Last Thought...

I have learned so much in this class and it has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I wanted to add one last thing in regards to one of my things that I learned from this class: 

 No island, is an island. 

I don't know why I was so compelled to make this my last post but this certainly has a lot of meaning.

No To GMO!

Here is something that kind of goes along with my last post... Non GMO Products, you should check this out too and know what's behind your food.

Monsanto

Here's a random tangent... Look at all these Monsanto companies!!!

Beavers.

Somehow I forgot to post this earlier:

While I was home over Easter break, I took a bike ride up my road, down a few back roads, through the next town over and then back up the hill to my house. While traveling by houses, small businesses and farms I began to consider the concept of holism. If we as humans were to look at the world and base our actions upon what would be the best for the whole, would other living beings be expected to do the same? I began to think about the 'destructive' beavers at one of my favorite fishing spots.

(A recently constructed beaver dam)

When they flood out large plots of land with a newly constructed dam and cut down the few shade trees along the pond's shore, are they really doing what is best for this particular ecosystem and the biosphere as a whole or are they simply acting as a self centered being? As I see it, they are simply doing what is best for them. So if this applies wouldn't we have to force all living beings to abide by this holistic perspective? Also, how would we do this? Would we hunt and introduce new species into ecosystems to try to control populations and their activity? But then who are we to decide the overall being for the whole? I just feel very conflicted over the entire holism concept and am trying to decide where I stand on the matter. That's my rant for the day.

My Rant About Eating a Burger

This weekend I went home and found myself wanting to eat a burger, something I had not enjoyed since we watched Food Inc. at the beginning of the semester. Not wanting to give into my craving by enjoying an animal who lived a life of suffering, I decided to look around the meat section at my local grocery store. I was surprised to find the perfect substitute: turkey burger. The turkey was raised on what we might refer to as a good farm and I have come to decided that an animal that comes from that environment is ok for me to eat. I hope I made the right decision straying away from my recently vegetarian ways which I have adapted at school.

Fish Tale

Over the break I took a hike to my favorite fishing spot in Sudbury, VT. (Here's a little picture below)

While there I remembered a great TED talk I had watched not too long ago. How these people managed to change a piece of land into this highly productive ecosystem that is a self susatining food source is incredible. I think this is pretty cool so if you have a few minutes to spare, check this out: How I Fell in Love With a Fish

Speciest... Perhaps.

Now I sit here and ponder

About something I have rarely wondered

The life of the laboratory mouse

Soft, small and fuzzy

Raised, tested and killed humanely

Helping to combat our enemies 

The diseases and the unknown

Which we cannot fend off alone

I do not know just how I feel

About their short lived lives

But overall I think I can accept this 

For this allows for more human life

Thanks little guy!