Jack Kelley's Wordpress

As of Sunday, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, declared a state wide emergency due to the wildfires. Wildfires have been going on in California for about a month now but with the dry air and high winds, said to be hurricane strength winds, they have really started to spread, forcing people to evacuate from their homes. These fires have also caused supply shortages and power outages. The fires have been the worst in the northern part of California. In the northern part, the firs have caused damage to over 66,000 acres of land and have caused evacuations of over 200,000 people.

This is an important article because it is a world even that isn’t getting enough attention in my opinion. When people read this article it will want them to make changes and help. I also think it is good for this website because people of my age need to know what’s going. I think the author did a good job of inseting tweets into this article since it is intended for people around my age.

The time has come where we can truly see the effects of climate change.

People of The Yup’ik village have been forced out of their homes due to climate change.

For more than two decades, people of The Yup’ik village have been preparing to move out from their homeland, climate change being the reason for that. The land around their homes has started to crumble away and sink, along with increased flooding risks due to thawing permafrost and erosion.

Families have started to move all of their belongings to the village of Mertarvik, which is about ten miles Southeast of The Yup’ik village. While it is important that the families move out of their old homes, people of The Yup’ik village believe it will take until at least 2023 for the amount of new homes to be built in the village of Mertarvik that will be necessary. “It will be challenging, but this is a very strong community.” Said a development manager with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

National Geographic claims that this won’t be the only place this happens to. National Geographic reporter, Craig Welch, reported that there will be school teachers on both islands so the kids will still be able to attend school. Welch also reported that it is not only hard on the parents to leave their homes, but on the kids as well as they leave some of their friends behind.

Microplastics are being inhaled and consumed by not only animals, but humans as well. Microplastics are everywhere, and there’s not a whole lot that can be done now. Primary microplastics are plastics that were made small, such as the microbeads found in body scrubs or toothpastes. Secondary microplastics are items that were originally larger plastics, but have broken down over time into much smaller pieces. There isn’t a whole lot of research on what microplastics do to the human body, but the Earth’s wildlife continues to suffer. It is up to us to stop using plastic so much. Some things you can do is use reusable straws, and wear clothing made from sustainable products.

This article is very relevant to today’s world so it is a very important article for this website to publish. One thing the article did well was describe what primary and secondary plastics are. It also does a good job of getting the scariest information at the top of the article. One thing I didn’t agree with was how they have the tips to reduce microplastics at the very end of the article. I think the author should have tried putting it earlier in the story because not many people will make it all the way down to the bottom more times than not.

As of late, there has been a lot of controversy between the NBA and China. China has recently been one of the NBA’s primary focus points for continuing basketball growth. These past couple of seasons, the NBA has played both preseason and regular season games in China to promote their brand. Recently, the Houston Rockets played the Los Angeles Clippers in an exhibition game in China. Both games were tightly contested and enjoyable for the fans there. That is not what made it controversial. Before the second game, Rocket’s GM Daryl Morey tweeted out, “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” This was a gesture in support of pro-democracy protesters in the semi-autonomous region, who have been protesting for months to demand societal change from Beijing.

When I first saw this article, I thought it was very interesting. I didn’t think much of the tweet when I first saw it until I got to read more about it. There is a big movement in China and a person from America made a comment on it which didn’t settle well. This is definitely an attention grabber because of how timely it is, since the problem is ongoing. Also, this article was made to be read by the general audience, and audiences of all ages. There weren’t any screenshots of the tweets or anything that would be seen on a website that is made for the younger generation. Also, the article did a very good job explaining the story, why it was such a big deal, and had background on why this is going on in China.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/10/business/china-blows-whistle-on-nationalist-protests-against-the-nba.html

“People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” said 16-year-old Swedish Climate activist, Greta Thunberg.

Greta spoke out at the UN Climate Action Summit, and demanded change. “The popular idea of cutting our emissions in half in 10 years only gives us a 50% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees, and the risk of setting off irreversible chain reactions beyond human control.” said Thunberg.

Greta spoke intensely, and imperatively on stage, getting her point across to anyone that was there listening. Greta is tired of people thinking that climate change is something that can just be joked about and brushed off. Even at her young age, she knows that something needs to be done. One of her main points was how the adults and scientists are doing nothing to stop global warming, but it won’t effect them. It will effect the people like Greta, who still have a long life to live.

Greta believes that people need to tell us the facts straight as it is. She is tired of people sugar coating the facts about global warming, trying to protect us from is. She says it does no good for people to not know the truth. Greta went on to say, “

There will not be any solutions or plans presented in line with these figures here today, because these numbers are too uncomfortable. And you are still not mature enough to tell it like it is. You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal.”

Greta presented strong arguments and finally got people’s attention. There were many people that disagreed, and laughed at her speech, but there were many more who agreed with the 16-year-old. By the end of her speech, 65 countries had announced efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, something that Greta believes can save the world from the global warming crisis.

Jack Kelley

10/15/19

The Dangers of Vaping

    When you think of dangerous habits, you may think of drinking, smoking, the use of recreational drugs. What you might not think of is vaping, which has been believed to be a safe alternative to smoking. Recent studies have shown that vaping is not what it was once believed to be, and that people need to take a step back and think about what they will inhale into their bodies. 

    Vaping has become one of the most dangerous habits because the devices used to vape can be filled with chemicals that may or may not be regulated. “The scariest part about vaping is that some of these vape companies are not regulated. This means that they can put whatever types of chemicals they want into their “pods” or cartridges, making it very unsafe.” said nurse, Jennifer Kelley. Jennifer has seen in person the effects that vaping has shown in young kids, particularly the high school and college age. “Two big things that I that I have noticed in people who vape on the regular is a constant cough, and higher anxiety levels.”

    I also had the chance to talk to two different people. They both asked to remain anonymous, one of them vaping every day, and the other just one to two times a week. First I talked to the person who vapes everyday. I asked him, “What’s the hardest part about trying to stop vaping?” He responded, “Ever since I started juuling and vaping, it has given me a rush. I don’t really know how to describe it, I just know I can’t leave the house without it.” I then asked him if he had ever tried stopping before? “I have tried stopping twice now. Both times I have thrown away my juul and tried going without it, but I always end up at a gas station to buy a new one. If I stop using my juul I start to feel really sick.” This person has missed multiple days of school because of how he felt once he tries to stop vaping.

    I then started my interview with person number two. I started by asking him, “How often do you vape?” He responded, “I only vape when I am at parties or when my friend is doing it around me.” He went on to say how he rarely does it and is very grateful that he never started vaping as much as the other guy has. I also asked him if he notices any differences when he does vape. “I know whenever I vape my throat gets very dry and burns. I have also started to realize that if I vape all night on Saturday, that I will be short of breath the next day when I go to get my workout in.” 

    Vaping is a common practice is young adults, and really anybody. At first it was seen to be a safe alternative, but studies have shown it is not and the cases of vaping related illnesses have gone through the roof. There has recently been 805 new respiratory illnesses that have been related to vaping, and another twelve deaths that have been related to vaping. The worst part about vaping is that the side effects are mostly unknown. “Another scary part of vaping is the fact that doctors and researchers don’t have enough information to see the long term effects of vaping. Nobody knows what it will do to you yet.” said Jennifer Kelley.

    The number of people who vape continue to grow, and the number of reported illnesses connected with vaping rise with it. There are so many dangers that are still unknown that makes vaping a scary part of our time. It is best just to stay away, and get help if you or someone you know is having trouble stopping. 

What happens when you have a life changing even that completely changes your life? For Alex Watters, he makes the most of it. Alex is a career development specialist here at Morningside and I was able to sit in on an interview with him that changed the way everyone should look at life.

Alex grew up in Okaboji, Iowa, where he loved to fish, wakeboard, swim, golf, and hangout with his friends and family. He was an all state golfer in high school and went to Morningside on a golf scholarship where he dreamed of being a professional golf coach some day. One weekend he decided to go home to Okaboji and spend the weekend with family when his life would be changed forever. It was a windy night and his hat flew off of his head into the water. He decided to dive in for it, but the water was only 18 inches deep. Alex broke his C6 and C5 vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the upper chest down.

That doesn’t stop Alex from living his life to his best. “You truly determine your destiny and what you’re going to do and what you’re going to achieve. It’s all how hungry you are, how much you want to achieve. We all have 24 hours in a day.” said Watters. Alex loves inspiring people, and lives by the phrase, “It could be worse.” He continues to live out his life by being a career development specialist, being on the Sioux City city council, and helping students achieve that job they have always dreamed of.

Alex knows that with his disability there are some things he cannot do, but he still lives out a normal life. Alex has a girlfriend who he loves to hangout with and make happy. Another hobby of Alex’s is trying different craft beers, and going to new restaurants to try new food. Although he can’t golf anymore, he still enjoys following friends on the golf course and watching them play. Alex also has a book that is half written that he would someday like to finish and publish. Alex Watters is and inspiration to thousands of people, and shows us how to live life to the fullest when the odds may be against you.

Forest Fires have been appearing all over the world, destroying huge parts of and and forests. One way that researchers are working to prevent this is by the new fire resistant gel. Scientists at Standford have developed a gel that can be sprayed out to put out fires. This gel would cause for fires to be stopped before they break out and it would cause a change in the way forest fires are treated now. Another bonus of this new gel is that it is nontoxic and biodegradable.

I personally think this is a very needed invention. Forest fires have been happening more often and there aren’t a lot of ways that they can be put pit effectively. This article used the upside down pyramid style of writing. It came at you with what you wanted to know right away and then as the article went on you got some other facts that weren’t quite as important. I think this is a very important article for the audience because we are the ones that won’t have forests in the future if we don’t find out a way to stop forest fires.