What I Can Do To Make A Difference

To me, making a difference sounds like a lot of work, time, and effort, but I always forget about the simple things that everyone can do every day. At home and at school I make sure to recycle as much as I can, so I would like to focus on that as the main thing I do this week. Recycling has such a positive impact on our planet, but I see people all the time who are too lazy to walk an extra ten steps to the recycling bin, so their plastics, foil, or paper, end up in the garbage. I can't complain at people, I've done this too, but this week I want to make an effort to make sure that not only my recycling, but my friends' recycling also ends up where it should be, and not in the garbage. I think this is something that is super important and that more people should be aware of, because the little pieces all add up, and not everything is biodegradable. So, recycling is going to be a big part of my plan for the week, and hopefully I will remain aware of its importance for even longer.

The Day Ellie Flipped

Once upon a time there was this crazy kid named Ellie. She was kind of a weirdo,  but nobody judged her. They just laughed. With her, of course. She would run through the school hallways singing "PRAISE THE LORD!" And occasionally she would throw in a, "HALLELUJAH!" maybe even an, "AMEN!" if it was a good day.
But Tuesday, November 45th, was the day Ellie flipped. She didn't run through the halls like a maniac anymore. Instead, she sat calmly at her desk, thinking about politics in the turtle world. That is right my friends, she decided to run for turtle-president!
How should she go about running for turtle-president you ask? Well, she made a bunch of posters and buttons and bumper stickers, and her friend Emily made coasters. On the day of the big election, though, Ellie found out she forgot to actually sign up for turtle-president, which meant all those coasters were for naught. Ellie didn't mind too much, she went back to her crazy ways, but Emily, who was left with over 145 billion coasters, was devastated! So, Emily decided to run for unicorn-president. But that's a different story....
And so young Ellie was left to live her crazy flipped but now back to normal life. The End!!!!!!!!
And PS, Ellie was now a young KAK of two hundred and forty three, so she died the next day. The End.
PPS this has nothing to do with socials. Unless we decide to study turtle politics. The End for good.

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

On March 24th, 1989, an oil tanker traveling to Los Angeles from Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Helmsman Robert Kagan was steering the tanker at the time, for unexplained reasons he had traded positions with Helmsman Harry Claar. Claar had taken the tanker out of the usual shipping lanes to avoid ice, on captain's orders. When Kagan took over, he failed to re-direct the tanker back into the shipping lanes, causing the ship to hit the reef. Eight of eleven tanks were damaged, and within 6 hours almost 11 million gallons of oil had spilled into the ocean. Two clean-up methods that were known to be 98% effective were decided upon, dispersements and surface-burning, but on March 26th, 1989 a storm came that turned most of the oil into a mousse-like substance, and new clean-up methods had to be found. Skimmers were employed, but their pumps had difficulty with the thick oil, so vaccuums also had to be brought in. The clean up took over three years and $2.1 billion. The Exxon Valdez oil spill harmed countless habitats and killed millions of living organisms, and the long-term effects are still being study today.

Canadian Identity Test

What makes me Canadian? I think that the most important characteristic of Canadians is pride, and I am definitely very proud to live in such a unique country. Canada is a full of so many different cultures and races, and I think that part of being Canadian is accepting and experiencing as many of these cultures as possible. I am always interested in field trips to Chinatown or First Nations speakers, because they represent the Cultural Mosaic that is Canada. I also believe that all Canadians are very polite, and I hope I'm no exception. I know that Canadian politeness is a stereotype in other countries, and I think it's true because whenever my family goes to the United States people recognize us as Canadians. I also think that an important part of Canadian Identity is our peaceful nature. We are the country that helps people during wars instead of fighting, and I think that reflects on us citizens as well, because I am a peaceful person, just like most other Canadians. Overall, I think that Canadian Identity for me means polite and peaceful, but still a very strong country with proud citizens.