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What can we do about Traffic? - Planet A

Video: How to make traffic better, not worse

Reflection:

When I was going through the options available to watch in Planet A, I came across this video called "How to make traffic better, not worse" and I felt very inclined to watching it. I firmly believe that traffic is one of the things humanity collectively hate the most. And living here in Miami I couldn't relate to it more. I normally have to drive a whole hour back and forth to go to school, but before I owned a car going there using public transportation was just as uncomfortable and sometimes even scary. Therefore, I would much rather stay driving but I definitely want better traffic, not worse. So then I go into this video trying to find the solution to all my problems but to my surprise I didn't get the answer I was expecting. However, I learned valuable information from it.

This video takes place in India where traffic is much more of a nightmare than it is here in Miami. Aditi Rajagopal, a reporter, takes us back into the story of how India became home to 22 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world – largely because their streets are jam-packed with vehicles. And the car market is still growing significantly. India wasn't obviously this way, with streets so full of cars that no one fits. She explained how Indian cities have changed over the years and what led to this drastic change. Finally, she then explained some methods on how to make traffic better, not worse in India. It is very important to understand that we cannot just take solution and apply it without first asking ourselves "how does this work in OUR context?." One of the methods proposed was to invest in more funds used to improve public transportation..

Works Cited:

How to Make Traffic Better, Not Worse - YouTube, Planet A,  April 5, 2022  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR7caWQvWBQ&t=201s

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Hello! My name is Katherine Lopez and I was born and raised in Venezuela. I came here about 6 years ago with my family to pursue a better future just like most, if not all of us. I am part of the honors program of mdc at the Padron Campus and I'm majoring in psychology. My goal is to become a lawyer. The reason why I am doing psychology instead political science, English or anything in that area before law school, is because I am extremely interested in behavior. I like to understand how the mind works. I think it's very interesting not only observing behavior but also understanding the reason behind it. Why are people the way that they are? Why do they make specific decisions or use certain words? Those are the kind of questions I'd like to be able to answers. Moreover, I know understanding behavior will change the way I apply law since I would have a deeper understanding of human beings. Therefore, I want to become a lawyer not only because I like law but because I want to change it. I think our justice systems has some areas where it can improve so that it can benefit us even more. Once we gain a better understanding of each other as unique individuals and accept that each person, and consequently each crime, is different; then the way law is applied will dramatically change. As to where I want to pursue my degree? Honestly, wherever God takes me. As long as I get to spend the rest of my life helping others that'll be enough for me.

I personally think that success is not measured by your achievements. In my opinion success is being at peace with yourself! if you are doing what you love and makes you happy without hurting anyone, then that sounds like successful person to me

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What research tool, idea, or methodology caught your attention? What topic did you select to research? Why did you pick this topic?

One tool that caught my attention during the session was the "Advance Search" tool. I thought it was fascinating the amount of information you could find there. I usually struggle trying to find information that is reliable. When you search for information on google or safari, you will find yourself with so many different links that you don't even know where to start. And when you finally find something you can't be sure of how trustworthy the cite really is. For me is always a problem because for certain assignments I can't use just ANY website and using "google scholar" was not beneficent at all. However, now I know this tool is available to me and I can always use it to find information. The greatest thing is that you can even narrow down the information that shows up by adding filters so you can get closer to what you're looking for.

The topic that I decided to do research on was the Biscayne Aquifer. As we were talking in the session, the topic came up about how the water we use on a daily basis is in danger. It shocked me to hear that something like that could happen. Water is necessary for literally almost everything we do. I mean think about it! About how may times do you use water on a day? Turns out that Biscayne Aquifer, from where we get our drinkable and useable water, is facing some risks due to climate change. The aquifer lies so close to the surface that the rising sea levels are threat to saltwater intrusion.

Works Cited

Team, F. N. (2021, February 18). Threats to Miami's water supply. Fluence Corporation. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://www.fluencecorp.com/miami-water-supply-threatened/#:~:text=The%20shallow%20Biscayne%20Aquifer%20faces,of%20its%20drinking%20water%20supply.

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Is Florida's aquifer in danger?

1. Flavelle, C. (2019, August 29). Miami Will Be Underwater Soon. Its Drinking Water Could Go First. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-08-29/miami-s-other-water-problem

This article reflects one of Miami's water problem. It reflects Douglas Youder, a deputy director of the county's water and sewer department, perspective on the situation portraying the Aquifer. We see how climate change and pollution is affecting our "water machine." And some solutions and ideas are presented thrpugh Youder on how to defend and take care of our County's water supplier. With this article I would be able to present an expert's opinion and insight on the Biscayne Aquifer's current issue.

2. Weyer, K. U. (2017, December 21). The case of the Biscayne Bay and Aquifer near Miami, Florida: Density-driven flow of seawater or gravitationally driven discharge of deep saline groundwater? - environmental earth sciences. SpringerLink. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12665-017-7169-5
This article provide an in-depth explanation as to what really happens in the Biscyane Aquifer. It touches topics like physics and chemistry to explain how it provides clean fresh water for our county. It interprest data about the flow of fresh and salt water. I can use this article to explain certain facts about the aquifer and how that makes it crucial.
3. Resources, W. (2021, July 20). Karst aquifers: Upper Floridan and Biscayne Aquifers active. Karst Aquifers: Upper Floridan and Biscayne Aquifers | U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/karst-aquifers-upper-floridan-and-biscayne-aquifers
This article explains what the Biscayne Aquifer consist of. It 's mostly an informative type of essay that describes facts about the Aquifer. It gives an insight to features, history, and qualities of Florida's water supply. This artcile goes in detail as to how the Aquifer behaves; it mentions storage and recovery, the exchange of freshwater and so on. I will use article to explain the importance of the Aquifer based on what it is and does for Florida, or more specifically Miami-Dade County.

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You usually in school is very normal to hear studemts complain about their classes for many reasons. One of them migt be that they feel as if they are wasting their time. We as students feel disappointment when go to class and leave feeling as if we didn't learn anything useful; as if we completely wasted our time. There isn't anything worse. I personally only took this class because it is a requeirement for my major, as I'm sure most of us did. Instead of choosing it because I like biology or because I thought I would get the most out of it. However, one of the things that has impacted me the most about this class and the assignments we have done is to that I feel like I am finally learning things I can relate, I am finally obtaining information that I will need in my near future.  There's two specific assignments that made feel this way, which were CAS2 and CAS3. These two writing assignments focused on issues the world faces.

For the first assignment, CAS2, we had to read two articles on the same subject from Solutions → https://solutionsu.solutionsjournalism.org/ and then respond to one of the following questions: What are your thoughts about the subject?, What did you learn?, or How was the subject portrayed uniquely through solutions journalism compared to other media? I then decided to focus on the topic of Immigration and Refugees, given that I am an immigrant and could relate to this specific topic. The first article was called, "This city is short of teachers. It’s tapping immigrants to help" Where it talked about how after the pandemic the world has been experiencing a work-shortage. There are jobs but we are missing the workers, anywhere you go to they are understaffed. It’s extremely difficult for companies to maintain their regular system when they no one to work. In stores, shops, or fast-food restaurants it’s hard. Imagine then how much harder it is in the education system. Portland, Maine’s largest and most diverse city is currently dealing with this issue. In this article, I learned how Portland officials are helping immigrant teachers get the certifications necessary to be allowed to teach here in the United States. It might take long, since there are different requirements, but is the first step in solving the problem. It also gives hope to immigrants by it validates their effort and knowledge. Then the second article was called, "Community Sponsorship in the UK: a win-win approach for resettling refugees?" Many people have lost their lives in look for a better life in the UK. The International Organization for Migration estimates that at least almost 200 have died since 2014. These people who suffer and go through many difficulties in search for a better life, end up loosing it. They leave everything behind to seek asylum, same position I am in right now, and hope that British government takes them in as refugees. These efforts, these terrible events and deaths have led charities and organization call upon action to help immigrants. They wish to create safe and legal paths for people seeking asylum in Britain. An amazing cause if you ask me. Community Sponsorship might the answer to this problem. After the tragic event of a boy drowning with his family alongside many others, people came up with Community Sponsorship Scheme. This program counts with the help of the Home Office, the Catholic Church, civil society partners and the Salvation Army. They welcome and support families who flee conflict.

I chose this topic because I knew I would be able to relate. Most likely everyone or majority of people in this class are immigrants. Florida is a state full of people who came searching for a better life. We know the struggles and sacrifices that it takes to move to a different country and start from zero. A whole new life. Some other might not necessarily be from another country but their parents are. It’s almost the same. They are first generation to almost everything they do in this country because their parents lived in completely different conditions. It’s not easy but it’s necessary. I thought I would enjoy reading those two articles because they talk about a topic I can relate to, and I was not disappointed. It was nice to see how they proved how migrating doesn’t always have to be a negative thing. A lot of good can come out of it. It is nice to see how we are moving forward as a society, we are becoming more tolerant and caring for each other, we no longer give our back to our world’s major issues. It is honestly inspiring to see people from different parts of the world welcoming, supporting, and teaching the immigrants they receive. I think it leaves us with the message that we all share one home.

For the second assignment we had to watch TWO TED Talks on the same subject → https://www.ted.com/  that had to be related to the environment, then summarize each video and write one reflection by answering one or more of the following questions: In what ways is it innovative?, What did you learn?, How does it relate to your own experiences and community?, or What action are you inspired to take after learning about the subject or innovation? I decided to go with the topic of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The first video was called "To eliminate waste, we need to rediscover thrift – Andre Dent" There's no such thing as throwing something away, says Andrew Dent -- when you toss a used food container, broken toy or old pair of socks into the trash, those things inevitably end up in ever-growing landfills. But we can get smarter about the way we make, and remake, our products. Dent shares exciting examples of thrift -- the idea of using and reusing what you need so you don't have to purchase anything new -- as well as advances in material science, like electronics made of nanocellulose and enzymes that can help make plastic infinitely recyclable. The second video was called, "Creative houses from reclaimed stuff – Dan Phillips" In this funny and insightful talk, builder Dan Phillips tours us through a dozen homes he's built in Texas using recycled and reclaimed materials in wildly creative ways. Brilliant, low-tech design details will refresh your own creative drive. He shares the idea that we have given value to more superficial details. He encourage us to be more creative and to break patterns. He explains how our desire to be perfectionist has affected the housing and architecture industry and once we recognize something that doesn’t fit that structure, then we automatically get rid of it. And that's what lead us to unnecessary waste. This video was so interesting to watch how this man builds a whole house out of waste and recycled materials, it's crazy.

Both of these videos, present us with the idea of taking care of the environment by reusing what we think is “waste.” One of the biggest roles we play as human beings in society, is that of a consumer. We live in a society that has the mentality of “out with the old and in with the new.” Which great for a lot of things, but when it comes to materialistic perspective, living with this mentality can be dangerous. Our waste is creating landfills of trash that sooner than later we won’t be able to manage. Our waste doesn’t just disappear overnight! Which is why these videos share ideas and example on how we can make it happen. In Dent’s talk he shares the multiple industries where we can a change that will benefit the environment. He also shares that looking at it from an economic perspective we can benefit from it too. It is important to continuously ask ourselves, how can this product be used again? He talks about the idea of “giving it a second life” to our waste. He gives general examples of things we can do. Then we have Phillips, who in his talk gets more specific by using examples of the houses he has created by implementing used materials. I think it was very cool to see these two great guys finding new ways to transform our waste into something useful and beautiful.

In conclusion, these two assignments went beyond the class and taught be about the real world. They gave me a different perspective to see life and taught me new facts about the world around me. For once in my life I felt in a required class of my major that I have learned and done something I will take with me forever, as a future lawyer, as a member of society.

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Documentation

1 st The Story of Bottled Water - https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-bottled-water/

In this video, we learn about the story of bottled water. Something as simple as water being sold to us and companies keep making millions. Throughout this video they present us with the tactics used by big companies to keep us on the hook. They scare, seduce, and mislead their customers. First, they make it seem like drinking bottled water is the only safe option. Although in most places tap water is just fine. Then they seduce their audience by showing nice ads and using nature as their brand. This is very ironic when takin into consideration that bottled water is one of the main causes for pollution. Finally, they mislead us by making us think that water bottles get recycled when in reality they’re not.

2 nd The Story of Cosmetics - https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-cosmetics/

In this video, we learn about the story of cosmetics. We are presented with the rough reality that most, if not all, of the products we consume and use on a daily basis are very toxic. Truth is that most of the time we don’t read the labels of the things that we buy and if we do, we don’t even completely understand them. The products we use for personal care like shampoos, deodorants, lipstick, body lotions, all contain chemicals that harm our well-being. Even babies, as mentioned in the video, are being born “pre-polluted” which is extremely alarming. The reason why this is a problem in the first place is because there aren’t any regulations/laws for companies to ensure safe products. Basically, these brands get to sell what they want and there are no precautions for being careless.

Reflection

How does consumption relate to your role as a global citizen?

Each individual is responsible they make in this world. We get one chance at life to make things right and every choice we make can affect our world. It is up to is to decide what kind of legacy we want to leave behind; what kind of difference we want to make in the world. We play many roles throughout our lives and one of those is consumer. As consumers, we ought to be careful of the things we allow into our bodies and the effects it can have on future generations. Consumption relates to my role as a global citizen because the products I use can affect our environment negatively or positively, and it is up to me to decide what kind of effect I want to have on the world

What changes are you inspired to make after watching The Story of Stuff videos?  Why?

I decided to specifically watch those two videos of The Story of Stuff because I could relate to them. In my house we buy a lot of bottled water weekly and of course as anyone lese I use a lot of products for self-care. Therefore, I thought it would be interesting to learn a little more about things that form such a big part in my life. I didn’t expect to learn the things I did and realize how much damage I am creating in the world and even my own health. These videos have inspired me to buy less bottled water and get reusable water bottles. Also, to be more conscious of what I allow to go into my body. Besides, I think it’s important this information is share with other people since it would probably inspire them to do make changes in their own habits.

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Immigration and Refugees

This city is short of teachers. It’s tapping immigrants to help:

After the pandemic the world has been experiencing a work-shortage. There are jobs but we are missing the workers, anywhere you go to they are understaffed. It’s extremely difficult for companies to maintain their regular system when they no one to work. In stores, shops, or fast-food restaurants it’s hard. Imagine then how much harder it is in the education system. Portland, Maine’s largest and most diverse city is currently dealing with this issue. (XXX) In this article, we learn how Portland officials are helping immigrant students get the certifications necessary to be allowed to teach here in the United States. It might take long, since there are different requirements, but is the first is solving the problem. It also gives hope to immigrants by it validates their effort and knowledge.

Community Sponsorship in the UK: a win-win approach for resettling refugees?

Many people have lost their lives in look for a better life in the UK. The International Organization for Migration estimates that at least almost 200 have died since 2014. These people who suffer and go through many difficulties in search for a better life, end up loosing it. The leave everything behind to seek asylum and hope that British government takes them in as refugees. These efforts, these terrible events and deaths have led charities and organization call upon action to help immigrants. They wish to create safe and legal paths for people seeking asylum in Britain. An amazing cause if you ask me. Community Sponsorship might the answer to this problem. After the tragic event of a boy drowning with his family alongside many others, people came up with Community Sponsorship Scheme. This program counts with the help of the Home Office, the Catholic Church, civil society partners and the Salvation Army. They welcome and support families who flee conflict.

Reflection

I chose this topic because I knew I would be able to relate. Most likely everyone or majority of people in this class are immigrants. Florida is a state full of people who came searching for a better life. We know the struggles and sacrifices that it takes to move to a different country and start from zero. A whole new life. Some other might not necessarily be from another country but their parents are. It’s almost the same. They are first generation to almost everything they do in this country because their parents lived in completely different conditions. It’s not easy but it’s necessary. I thought I would enjoy reading those two articles because they talk about a topic I can relate to, and I was not disappointed. It was nice to see how they proved how migrating doesn’t always have to be a negative thing. A lot of good can come out of it. It is nice to see how we are moving forward as a society, we are becoming more tolerant and caring for each other, we no longer give our back to our world’s major issues. It is honestly inspiring to see people from different parts of the world welcoming, supporting, and teaching the immigrants they receive. I think it leaves us with the message that we all share one home.

Works Cited

The Christian Science Monitor. (2019, March 12). This city is short of teachers. it's tapping immigrants to help. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.csmonitor.com/EqualEd/2019/0312/This-city-is-short-of-teachers.-It-s-tapping-immigrants-to-help?utm_source=Solutions%2BStory%2BTracker

Rosch, C. (n.d.). Community sponsorship in the UK: A win-win approach for resettling refugees? The New Arab. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://english.alaraby.co.uk/analysis/resettling-refugees-community-sponsorship-answer?utm_source=Solutions%2BStory%2BTracker

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How can we reduce, reuse, and recycle?

1. To eliminate waste, we need to rediscover thrift – Andre Dent

There's no such thing as throwing something away, says Andrew Dent -- when you toss a used food container, broken toy or old pair of socks into the trash, those things inevitably end up in ever-growing landfills. But we can get smarter about the way we make, and remake, our products. Dent shares exciting examples of thrift -- the idea of using and reusing what you need so you don't have to purchase anything new -- as well as advances in material science, like electronics made of nanocellulose and enzymes that can help make plastic infinitely recyclable.

Citation: Dent, A. (2018, April 26). To eliminate waste, we need to rediscover thrift - youtube. TED. Retrieved March 3, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZP8Kqr_bcw

1. Creative houses from reclaimed stuff – Dan Phillips

In this funny and insightful talk, builder Dan Phillips tours us through a dozen homes he's built in Texas using recycled and reclaimed materials in wildly creative ways. Brilliant, low-tech design details will refresh your own creative drive. He shares the idea that we have given value to more superficial details. We encourage us to be more creative and to break patterns. He explains how our desire to be perfectionist has affected the housing and architecture industry and one we recognize something that doesn’t fit that structure, then we automatically get rid of it.

Citation: Phillips, D. (2013, July 17). Creative houses from reclaimed stuff - Dan Phillips - YouTube. TED. Retrieved March 3, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owbfNJMumEs

1. Reflection:

Both of these videos, present us with the idea of taking care of the environment by reusing what we think is “waste.” One of the biggest roles we play as human beings is that of a consumer. We live in a society that has the mentality of “out with the old and in with the new.” Which great for a lot of things, but when it comes to materialistic perspective, living with this mentality can be dangerous. Our waste is creating landfills of trash that sooner than later we won’t be able to manage. Our waste doesn’t just disappear overnight! Which is why these videos share ideas and example on how we can make it happen. In Dent’s talk he shares the multiple industries where we can a change that will benefit the environment. He also shares that looking at it from an economic perspective we can benefit from it too. It is important to continuously ask ourselves, how can this product be used again? He talks about the idea of “giving it a second life” to our waste. He gives general examples of things we can do. Then we have Phillips, who in his talk gets more specific by using examples of the houses he has created by implementing used materials. I think it was very cool to see learn how he sees value in what sometimes we call trash. Creating stable homes made by recycling