Nat-Riot!

Contamination Everyone on this earth has contaminated, directly or indirectly, the world. Even the most dedicated tree huggers have done it. You know why? - Because there's a lot of ways of contaminating that we don't even know we're doing. When we think of contaminating, what do we picture? Random forest fires? Industries throwing away waste wherever they want just cuz' it cost less? Contaminating can be so simple sometimes that we don't even notice. Our fuel, our hair-products, our cars, our technology; all this and more, affect the earth. First thing we need to establish: there are two types of contamination. There is direct contamination and indirect contamination. Direct contamination is when we directly do the action; like throwing plastic bags away or any other trash on the beach, just cuz' you don't want to walk all the way to the trash can; or when we throw toxic waste on ocean streams, just cuz' the proper way of dispatching them cost more. Then we have indirect contamination. Indirect contamination is when, for example your car has an oil leak or something and you don't do anything, just let it drip through all the freeway, through all the parking lots, through your garage, the neighbor's too... Get the picture? What do you think will happen to that oil? Where do you think it'll end up? Rain will eventually come and drag all the floor particles to water streams and maybe it'll take time but it'll still contaminate. Throughout the day we lots of things without really thinking them through. Indirect contamination is the worst type. Know why? - Cuz' we don't even realize we're doing it! The worst part is that we keep doing it , it becomes normal, part of our routines. Contamination not only affects nature; it affects us in the process too. We need nature to survive and if we slowly kill nature by contaminating or deforestation, who do you think is next? Do you actually think we can survive without nature? I think contamination is a really big deal. Most people might not see this as something that should concern them but they should. It's everyone's problem cuz' it affects everyone, some more than others. Throughout time, the world has become more and more fragile. Who caused it? US. Our careless actions have brought this conflict over ourselves and now no one knows what to do. I think that we just need to build consciousness of the problem and acknowledge it as a serious matter. We can start small with stuff like cleaning the beaches or recycling. I think we can make it. You'd be surprised at all the things we are capable of if we put out minds up to it. Willpower goes farther than we give it credit for. By KMRS Photo from "techalive.mtu.edu"

Collateral Damage We have an approximate of seven billion people on this earth. Everyone doing their thing, some doing better than others. A lot of people live with the idea that someday they will change the world, while others live so focused on the day by day that they don't notice time passing them by. I think with time, we get numb to certain things. I think we lose awareness of how big the world really is, and how our actions could really affect it. Throughout, time we've built and destroyed things. What we don't realize is what it all implies. We need a parking lot? We demolish a whole forest to build it. Does this seem fair to you? Sometimes we do things and we don't think of the consequences. We've ruined lots of natural habitats for our own selfish reasons that way, killing lots of innocent animals, depriving them from their homes. Nowadays we don't really care for nature. We've gotten so used to taking from nature and not giving anything in return that we don't notice all the damage we're really doing. Nature is our #1 resource, it gives us everything. Everything we do, everything we need to survive comes from nature so why would we damage it? This is not just a one man thing, it's a problem that should concern everyone. We demolish and contaminate Earth and if we keep taking from nature without giving back, soon it'll be too late. By KMRS Photo from "tmacfitness.com"

Needed-To-Survive Professions Everyone wants to think that their profession is important, that it plays a huge role in society and that it's needed to survive. If you think about it , every profession IS important; if it plays a big role or not? That's debatable. I might think that hairstyling is a job can't-live without job, while you might differ and think medics are more important. Can you see the huge leap in perspective? In a deeply poetic sense, you might say "living" isn't the same as "surviving" and that we need not only professions to keep us alive ,but also professions that make life worth living ,blah, blah, blah; but no, don't over think it, just think of it as just surviving. Some people might be biased to some professions wether it's because it's their profession or cuz' they know someone in the field. How can we be objective? The answer is: by putting ourselves on the spot. This might be quite silly but believe it or not, it helps us think a little. If for some strange and chaotic reason there's a nuclear bomb or a zombie apocalypse; what professions would you, without a shadow of a doubt, need in your group of survivors? It would be like starting over again, building everything. In my personal roster I would have a medic, probably one of the most important members of my group, the person who will treat our illnesses and keep us alive. I would also have an engineer, the person how would help give structure to the world, since they're builders of everything. Last but never least I would have a farmer and a vet. A lot of people might wonder: "Oh but why a farmer? Why a vet? Who needs them?" A lot of people don't see their importance ,but do you really think we could live without them? These people, farmers and vets, have one of the most important jobs in humanity. A farmer has the task to produce all the resources we need, they're the ones that personally work with our living demands; and a vet is the one that keeps the animals that we feed from healthy, their job is to maintain them in the best possible quality for us to consume. Opinions may vary, but all these professions are truly important; probably THE most important in society. The problem with people is that sometimes we might not consider somethings important just cuz' we're so used to having it, that we see it as a given and not as a privilege. Having farmers and vets in society is a huge privilege. They work for us and we should really acknowledge their importance. Every job, small or big, is important and we should never think so low of them without really knowing what they do for us. By KMRS Photo from "petvetcity.com"

"Thanksgiving Feast" Thanksgiving is one of the most recognized holidays throughout the country, and it's been celebrated every year since 1621. Each year on the fourth Thursday in November, people gather for a day of food, football and some family quality time. It's true that today's version has been updated a bit from the original Pilgrim feast in 1621, but still, it has the same meaning. It all started with the Pilgrims when they left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620 to go to the New World. After numerous prayers for safe travel over the tenuous seas, they finally made it to land, arriving on Massachusetts in late November. Nevertheless almost half of them died before spring even came, given that they weren't prepared for the starvation and the sickness of the harsh winter. After this, they began building somewhat "safe" shelters and they clung to their fate, praying to God for some desperately-needed help. After months in the New World, the Pilgrims were struggling, they didn't know what to do. That is when the Indians came in. The Indians knew the land, they knew what it could could offer, they knew how to farm. From that moment forward, with the help of the Indians, things started to get better and the Pilgrims were starting to get a grip on things, things were progressing. All this was the turning point and after this, they started living off the land, and thanks to the Indians, when summer came, they reaped a bountiful harvest. The Pilgrims were very grateful, not only to the Indians but also to God; so they decided to make a feast in which they would thank God for the first full-on harvest in the New World and to celebrate with the Indians. The festival was then remembered as the first Thanksgiving Feast. Now, in modern times, all this is still celebrated, and it's known as one of the border holidays with Christmas and New Years. It's a day to thank God for everything we have, a list in which agriculture is still, after all these years, included since it's still pretty much we live from; and family, what people should be most grateful for. By KMRS Photo from "trendsphoto.net"

Biotechnology Biotechnology is one of the most important fields in both science and technology. It composes a critical part in both. Biotechnology has evolved throughout time and it has a very important role in humanity. It with almost anything, from plagues to genetics, to other biological substances. It has made many new discoveries that humanity has benefited from and it has solved many life changing problems in society. Biotechnology has made it possible to feed large populations, altering nature so it could produce bigger and more desirable crops. It also has a part in modern medicine, working with antibiotics and vaccines. Nevertheless, biotechnology ha it's down side too and it could come to be destructive and deadly. Throughout time it has also been used for the wrong reasons. They are using biotech in numerous wars, using plagues against their enemies, spreading from smallpox to bubonic plagues, and all this darkens all the good deeds it has participated in. All in all, biotechnology in general is used more in agriculture, producing food and resources, and in modern medicine, working on cures. A lot of people consider biotech to be limited to just food but they're wrong. Biotechnology, as mentioned before, is a huge field and its crucial because without it, we wouldn't have a lot of the resources that we see just as a given; we don't see all the procedures they have to go through, we don't see how biotech participates in most of them. I think biotechnology deserves more recognition and respect from us, because even though it's not all good, there's more good than bad. By KMRS Photo by "engineersgarage.com"

Nature: Humanity's #1 Resource A lot of people hear "Agronomy" and think of pick axes, tractors, working under the sun all day and scooping compost off the floor but agronomy is not just that, that is just a dumb stereotype. Believe it or not, every job on this earth has something to do with agronomy, one way or another, directly or indirectly. For example, I aspire to be a chemistry engineer; Chemistry isn't just used for medicine, nuclear bombs and stuff like that, it's also used for agriscience. It is used for anti-bug sprays and to alter animal and plant growth and production. You're not directly working with animals and plants, are you? No, but as a chemist, you still have an important role on the agriculture industry. People underestimate agriculture to be just farming but agriculture is so much more, it's one of the most important industries; without it we wouldn't have food or clothes or anything. Agriculture is what satisfies our living demands: our food, our resources, our everything, that's why it's all a big circle, why it has to do with everything. Some jobs have more impact than others but still, they all have their part. Every job, everything we need to fulfill our jobs comes from agriculture. Our cars, our houses, our planes, our technology, our modern medicine, every resource comes from nature itself. Our whole existence depends on it and we still mistreat it. We have lost respect for nature and yet we're all part of it; so now, I hope this helps you all to see just how important nature is and it's huge influence not only on our jobs, but also in our daily life as well, so you should really think twice before thinking any less of agronomy since it's the base of our everything. By KMRS Photo from "serc.carleton.edu"

From Spain to America: Christopher Columbus' New Found Interest We all know the story of today's holiday, how Christopher Columbus discovered America and how it all went from there, but have you ever wondered what was so special about America in the fourteen-hundreds? Have you pondered what could have caught the explorer's attention? Some say it was just pure political needs, others say it was ambition and because they wanted to extend their territory far beyond their country's coasts. These seem pretty convincing reasons but the question remains, would this be reason enough to cause such an up-roar through the countries? Many historians over the years blame the sudden interest not only on these reasons, but also on the land itself. You see, these people were so used to their home territory and what it provided that, when they got to America, their interest peeked, not only because of what the land would represent to their country, but also because this new place was so different to them. They were trying to absorb everything, from the different temperatures, to all the virgin lands, and divers fauna and flora. They saw all the potential this "new place" had. Agriculture played a huge role in their interest in America partly because of all the land they could exploit. They saw it in ways of economy. This event had huge effects, not only on the political aspects, but also on the agricultural aspect of America. America was forever changed, explorers took and brought to and from their home lands, stuff like bread, wheat and carrots. It changed everything , changed all the components of the basic aspect of America's agricultural platform. From that date forward, date that we celebrate today, October 12, it all went evolving and making way to all great turning points in history, just like this one. By KMRS Photo from "friendsoftheriver.org"