The Sixth Extinction By Elizabeth Kolbert - 1621 Words

In the book The Sixth Extinction written by Elizabeth Kolbert there are a lot of examples that are going on in the world today and also examples of things that started when the first human being was around. This book talks about how we are in the sixth mass extinction, and that is caused by humans. Overall the book goes chapter by chapter and talks about the different mass extinctions there have been, and how they were caused, but also the book talks about different species that have gone extinct and the reasons why. For example the book talks about golden frogs that are located in Panama and how they were seen everywhere located in El Valle de Anton, but they suddenly started disappearing. They were disappearing because of a chytrid fungis cause by humans, when humans travel they were bring this fungis to different places, this ended up killing the frogs (Chapter 1, Kolbert). That is just one example, but throughout the book Kolbert talks about different extinctions like this a nd what caused them. There are thirteen chapters in book The Sixth Extinction, and each one represents something different as the chapters are leading to the end where she points out that there could be hope. The first chapter in the book is called the Sixth Extinction and this chapter mainly talks about frogs and that is because they have been around longer than any other species some say. Frogs have been around for around 400 million years at least that is when they started crawling out ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Elizabeth Kolberts The Sixth Extinction1575 Words   |  7 Pagespushing other species to extinction, humanity is busy sawing off the limb on which it perches† (The Sixth Extinction, 268). This powerful quote, by Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich, accurately sums up the main message conveyed in Elizabeth Kolbert’s most recent and most successful book, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. Elizabeth Kolbert is an experienced journalist and author who is currently working as a â€Å"staff writer at The New Yorker.† While Elizabeth Kolbert has written on a varietyRead MoreThe Extinction : Humans Are Causing The Next Major Extinction Essay1190 Words   |  5 PagesHolocene Extinction; How Humans Are Causing the Next Major Extinction Since before the industrial evolutions humans have been pumping green house gasses—carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons— into the atmosphere however, it wasn’t until recently that the amounts being produced are shoving the Earth into a sixth extinction. While the causes of this upcoming extinction are constantly debated on it has earned itself the name Holocene extinction. This name isRead MoreThe Sixth Extinction Reflection1065 Words   |  5 PagesSummer Reading Reflection I read The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert over this summer. It was a thoughtful book that made me more aware of mother nature as well as the declining environmental health. Basically, the author handled its large, weighty ideas by comparing the current environmental issues with the past five major episodes of mass extinction. Nowadays, the world’s undergoing a sixth mass extinction period, with humans as the driving factor. In short, industrialization and globalizationRead MoreThe Death Of The Moth And The Sixth Extinction?1647 Words   |  7 Pagesto sink back to earth, and settle amongst the branches once more. Picking decomposing bats off of the ground while amidst giant icicles, some with dead flittermice trapped half-within. Virginia Woolf’s â€Å"The Death of the Moth† and Elizabeth Kolbert’s â€Å"The Sixth Extinction?† both present the common theme of the death of animals. Specifically, they share the use of the presentation of the d eath of animals, and vivid imagery to accompany it. There are many differences between the two essays, especiallyRead MoreThe Fourth Extinction By Elizabeth Kolbert1477 Words   |  6 Pageswe are doing now will effect us later. As humans are routines in our lives can bring us harm, and within time a we may become the sixth extinction. I believe we threaten human existence as a species and it can eventually lead to destroying our own comfortable lives we have created for ourselves. In the beginning of the book â€Å"The Sixth Extinction† by Elizabeth Kolbert, she mentions a species of a frog that is going extinct because of a fungus that has been brought over by humans and has been spreadRead MoreThe Problem Of Shrinking Diversity881 Words   |  4 Pagesyears on Earth, there has been five mass extinctions which succeeded in wiping out ninety-five percent of the planets species. Some experts believe that we are on the verge of the sixth mass extinction. For example, journalist Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction, believes that humans are â€Å"living in a time of very, very elevated extinction rates, on the order that you would see in a mass extinction.† The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment backs Kolbert claim. More than a thousand experts inRead MoreThe Fourth Extinction : An Unnatural History By Elizabeth Kolbert1112 Words   |  5 Pagesfive major mass extinction on earth triggered by a distinguishable event, but in The Sixth Ex tinction: An Unnatural History, Elizabeth Kolbert writes of the narrative of the sixth extinction caused directly by human impact. The book identifies the effects of human activity on how, over humans history on earth, the natural world has been affected. Every environmental impact stems into three basic groups of global problems to nature: Pollution, Habitat loss and Invasive Species. Kolbert explains thatRead MoreThe Destruction Of The World1585 Words   |  7 Pages By inhabiting every corner of the planet, razing forests, and burning fossil fuels, people are changing the world so fast that many other species can t cope(Kolbert 1). This statement tells of a bitter truth that has affected the world since the advent of the evolved mankind, through various self-serving activities such as logging, mining, burning fossil fuels and continuously polluting both land and water. People have ensured through this and other wreckless means that other species that inhabitRead MoreMass Extin ction1421 Words   |  6 PagesExtinction is the end of an organism or group of taxa.   Extinctions occur when a species becomes unfit for survival in its natural habitat usually to be replaced by another, better-suited species. An organism becomes ill-suited for survival because its environment is changed or because its relationship to other organisms is altered as stated from Credo Reference. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that particular species. Mass extinctions, howeverRead MoreJohnson s Seagrass And Its Effects1370 Words   |  6 Pagesfunding for conservation efforts than seagrasses do. It is alarming how quickly ecosystems are being depleted and how fast species are going extinct. If the damage done to Johnson’s seagrass is not reversed or stopped, will it lead to a sixth extinction Elizabeth Kolbert speaks of, or will it have detrimental effects on generations to come? These are questions that more peopl e need to keep in mind when they throw a can on the side of the road or dump pollutants into the ocean.

The Poverty Of The United States - 950 Words

Persistence of Poverty in the United States Poverty has been a headache that every country tries to get rid of. The war between every country and poverty has been going on for a long time. This war is not only happening in the third-world countries, but it is also a problem in the leading country such as the United States. Throughout the history, the United States of America has been constantly trying to wage war again poverty by trying to reform structure, improving living condition of the homeless, increase minimum wages. Even though, some reforms may have been able to decrease the percentage of poverty, they can never completely destroy poverty completely. There are varieties of ideas as to how the U.S can eliminate poverty, and one of these ideas is the reforming of the tax system. This idea has become a heated debate whether it can actually make the dream of every low-income family come true. However, reform the tax structure alone cannot completely eliminate the poverty in th e U.S for several reasons. The first reason that reforming the tax structure alone will not eliminate poverty in the U.S is because of the medical cost. Most people, especially low-income family that has to live in poverty really place their health as the most important factor, for they have to work constantly to support their family. Therefore, a lot of these families are depending on the support of the government through assistance programs but most of all is Medi-Cal because they can getShow MoreRelatedThe Poverty Of The United States1727 Words   |  7 PagesPoverty defined by the American Heritage Dictionary is â€Å"lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts† (Hirokazu Yoshikawa, 2012). Poverty in the United States is an issue that is often times overlooked because the focus of poverty is on developing and struggling countries. People often think America does not experience poverty because it is such a thriving country. The problem with this is that Amer ica is indeed struggling with poverty: â€Å"there are currently 488 counties in America whereRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States1548 Words   |  7 Pagescitizens in poverty has risen. Several organizations have been set up to help those who suffer from poverty and provide their everyday needs. There are always ways where a community can help eliminate the amount of people suffering poverty. Government has an influence on how much money flow there is in the United States such as the FED, which was created to help maintain a stable monetary and financial system and control the money supply. People themselves can also help from falling into poverty, butRead MorePoverty Of The United States1408 Words   |  6 PagesWhen people hear the word poverty many people think of the bad connotations that come with it like, smelly homeless people that are crackheads and disease holders. Some people may even think they are uneducated or not hard working enough and rather ask for mone y instead of trying to get a job. Although a small portion of that may be true to some homeless people due to addictions on drugs and the toll it takes on their lives. The majority of homeless people are either veterans or immigrants, who findRead MorePoverty in the United States755 Words   |  4 PagesPoverty in the United States is getting in inferior quality every day and nothing is being done about it. Many people who want to help the poor, but no one knows exactly how to help them. A primary reason for people not taking action is because of lack of information that is provided about issues on poverty. Poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. According to the U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday September 13thRead MorePoverty Of The United States Essay1369 Words   |  6 PagesPoverty within the United States is defined as â€Å"having an income below a federally determined poverty threshold. † Poverty thresholds were developed by the United States government in the 60s. Over time these thresholds are adjusted to account for inflation; it is typical to adjust the poverty threshold levels annually. They represent the government’s estimate of the point below which a family has insufficient resources to meet their basic needs. Any family with less income than that establishedRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States Essay1385 Words   |  6 Pages The Character of Poverty in America Poverty has always been a key factor in United States History. Ever sense Americas birth there have been groups affected by poverty, but the forms of the poverty that affected these groups have changed as well as the nature of poverty itself in the USA. The abolition of slavery, the forced assimilation of native Americans, and mass immigration changed character of poverty within the united states change due to an evolution from agriculture to industry and a changeRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States1531 Words   |  7 Pagessuch dialog, topics on the increasing and rather consistent levels of poverty in some regions in America are touched on as well. Poverty is defined as a condition where one’s basics needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met (What Is Poverty? â€Å"). From sea to shining sea, more than 15 percent of the American population live in poverty, a total of people over 46 million. Many who live in poverty within the United States live in areas that were once thriving from the country’s economic growthRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States1746 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is poverty? A question most Americans will not have to think twice before answering. Poverty is, of course, simply a lack of money. The views of a specific person will defer when politics or morals are introduced, however, the idea stays the same. Those in poverty are there because they have less money than what has been decided to be livable. Poverty has changed significantly over the last two hundred years in the United States, and yet, the measurement has hardly changed since it was createdRead MorePoverty Of The United States1475 Words   |  6 Pages â€Æ' Poverty in the United States is defined as a social problem. As outlined in the text, a social problem is â€Å"a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of a society and is usually a matter of public controversy†. It is easy to see that there is a large economic divide in the United States, but with only a small percentage of people in the highest income stratification and the vast majority struggling to get by, the majority of United States citizens agree that there is tooRead MorePoverty in the United States1061 Words   |  5 PagesThe Background of Poverty in America In the United States, there are about more than forty-six million people living in impoverished conditions today. Poverty is a major conflict issue in this country amongst people who are part of the lower class because American families always had a hard time making ends meet, even before the Great Recession began. Living in poverty puts them at a disadvantage because they have to choose between necessitates like health care, child care, and food in order to

Against Bullfighting Free Essays

October 24, 2011 Jose Pliego San Martin In 2010 15,000 bulls were killed only in Spain, you know why? Because of bullfighting. Bullfighting is a so called â€Å"tradition† in Spain, Portugal and some Latin American countries like Mexico and Venezuela. Reality is bullfighting is only a constant torture to a poor bull unable to defend itself. We will write a custom essay sample on Against Bullfighting or any similar topic only for you Order Now So that you can understand me better I am going to tell you about the Spanish-style bullfighting: A man, dressed like a clown, tortures and torments a bull with a red cape. Then the picadors keep on abusing him, provoking painful wounds that cut into his neck muscles with a pica. After that the banderilleros, blood-thirsty, with an item called banderilla weaken the bull even more. Severely injured, the bull charges with rage against the steel that destroys his organs. The matador is supposed to break the artery next to the heart, but that never happens. Instead he drills his lungs and the bull often vomits blood. Agonizing in a blood bath, the puntillero puts an end to his life. Even then, he is not allowed a little dignity to leave this world in peace, his ears and tail are cut off (often when he is fully conscious), and his broken, bleeding body is dragged around the ring by mules. Not content with his suffering, which must be too horrible to describe with words, the crowds boo and mock at him. They even throw empty beer cans to the arena. His body is then taken away to be skinned, and even then he may not be dead when this happens. That’s what the crowd watches in the ring, but what is also really concerning is the previous preparation they give the bull. The bull is not an aggressive animal, and the reason he is angry and attempts to charge at the matador whilst in the bullring is mainly because he has been horrendously abused for the previous two days. In fact, what spectators see is not a normal, healthy bull. The bull has wet newspapers stuffed into his ears; Vaseline is rubbed into his eyes to blur his vision; cotton is stuffed up his nostrils to cut off his respiration and a needle is stuck into his genitals. Also, a strong caustic solution is rubbed onto his legs, which throws him off balance. He is kept in a dark box for a couple of days before he faces the ring: the purpose of this is to confuse him. When he is let out of the box, he runs desperately towards the light at the end of the tunnel. He thinks that at last his suffering is over and he is being set free — instead, he runs into the bullring to face his killers and a booing crowd. And it happens to more than 20,000 bulls a year!!!!! Calling â€Å"culture† the organized sadism, violence, pain or death is an insult to one’s intelligence and to the development of our evolution. Your indifference makes them powerful! You MUST manifest your disgust against that criminal party! Don’t collaborate with that insane game! BULLFIGHTERS MUST BE SENT TO JAIL! In recent years, there has been a sustained press interest in the atrocities involved in bullfighting and fiestas involving animal abuse. This media focus has caused worldwide concern. This has deeply embarrassed the Spanish Government who is under extreme pressure to change their laws. Also, it has made people in general more aware of the cruelties involved in bullfighting and the fiestas, and therefore less likely to visit bullrings. On September the 25th the last corrida in the Spanish region of Catalonia took place. This because the parliament of Catalonia voted to ban bullfighting, making it the first region of mainland Spain to do so. The vote took place as the result of a petition brought to parliament, signed by 180,000 people who say the practice is barbaric and outdated. The ban takes effect in January 2012. It is only a matter of time before this abomination has ended, and bulls are allowed to live their lives in peace all around the world. We should all follow the example of the Catalonians and prohibit bullfighting. Now a days there are a lot of efforts to put it down. We only need to raise our voices and express our feelings against those assassins†¦ THINK: ARE YOU WITH IT OR ARE YOU AGAINST IT? It is cruelty, not culture. It is criminal, not fun. So†¦ VOTE AGAINST BULLFIGHTING!! How to cite Against Bullfighting, Essay examples