Hold it! Stop and think for a minute about the food you're about to eat.

Freeze! Do you know how that shiny red apple you're about to sink your teeth into came to be? A few of us may have some knowledge to exactly how that apple or any food product was created, but many us are still in the dark concerning this topic.

There are two types of farming, industrial and sustainable agriculture, both with its own pros and cons.

Industrial agriculture is devastating our land, water, and air, and is now threatening the sustainability of the planet. Its massive chemical and biological inputs such as pesticides cause environmental havoc as well as human disease and death. Industrial agriculture is defined as a form of modern farming where a combination of genetic formula and chemicals are used to produce large amounts of food. There are four features of industrial agriculture:

1. Monoculture- Monoculture is the procedure of growing a single crop year after year. It reduces the production costs significantly and results in the farmers earning a higher profit.
2. Pest prone- Industrial agriculture has a tendency to get attacked by pests and weeds. Pesticides and other chemicals are heavily relied on to get rid of them. For similar reasons, a huge amount of fertilizers is also required.
3. Unhealthy livestock- Industrial agriculture is practiced over large rich lands. This needs a huge amount of livestock also. Often the livestock are kept in filthy conditions, making them susceptible of diseases. Animals such as chickens, cows, and pigs are well known examples of this. In many cases the conditions that these animals live in before slaughter are considered abusive. Do you want that on your conscience while eating a burger?
4. Practiced frequently- In United States for example, almost all major crops are grown under industrial agriculture.

The advantages are that large amounts of food can be produced for cheap. I am strongly against industrial agriculture, so here is a video to show you why with some of the disadvantages in detail:

Now to the better of the two farming methods in my opinion, sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is a system of farming that conserves natural resources, environmental damage, while still producing profits. Sustainable agriculture is designed to take maximum advantage of existing soil nutrient and water cycles, and natural pest controls. The goal is to produce food that is nutritious and not contaminated by anything that will harm humans health. Two main disadvantages are that the there is a high initial investment to be made, and the second is that the process is much longer than industrial agriculture.

In my personal opinion there isn't even a second of hesitation in concerns to which is the better farming system. The obvious choice for me is sustainable agriculture. I know the population of our home earth is increasing, but like every growing family, who wants to feed their family second best? No one, especially not when a healthier option is available that is also environmentally friendly. Like a lot of things in life, we don't always want or know what's best for us. What's best for us is sustainable agriculture.I think the extra money invested at the beginning of the process and the longer waiting period will always be worth it. When it comes to our planet and the begins living on it, sustainable agriculture is the only path to our future.

Commented on the following blogs:
http://biologyisnotbohring.blogspot.com/2011/02/industrial-agriculture-sacrifice.html%20http://angelasbioblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/healthy-happy-world-vs-manure-in-your.html

Information Sources: http://www.alternet.org/story/13900/
http://www.economywatch.com/agriculture/types/industrial.html http://knol.google.com/k/effects-of-industrial-agriculture-of-crops-on-water-and-soil
http://www.alternet.org/story/13900/ http://eap.mcgill.ca/sustain.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_disadvantage_of_sustainable_agriculture

Image Sources:
http://www.greenpeacecorps.org/images/industrial_agriculture.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlyrM_AD6-IdbiEKUSZbqLsLTJVoGRzztwLg0dOZFRjvex5H4w5jpBvIS_0VoWAiXBlhl2p0Nl-Mn-ZGh1kiOczZb2GdXNPXoSeyYP62Wu0_T3ViSwEEzrSl6cmTqRDHKFI4GzllhCr2s/s1600/dairycows.jpg http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~farmtour/images/venn.gif

Video Source:
http://video.answers.com/the-disadvantages-of-industrial-agriculture-516923313

Designer Babies: abominations or improvements on creation?

Life is full of mistakes. Sometimes we learn from them, sometimes we regret them; most importantly though, they will always be a part of our lives never able to be changed. This cannot be said for making babies which we once thought was bound to the same rules.

Designer babies. An uncommon term to many, but the reason they exist today for some. At the grade 11 level of biology, we understand that offsprings are made from the combination of chromosomes and genes of the parents. We understand that if a woman who is heterozygous for colour vision, and a man is colour blind, then the chances of a daughter who is colour blind is 1/4 or 25%. But this has changed with the newest technology of today.

"Designer Baby"

The term 'designer baby' made its entry into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2004, where it is defined as "a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics." This allows doctors to insert the egg with a sperm in a test tube and screen the embryos. Genetic screening has made it possible to eliminate genes associated with several genetic defects and terminal illnesses. The first ever designer baby born was Adam Nash, altered so he could save his dying sister by becoming a donor. This may seem similar to many seeing as the well known book and movie My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult was exactly of this nature. Here is a short video with the benefits and concerns of designer babies:



We now know what a designer baby is, as well as the benefits and concerns. So since you are now well informed, here's my opinion on the matter.
No parent wants to live their life with a sick child; especially when they know that the baby could've been saved from the pain. Their life would be filled with regret and pain knowing they could’ve been their child’s hero. I think that if this is the case, to simply avoid bringing a child into a world of suffering, then continuing with this procedure can be established. But even so, wouldn't this be going against God? Who are we to alter the miracle of life, which is created in His image? No one! So when people make designer babies purely for cosmetic reasons it infuriates me to think that they are already unaccpeting of their unborn child.

Here is a poll on the very controversial matter of ‘designer babies’:
Should babies be screened and selected for removal of unwanted traits?
Yes - genetic engineering will improve mankind. 40%
Yes - but only for traits directly linked to health. 33%
No - traits should only be changed for each person specifically, after conception. 3%
No - genetic legacies should not be altered, ever - it's too much of a slippery slope. 22%
Votes: 104
(Poll courtesy of www.buzzle.com)
Sure anything can be justified with enough reasoning, but how far is too far?

Sources: 1.http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-designer-babies.html
2.hhttp://www.globalchange.com/designer.htmttp://answers.askkids.com/Life_on_Earth/how_are_designer_babies_made
Video Source:
1.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSCOZuHcdg&feature=related

Image Source:
1. https://tinkybebe.com/images/adorable_little_girl.jpg

Commented on: 1.http://michelleflynnbioblog.blogspot.com/
2. http://taylorbioblog.blogspot.com/

It only takes one person to make a difference.

Humanity has damaged the environment so greatly, that never again will the grass be as green or the air as pure as it once was. Not in a million years will the earth be restored to the magnificent wonder it once was, all thanks to the human population. Not one human today can say that they haven't negatively affected the environment, myself included, but a few of them can say that they’ve put their heart and soul in to helping the Earth recover in any way possible. One of those people specifically is Ian Somerhalder.

Ian Somerhalder was born on December 8, 1978 in Covington, Louisiana. He started to model at the age of 10, and by the age of 17 he moved on to acting. Today he is widely known for his roles on Lost as Boone Carlyle, and The Vampire Diaries as Damon Salvatore. After the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, he became known as one of the first celebrities to get involved with the clean up efforts. He also went out to help clean oiled wildlife, and taped public service announcements to inform the public of ways that they could help.

It on was on April 20th, 2010 when the worst oil spill in U.S history happened in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil was not only ugly, but was killing everything including wildlife, plant life and even humans. For almost 5 months, the well spewed out oil, until September 19 when it was declared 'dead'. It was estimated that in that time, over 205 million gallons of oil were released in the Gulf. Sadly no matter how much we wish this wasn't true, it doesn't change reality. The wildlife around the area will be affected the most, as the oil is killing them fastest. Less than 1% of all oil soaked birds survive even after being cleaned. Those who depended on the land for income were also affected; many fishers are now unemployed because the marine life is either dead, or unfit to catch.

Everyday I encounter people who don't waste a minute of their time worrying about our planet's future. But I am very fortunate to also encounter those who take extra steps that will ensure that the planet is still here tomorrow. In my opinion, it only takes one person to make a difference. Like any ecosystem, a chain reaction occurs, so why not use that to our advantage. Ian Somerhalder is a great example of this because he uses his fame to do what ordinary people sometimes wouldn't be able to do. He also brings awareness of the issue which is more important that fixing the issue, because how can a problem no one knows about be solved?

Everyday as humans we are put to shame when we stop to think about all the damage we have done to the Earth. But when we look to people as such as Ian Somerhalder, we can occasionally feel proud to be human.

Information Sources:

http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2010/05/ian_somerhalder_returns_home_t.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/louisiana-oil-spill-2010_n_558287.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Somerhalder


Image Sources:

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/04/coast_guard_will_start_burning.html


http://vampirediariesguide.com/cast-characters/damon-ian-somerhalder/?page=20

Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Da48aWQpOcY

Blogs commented on:

http://biomeggs.blogspot.com/

http://jessy3149.blogspot.com/