus. In the past years we have had one main speaker that has focused on one main topic. I like that we are focusing on more than one topic, but I think I came to understand the topic in the past years and was able to grasp the idea of what was being discussed.

My Eyes Have Been Opened To the Meaning of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a very important holiday to me and my family. Every year my family goes down to Lawrenceburg to my grandparents' house for a Thanksgiving dinner. Last year my mom and I decided, for the first time, to do something different. We were going to fly down to Florida and have our Thanksgiving with my grandmother and aunt on my mom's side of the family. On the way to the airport my mom recieved a phonecall informing her that her sister had been in a terrible car accident the past night that had totaled her car and was sent in for imediate surgery. When we arrived in Florida we went straight to my grandmother's house to pick her up and go to the police station to get the information on the wreck, and when they had sent my aunt. It was a true blessing that we had decided to go down and spend our Thanksgiving in Florida, because without us there my grandmother wouldn't have been able to take care of my aunt and everything along with the wreck. Although we ended up only having a small dinner, my eyes were opened to the true meaning of Thanksgiving, being there for those you love through the good and the bad, and being thankful for what God has given us.

Advice for Those Brave Enough for Coach Townsend.

I would like to give advice to the upcoming freshmen that will be taking Coach Townsend's biology course. The most important thing to remember is to always pay attention during the lecture. You may not find it very important in your other classes, but it will really pay off. I have learned this the hard way. Homework is the easiest way to earn points in her class, so do it! This will keep your grade balanced and also give you extra practice for the tests. Biology is not an easy class, so if you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask. If you don't ask, you are not likely to understand it.

As Times Change, So Does the Odyssey

The Odyssey, the tale of the brave and powerful hero Odysseus, is a beloved story that was told long ago, and one day was made into a book, then into a movie. The book and the movie have many similarities, along with many differences. I think this is because the movie and the book are from completely different times. Although the movie comes from the book, the director may have found some things that he felt needed to be changed. The book was written as one of the first tales of magical lands, heroes, and unstoppable enemies, where now days these are the basis of every movie. This might have affected the original scenes in the book because if the movie was directly made from the book, people may have found it to drag on and on, with the same old same old story lines. Throughout the making of the movie, the original scenes in the book have been changed, some for the better, and some for the worse.
The characters’ personality traits in the movie were somewhat portrayed differently than I took them to be in the book. For example, when I pictured Odysseus in the book, I pictured a strong, handsome, cunning man always full of tricky ideas, but in the movie, the director showed men helping Odysseus carry the large wooden pole to stab the Cyclops. They also portrayed the conflict between Odysseus and the Cyclops differently. The director left out the part in the book when Odysseus had the idea for his men to hide under the sheep, so they could finally escape the wrath of Polyphemus. This scene was important to the story because it showed his smarts and loyalty to his men. I think they did a good job portraying Penelope and her conflict between the suitors. They also showed her in the way that I pictured her, a strong, loyal, independent woman. I think changing the personality traits and conflicts of the character also changes their importance to the story.

Conservation

When animals go extinct, it can cause a major change in the world around us. It can also effect things such as the water cycle, nitrogen cycle, and phosphorous cycle. Certain plants and animals are need for different jobs to make the cycle of life continue. Without animals such as the puma, fairy shrimp, polar bear, killer whale, and the grizzly bear, the worlds cycle can be changed for the worse. If the main predators such as the puma, polar bear, killer whale, and grizzly bear were extinct, it would off balance their prey, and those who are predators to them. I think it is very important whether species go extinct because it keeps the cycle of life working smoothly and God put them here for a reason. I think we can help the conservation effort in various ways such as spreading the word and making several donations. If DCA can raise 1.9 million dollars over a short amount of time, imagine how much we could make to save the species over a long time period.

The Day My Life Was Almost Taken

One experience that affected me deeply is when I almost fell off a cliff. Three years ago, my family was asked to spend the weekend on our friend’s house boat. We jet skied, went tubing, and went cliff jumping. It was my first time to cliff jump and I was very excited. When we arrived at the cliff early in the morning, people were already there jumping off into the water. I was a little nervous the first time climbing up, because there was only one point on the cliff you could jump off without hitting rock at the bottom. I made it up and jumped off. It was exhilarating. As soon as I hit the smooth water, I was ready to jump again. I went several more times, had lunch, and was ready to go back. This time, on the way up my foot slipped. My life flashed before my eyes, and I could already feel the sharp rush of pain through my body. I closed my eyes, ready for the fall, when I felt someone grab me, and pull me back into the wall. My heart was pounding. I turned around to see Mr. Chris smile at me, and I continued climbing up the cliff, never to climb up again. I will never forget the day that my life was almost taken by the sharp rocks beneath the water.

Overpopulation Crisis

Overpopulation is a major crisis in the world today. It is stated that by 2050, the world will have reached up to 9 billion, when the world’s carrying capacity is only estimated at 9 billion. There seems to be no humane way to stop this crisis, or is there? I have come up with three ways to help prevent overpopulation, and I would like to share them with you. I believe China is somewhat on the right track with their belief that only one child should be born to each family, but I strongly disagree with mandatory abortion if another child is conceived. I think the most practical way to prevent overpopulation, without abortion, is for each individual to think practically, and limit themselves to how many children they conceive. There is only one problem with this, what if you want to have more than one, two, or even three children? This is my solution, therefore, my second point. I think a possible way to prevent children from being aborted, but stop overpopulation, is for scientists to create a birth control “virus” that spreads worldwide, in a controlled way. This means that one has the option to have a child, for that is our nature, but this so called “virus” would not allow more than one, or two children be conceived. In this way you would not be harming anyone, for it is not killing off anything, it is only making it so that the egg and sperm cannot come together as one. This would have to be created in such a way that it is not harmful to anyone, and in a way that can be controlled. A third way to stop this would be to make people aware of the problem, for I know that before watching these videos and being aware of the carrying capacity of earth, and the number of people living on it as we speak, I was unaware that there even was a overpopulation problem. I think with more people aware, they would help stop it for the generations to come. It overpopulation is not stopped soon, it will be too late. This will damage the environment, from global warming and extra waste that would not be here if it weren’t for the extra bodies on earth. If overpopulation continues, there will be less air to breathe, for the rainforests are being destroyed every second and with more people on the earth, the rainforest would be destroyed at an even faster rate. Another effect from overpopulation is the competition for food would become even greater, for food would become even scarcer.

Food for Thought

Today during our Food for Thought lab, I was very surprised to see how insane the food to people ratio for each country really is. I was very surprised to see how many people Asia really had compared to North America, but they had only a fraction of the food. This really made me think how greedy we, the people of North America, are. It was a very upsetting fact that people in Asia needed more food to support them than we did, but we owned and wasted more food than they had.

My Neighborhood

I live in a friendly neighborhood. It is full of young children, and many older couples. Everyone helps each other out with babysitting, dog walking, and taking care of others houses while they are away. For instance, when my family is away, my neighbor takes care of my three dogs and walks them constantly. Everyone practically knows everyone, for most of the people in my neighborhood are active up at our neighborhood clubhouse with the many holiday parties, and swim team activities. My neighborhood is a wonderful, friendly place to grow up in.

What if?

I thought these were very interesting videos and they really got me thinking. What if the rain forest was completely destroyed? What if the polar ice caps melted? What if we contaminate our water source? What if endangered animals continue to be killed? What would happen to us, and all of the named and unnamed species? These are just a few of the thousands of questions researches and nature lovers ask every day. I think that people don’t realize how destroying the earth’s biomes can really affect wildlife, not just in years to come, but now. If these biomes are destroyed, it can wipe out habitats, major water sources, and even an entire species.

My faith

I place my faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ. I became a Christian about four years ago and my faith in God and my relationship with Him is still growing. When I find myself in a tough situation I always try to think about what God would want me to do, even if it is not what I want to do. By placing my faith in Christ, and not of worldly things, everything will turn out for the best and God will direct me on the path of righteousness.

Qualities in Movies

To hold my attention, a movie must have certain qualities. A movie must have an interesting and exciting plot for me to stay focused the entire time. I enjoy movies that have comedy built in with them, along with some serious parts. I really like movies that keep your mind questioning what will happen next, not ones that are predictable. When movies are predictable it makes them pointless to watch.

Lab report overview

The only real mistake we made in our pea germination lab project was that we dropped a few peas. Maybe if we didn't drop some of our peas, they might have germinated better. Next time I do this lab, I think I would like to try using 40 peas per group, instead of 20. I think the lab would be more accurate if we have more peas to examine. I did utilize the rubric and the guidelines before writing my report, but probably not well enough. I now have a better understanding of what needs to be done better next time I do a lab report.

Walking by faith, not sight

In Monday's chapel we discussed what it means to walk by faith, not by sight. I thought this was a very interesting subject and began thinking back on all the times throughout my life I have chosen to walk by sight when I should have walked by faith. Walking by faith can seem impossible at times because it is easier to walk by sight. You must keep in mind that the Bible states that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, and through Him all things are possible. Even though it may seem to benefit you more to walk by sight, God says to walk by faith and He will make your path straight.

What makes biomes unique?

Abiotic factors make biomes unique. The temperature, currents, light and soil effect the way living things grow and develop. For example, in the desert there is little rainfall, therefore, not many organisms can survive there. In some biomes, like the tundra, it is too cold for some animals to survive.

Pea Germination

I think the peas soaked in water for 48 hours will both germinate the most and the fastest because they have received the most water, therefore, should be the healthiest. Two of the 48 hour peas have already germinated.

The Outsiders Book Trailer

This is my book trailer for Ther Outsiders. I felt as if the picture of the little boys fighting showed family, and how they stick together to make one another stronger. For my symbol i used a picture of a hunting knife to show how dangerous the streets are. I have chosen the song Stand Tall by Ian Axel because I really thought the lyrics "Stand tall, I know the weight of the world won't bring me down" summed up what this book was about perfectly. Standing tall and firm no matter what comes your way, and how it is important to stick together though the weight of the world may seem too much to bear.

My Biggest Influence

The person in my life that has influenced me the most is my grandmother on my mom's side of the family. She seems to be the only person in my family that has the same interests as me. I also look up to her and respect her as a role model because she is a strong woman. She is divorced and lives alone, other than her two dogs. I really look up to her because everyone that she loves has left her. Along with divorcing my grandfather, who then died from cancer, my mom moved away from her to start a family. My aunt and uncle, who used to live with her, recently moved across the world to Dubai. Through all of this she has remained a strong, secure woman.

Reflections on First Chapel

Yesterday's chapel, the first chapel of the school year, was very interesting. We split up into several prayer groups. The seniors in our group took charge and we had a group discussion and then we took turns praying. I thought it really helped us get closer to one another, especially after the flood.

The Real Me.

If I had a chance to express to the world who I truly am, I would start off by saying my name is Sydney Ray Rudd, and I am a freshman at DCA. I have brown hair and brown eyes. I am happy most of the time. I am a Christian and attend Hermitage Hills Baptist Church. I play soccer for my school and for Tennessee United. I love photography, writing, and drawing. I am afraid of cats and sharks. My biggest pet peeve is when people smack their food, or chew with their mouth open. My best friends are Taylor Bounds, Cara McCroskey, Emma Moore, and Kirstie White. I love animals and have three dogs named Coco, Beckham, and Dakota.