http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/27/AR2010092700300.html?sub=AR
Although it sounds like a violation of rights, I believe that it is smart of China to continue their one child per couple policy. The world population is increasing at an astronomical rate, which is causing many environmental issues. If the Chinese government does not limit the number of children that are born, the population will become so high that the country will be unable to support all of their people, and many will starve and die of disease. However, this policy is causing a number of problems, one of them being that there will be an insufficient number of young people to take care of the elderly in the next generation. Also, due to the fact that many Chinese people prefer boys over girls, many baby girls are aborted, which is causing a gender imbalance. Despite these issues, some method of population control is necessary to ensure the continuation of society in China. However, although the Chinese having this policy does not bother me, I honestly don't think I would like it in the United State, because I feel that it is up to the individual to decide how many children they would like to have. I realize that many others feel this way about this issue, which will make a policy like this very difficult to establish in the United States, due to the fact that we are a democracy, unlike the communist government in China.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/science/earth/19clean.html?_r=1&ref=science
This article poses an interesting question: Is it worth it for a product to suffer in respect to its quality in order to become more environmentally friendly? In this article, the new phosphorus-free formula of Cascade dishwasher detergent was used as an example. Although the new product lacks in phosphorous, which is know to pollute water supplies, many customers claimed that the effectiveness on dishes is very poor. As many companies try to "go green," they often consciously decide to make their product more expensive, less convenient, and less effective. This is a trade off that many customers are not willing to make, including many who purchased the new Cascade dishwasher detergent. This example proves that change made to preserve the environment is very difficult to make, and not even worth it to some. In my opinion, companies and individual people need to either figure out how to make products that are both effective and environmentally safe, or they just need to make a sacrifice and use less than ideal products. Otherwise, the environment will continue to be depleted and polluted.
This article poses an interesting question: Is it worth it for a product to suffer in respect to its quality in order to become more environmentally friendly? In this article, the new phosphorus-free formula of Cascade dishwasher detergent was used as an example. Although the new product lacks in phosphorous, which is know to pollute water supplies, many customers claimed that the effectiveness on dishes is very poor. As many companies try to "go green," they often consciously decide to make their product more expensive, less convenient, and less effective. This is a trade off that many customers are not willing to make, including many who purchased the new Cascade dishwasher detergent. This example proves that change made to preserve the environment is very difficult to make, and not even worth it to some. In my opinion, companies and individual people need to either figure out how to make products that are both effective and environmentally safe, or they just need to make a sacrifice and use less than ideal products. Otherwise, the environment will continue to be depleted and polluted.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
New rules slow Gulf drilling pace in shallow water
http://www.newsday.com/business/new-rules-slow-gulf-drilling-pace-in-shallow-water-1.2286133
This article about the government making it more difficult to clean up the oil spill really bothers me. Five million gallons of oil are being dumped in the ocean, causing severe economic issues as well as the death of wildlife and the pollution of the ocean, and all the government can think about are formalities and new laws. These new rules, which require drilling executives to submit detailed accounts of their response plans and estimates for how much it will cost, are costing millions of dollars, causing layoffs to be made, and greatly delaying the cleanup process. Although there have been cases where attempts to clean up have failed or even make things worse, such as a recent fire on an oil and gas platform, I firmly believe that taking immediate action will be the best way to clean up the entire mess. Accidents are bound to happen, but being too cautious and political is an accident in itself. The more things that people do, the greater chance that positive changes can be made. Sitting around and carefully planning what to do only gives time for this disaster to get worse. I fear that the government is trying to control the oil spill clean up process to show their complete power over the BP, and they have less interest in actually getting the job done. If this attitude carries over to other aspects of life as well, our country will soon be in big trouble. I feel that it is time for the government to stop being so ridiculous, and for them to actually help progress being made rather than delaying it. In this issue, time is of the essence, and the quicker people take action, the sooner the environment will recover from the oil spill.
This article about the government making it more difficult to clean up the oil spill really bothers me. Five million gallons of oil are being dumped in the ocean, causing severe economic issues as well as the death of wildlife and the pollution of the ocean, and all the government can think about are formalities and new laws. These new rules, which require drilling executives to submit detailed accounts of their response plans and estimates for how much it will cost, are costing millions of dollars, causing layoffs to be made, and greatly delaying the cleanup process. Although there have been cases where attempts to clean up have failed or even make things worse, such as a recent fire on an oil and gas platform, I firmly believe that taking immediate action will be the best way to clean up the entire mess. Accidents are bound to happen, but being too cautious and political is an accident in itself. The more things that people do, the greater chance that positive changes can be made. Sitting around and carefully planning what to do only gives time for this disaster to get worse. I fear that the government is trying to control the oil spill clean up process to show their complete power over the BP, and they have less interest in actually getting the job done. If this attitude carries over to other aspects of life as well, our country will soon be in big trouble. I feel that it is time for the government to stop being so ridiculous, and for them to actually help progress being made rather than delaying it. In this issue, time is of the essence, and the quicker people take action, the sooner the environment will recover from the oil spill.
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