This blog is a space for you to practice what you learn in class by writing your opinions on different subjects.
For two weeks, you write an entry about a given topic and write your opinions about.
In order to evaluate your writing, different aspects will be taken into account. Check the picture below for more reference:
Let's begin!
Instructions:
- Watch the documentary "Sharkwater". You can rent it at any video store or you can watch it for free on the following link: http://watchdocumentary.org/watch/sharkwater-video_9dc3ae371.html
- Write what you think about the documentary. You should include at least two paragraphs. Quote when necessary and make reference to specific scenes from the documentary. Give examples from your own experience when necessary. Express your ideas clearly and organized. You're free to say what you want but support your ideas. No offensive vocabulary is allowed. Use studied structures and vocabulary.
- For posting your writing, just click on the comments bottom below
- After writing, you must read and reply two of your classmates' entries.
- Respect deadlines.
Deadlines
Your writing opinion has to be posted by April 25th
Two of your replies must be done by March 2nd
Well it is a hard documentary because I ignored that illegal shark fishing is happening in our country and we have few laws to protect the sharks.
ResponderEliminarSharks are not dangerous animals as we could see in the documentary; there are others animals that kill more people every year. We ignore that is easier to interact with them and we all see how he swam with them as an example. As they say sharks kill species and made new ones, they are the leaders in the pyramid system, without them we cannot survive as long as we think.
The documentary exposes how a big amount of money can change how people think and act. I cannot accept that here in Costa Rica the laws protect illegal shark fishing and that the government almost arrests Sea Shepherd and all of them, it is hard to believe. Nowadays there some laws that protect sharks’ community, but it is a weak law because illegal shark finning is still happening and we do not have the resources to fight against them.
As we could watch there are much people that think that sharks are a dangerous animal and just because of that thought and the interest in money they kill many sharks every year. They are ignorant and they base their thoughts on a myth.
We can do a lot to protect them and fight with them. We are smarter than them; we have to protect the planet from ourselves because as they say we become the top predators. There are too many volunteering programs that we can be part of them and other animals like turtles that are killed every year too. As Sea Shepherd said “A little percent of people can make a big impact”.
“Animals are my friends...and I don't eat my friends.”
― George Bernard Shaw
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
I agree with what you said, i just want to add that sometimes we see things happening around the world in other countries on internet or tv and we think we are safe or kind of an exception but that is not true. These things are happening here, and most people just ignores that as a result of their lack of interest, they just don´t get informed about that ´cause they are thinking on what to do the next weekend or when is the next party or soccer match, that is a really sad and poor way of thinking we normally see everywhere.
EliminarAs an example i can put my workplace, it is the store that sells the less of all my boss´s businesses and it has sold 130 million colones in the last 14 months, and we just sale hobbies, nothing really relevant to the existence of the people that buy these things. That is pure consumism.
I agree that most people are not aware about the need to change our spending habits, in many cases people see the thing with much indifference and dont think about our future life only think about the present. if we do not change soon, we destroy our planet because we do not respect the lives of other living beings, change must occur soon because we are rapidly destroying life on the planet, our seas are polluted and consuming resources very quickly, nature has no chance to replace.
Eliminarif people do not become aware very soon, some species disappear, governments should establish laws to protect marine life , you must stop overexploitation of the seas, international agreements should be established for large companies and countries to extract only the necessary amount of marine resources.
That desire to do the same thing that the poor sharks, catch them and cut their limbs and throw them into the sea to see if they survive ..... I am sad to see this news, human beings are the "smarter" but at the same time the most stupid of the planet ....
ResponderEliminarNormally that's what a person interested in this topic but in my case I would say this video was a waste of time, would have better spent doing other things, because as long as the money that God not only buy clothes if not thin handles buy our consciences which do not mind silly proverbs of dead people like Gandhi or laws made by governments that are only written in a constitution that only serves to decorate any country, stupid "chancletudo" with their idealism absurdness think they can change the way thinking of others whether or not the main problem I would say the root of all problems, you can locate an every time you look in a mirror.
Sooner or later all resources will be exhausted sooner or later many species will be eliminated , dreamers poor wits while money is the main reason for anyone not enough just to kill few sharks after all the means justifies the end, while the fisher has to feed his family and while there is a buyer any kind will be safe.
As the teacher wrote "No offensive vocabulary is allowed" and for me you used it in this expression "stupid chancletudo".
EliminarFirst of all, I am from the UCR and I have watched a lot of volunteering programs headed by UCR's students or "chancletudos with absurdness idealism" as you call us. The main problem is that people idealize that every single student from the UCR is a "chancletudo". "Chancletudos" are a few percent of the UCR's population.
Secondly, I respect your way of thinking but I do not share it!!! Why? because it is sadly awesome that nowadays there are people thinking in a poor and selfish way as you.
Also, as you wrote "sooner or later all resources will be exhausted..." it is scientifically true BUT we are not the ones to accelerate this natural process, we must coexist with animals and nature. There are jobs that help the animals and can support a family.
Finally, "silly proverbs of dead people like Gandhi" as you wrote, these "silly proverbs" were created to change people's thoughts and the way they can see the animals and other natural things in the planet one by one. I invite you to watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN2afYN0OhA and you will see that the power is on each person that want to change the bad things that are happening.
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Eliminarshould raise awareness about the need to change the way people think
EliminarEvery effort is gradually important people will understand
governments and individuals can make a difference.
should create programs for the protection of marine species.
is a slow process but we must move forward to achieve the goals
currently there are public and private companies investing resources for the protection of the seas
are increasingly more people who become aware of changes
Today we know that resources are not infinite and we must take care
I think that the governments should pass laws to protect marine life, it should prohibit the extraction of marine species in extinction
ResponderEliminarAnd preserve marine life, on the other hand, llegal fishing damaged ecosystems . I think that the people must seek other kinds of food and not over-exploit the seas. human beings should respect nature.
Also The business of some companies that exploit our oceans should be regulated
because in the seas, the marine life must be a balance. Costa Rica should invest resources to control illegal fishing in Cocos Island. I hope that the people change actitud, because we need to control the number of marine species and to preserve life in our oceans
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EliminarThat is true, the governments must get concerned about the problem and laws must be created to ban actions like that. In the case of Costa Rica is not only protecting Coco Island but all the coastal areas and besides that, education is for me the best option we have to fight against this problems, because all that relies on ignorance.
EliminarI agree with you, but the reality is sadly different :/The government waste money in other things that are not important. It does not care about nature or what is happening with our animal and ecosystem.
EliminarOf course, we must respect Nature, I hope that this new government performs a very good job and starts to regulate all of those practices that are not ok.
EliminarIf only, those people were educated, perhaps those problems wouldn’t happen.
So, yes Education is the key.
I totally agree with Anthony. Today, those kinds of selfish and ignorant people are the ones who think that this world end everything within the mother nature can heal itself as fast as a blink of an eye. People are overusing natural resources incredibly fast and every consequence that we thought was beyond of our minds, it's getting closer as the days go by. Please just take a second to think about this wonderful world which was given by God and start making a difference.
ResponderEliminarThis problems will go on and on and the difference starts in the man in the mirror who dreams every day about changing the world with helpful actions.
Now, this country needs strong laws and rules to mark a difference. The development of this nation is in game and that can be a great start.
Please stop ignoring the needs under this roof because it's going to play a big role in the future with the next generations.
For chancletas you know that in our country last year,400,000 sharks were slaughtered in Costa Rican waters in 2012 and Costa Rica exported some 30 tons of shark fins. This means some very well connected people are making a great deal of money and that kind of money buys influence.Where is the law?
ResponderEliminarFishermen are paid between $ 70 and $ 100 per kilo and customs fishermen declare $ 10 per kilo, for that amount do not pay taxes that is another reason of that in households where income depends on fishing are popular on shark finning.
China has been investing a lot of money in Costa Rica and China is the largest market for shark fins. Chinese buyers of shark fins have been busy in Costa Rica in recent years, the shark fins from Nicaragua are sent to China through the Costa Rican ports. Of course this allows the fins of sharks caught in the waters of Costa Rica are smuggled through Nicaraguan shipments. The question to be asked is why shark fins are not sent directly from Nicaraguan ports.
Let me say I am not selfish product only my humble opinion this is the harsh reality that the ports are in CR.
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ResponderEliminarWhile I was watching this video, I couldn’t avoid feelings came out. I am really amazed how beautiful and perfect life in the ocean is and, see all of those creatures sharing together in a peaceful and magnificent place. The way that the nature takes place in wildlife and, everything has a specific order, is just astonishing, there’s no way that things can go wrong when the Mother Nature is the leader. But at some point in history, humans decided to take the leadership on their own hands. Sadly some of them took the wrong way and, started practicing activities with devastating consequences.
ResponderEliminarWhen I tried to analyze this brutal and awful behavior, I just couldn’t do it, as all of you I hope. Unfortunately seems that money is the big god for a lot of people and, that leads them to do the unbelievable! There’s no excuse that worth it, there’s none. We must respect life in all of its forms, that’s what I’ve learned and it’s what I've tried to share.
It is hard for me trying to write without anger and pain; I can’t wipe out all of those images from my mind and, not want to insult them. But what filled me with wrath the most was to realize that, this problem affects Costa Rica too. I can’t believe that a government for any reason that had, was able to allow this “mafia” coming to our country and letting them take out our treasure.
For me, it has a big importance, to rise up our voices against this in order to stop it, to (in some cases) take it in our own hands when law is just not enough, to have strong values and fight opposite to injustices, to recognize that, we are one, living and sharing a place where we are not owners of nothing.
It was really sad to see the documentary, sad but true these things are happening and what most of we are doing is sitting in front of a computer, posting trash on facebook or feeding our egos by buying things we don´t need, supporting the big monopolies that make situations, such as this one, possible. Sharks are just at the top of the huge and cold iceberg, many species have already disappeared from the earth as a result of our actions, as a result of the ignorance and lack of interest, the selfishness of the human being.
ResponderEliminarIt is encouraging to know there are different organizations and people around the world putting an effort to stop these situations, but sadly i can´t stop thinking in all the problems. We can educate other people about this problems and show them what´s wrong but the problem grows faster than the solution.
I am not a pessimist, that is just the reality i see, that we are becoming more and more obsolete as the time goes passing by and we are destroying everything in our road to "evolution". Some days ago for example i read an article about the plastic contamination in oceans, it says that many people has propossed different solutions to clean the oceans but every option they have is useless since there are millions and millions of pieces of plastic the size of a dust particle, and there are huge spots of plastic trash floating at the seas, it will be easier to get rid of the world´s poverty and famine than solve that problem.
I completely agree, it is true and sadly that we are not doing enough, that we just feel comfortable looking at all of this situations from so far, and let the “big” companies, the government and as you said the ignorance of some people, destroying the Earth and all what is in it.
EliminarI could think that most of us are afraid to fight against them, ‘cause there’s a massive “mafia” behind it. But if we all became into one, and start raising our voices, then we would be bigger than the problem.
But, I think that there’s always a way for the solution, if we just put all of our energy on the problem we’re doing nothing for a change! As I said we can start one by one, on ours homes, jobs, schools and so on. Putting on practice our values, beliefs, and most important, teaching our children about LOVE and RESPECT.
Sharks being hunted into extinction is sad and could happen, i saw the documentary "sharkwater" is incredible that the problem just is increasing.
ResponderEliminarI am aware that there have been a good changed,
some countries have banned shark finning a lot of campaigns have been created, many people are in disagreement with this action but apparently the government has the last word, i think we feel disappointed.
unfortunately for us exports are permitted every day even if is an illegal practice in Costa Rica the taiwanese and Indonesian "mafia" are allowed for shark finning.
I read something very true in the forum comments, we feel "sad" but... we ignore the facts. we are guilty too? for allowing us have that attitude? while others kill sharks for soup and the marine ecosystem is damaged, we spend time in things without sense and the most part of the time all is about us, we criticize the problem but we do nothing to help it.
is very hard but if we want to help the first step is change our attitude.
I am all for a total ban on shark finning but i don't think that this problem end soon.