Pandas

     I’m sure about everyone in the world knows that panda bears are an endangered species. But I did not realize how many we actually can account for. In a recent news article by CNN, they reported that a panda cub in Washington D.C., just barely a week old, died of unknown causes Sunday morning. In that same article, they stated that there are about 1,900 pandas left in the world.
     In another article by Yahoo about this same cub, they said that the first panda couple was given to the United States after Nixon’s trip to China in 1972. China has been sending their “National Treasure” to other countries as a symbol of gratitude since the Tang dynasty.
     Pandas are one of my favorite animals. Of course I love all baby animals, but bear cubs are some of my favorite. Both of the articles caught my attention and I really wish I had more time to research pandas and China’s history of how they care for pandas and how they decide to breed and relocate pandas as they have only given a few to select zoos in America and to other countries in the world. I also want to know why there are so few pandas in the first place.
     I think it is probably a good thing that we are making great efforts to breed pandas and bring their population up. I’m not sure, though again, how many pandas they have in the wild, in zoos, breeding places, etc. so I’m not sure if I can give my input on how I wouldn’t like if all the pandas were in enclosures.
     I wish that we would treat more endangered species like pandas and put more effort into bringing their populations up. I feel that it is really important that we do our best to keep species alive not only to show how amazing they are to generations after us but so that we don’t lose them as an important part of our ecosystem.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/23/us/national-zoo-panda/index.html?npt=NP1

http://news.yahoo.com/1-week-old-panda-cub-dies-national-zoo-163740820--abc-news-topstories.html

Kate Middleton

     The invention of the camera has made it so much easier to document special things like events and memories and people around the world. Recently though, it seems to me that more and people all over the world, especially paparazzi and teens/ young adults, have been abusing the invention. A picture is said to be worth a thousand words and I believe that is pretty true. I mean, people can talk and tell stories all they want but without a picture, they can’t actually prove it.

     Paparazzi all over the world seek new scandalous stories about famous people as a career because that’s what people will pay to see. Most of us would love to know how the famous live and what their up to because we sort of want to be like them. In the case of Kate Middleton, she has it all and almost every girl dreams of being in her position. Last week, Kate went sunbathing, topless, in a private area. Now, after finding paparazzi was taking pictures from hundreds of meters away, the Palace is taking this to court against an Italian media group.

     Some comments about the article I read on Yahoo support the paparazzi. They say that it was Kate’s fault and she knew there would be people taking pictures. They add that Kate has plenty of access to all the tanning supplies and beds she needs that are perfectly private. Most comments though are on Kate’s side stating that the paparazzo was “creeping”. She was obviously in a private area and the photographer had a very large lens to invade her privacy. Kate had every right like you and me to be in a private area without being photographed.

     My view is the same as most others’. Kate’s privacy was obviously invaded and she had every right to be sunbathing in that area. My reaction to the ones who think she has plenty of access to tanning beds is that maybe she prefers a more natural tan. Not everyone wants to “fake-bake”. Also, she should be very aware that she doesn’t get much privacy, but that doesn’t make it okay to be peeping with a camera and then publicizing the photos. I would hate being so famous and not getting a break to do whatever I want when someone isn’t looking.

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/palace-lawyers-seek-injunction-over-topless-pics-115843811.html?_esi=1

Child Care

     A woman named Lenore is participating in a new movement where parents let their kids play by themselves or with others free of parent or even adult supervision. She has set play dates where parents pay $350 to let their children play together free of supervision. These play dates take place in New York City’s Central Park where she argues is “the safest precinct in New York.” Another supporter of this movement expands and explains that unlike the suburbs, New York City is always busy and there are always people around- referring to the fact that in case there were to be a dangerous or harmful situation, witnesses would be everywhere.
    Parents who are interviewed in this video give their opinions on the subject; most saying they would never let their child roam unsupervised, let alone pay someone for an experience like that.

     My view is that children need freedom. They need to experience the world on their own and learn on their own terms but not all the time and not without an adult close by. Lenore mentions that she let her child play in the park while she sat in a coffee shop nearby. I would be all for letting my child roam around and playing with others without much supervision but I would be worried about sudden emergencies. What if my child somehow broke their leg and obviously couldn’t come find me for help? I would much rather be on a bench nearby than in a coffee shop out of sight. Sure, at a certain age like 12 the child might be independent enough to handle me being at a coffee shop nearby but younger than that would very much depend on the child’s maturity level and if they have a sibling or friend who would know where to find me in case they need assistance.

     In the movie Babies, one of the children, Bayar, who lives in from Mongolia, is seldom watched over by his parents or any other adult. Granted the child lives in the middle of nowhere and is unable to walk or crawl part of the film, how much trouble can he get into? His brother, not much older than him, is a toddler and manages to stroll him outside and then walks back into their house. When Bayar learns to walk, he almost gets trampled by a cow. Things like this worry people but it’s a way of life in that area. The parents just cannot be there to supervise their children all the time. Most families in America have access to child care whether its school, daycare, a family member, or friend.

     Part of the free roaming movement makes sense to me in the way that a kid has to grow up and learn some things on their own, but the way I interpret this mother’s style, it’s only the complete opposite of a parent who hovers. There needs to be some kind of balance.

http://gma.yahoo.com/nyc-mom-charging-parents-350-let-kids-play-183149182--abc-news-topstories.html

Desperate Mother

Living in the United States and being raised by two parents who have a rather large and steady income is something I am grateful for. Cedar Rapids, my house, my schools, my friends, and my family are all I have ever really known. Even vacationing and learning about cultures in school, it cannot quite bring me close enough to some stories I hear about around the world. Usually I try and look at things from others' perspectives and in this story about the mother who had to give up her daughters, I am not exactly how I would handle their situation if I was made to decide.

Being a parent isn’t exactly something I have any clue about. I know what it’s like to have a parent and the bond I have with them. And not to say that I am comparing cats to human babies or children but the closest feeling I can think of to having a child of my own is the responsibility of taking care of my cats. I’ve had both since they were kittens, one of them just old enough to be torn from her mother. I know the feeling of attachment I have for my cats and the feeling of being scared after one of my cats didn’t return home for three days. Then of course the relief and anger at it for being gone so long. Conciously giving them up though? I’m not sure how I would handle that. My pets in the past were short term or I knew the person I had given them away to so I could visit.

The knowledge or thoughts of a mother who comes to the conclusion to give away or sell her children is uncomprehendable to me and as I am assuming it is to most mothers around the world. Who would be able to face the unknown like that? To give up something they have worked so hard to keep safe and close to them for years. Not only are those girls family, but friends, support, and company. The very things that keep her going every day and that remind her she can’t give up on for any reason.

I’m still not sure what I would do in this mother’s situation. If I made the decision to keep supporting them, I would need to face the fact that their life might not be as good with me as it could be somewhere else. And if I chose to give them up, I would do my very best to find a decent family who can care for them and where I could visit often. And if I couldn’t make that work, I’m not sure how I would deal.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-19486173

Intrests

 

    I'm not really sure exactly how to write a blog or who I’m talking to or anything like that. I’m just going to write about my interests now.

     I love music and art. i like almost every kind of music. I don’t enjoy looking at art in museums or anything of that sort but I love creating my own stuff. Drawing, coloring, painting, photography, and ceramics are some of my favorites. I enjoy taking pictures of plants and animals mainly but people are cool too.

     I’m involved in color guard which I find really fun. When I’m writing a solo it allows me to be creative and I get to listen to music over and over again. Practices and competitions are my favorite part of guard because I get to hang out with friends and travel.

     I love to travel and ive been in over 38 states in the US. Ive also traveled to Canada and places in the Carribian. whenever my family and i go on trips we always find time to stop at historical places and learn everything we can.