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Ilissa Ocko: The fastest way to slow climate change now

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"Cutting methane is the single fastest, most effective opportunity to reduce climate change risks in the near term," says atmospheric scientist Ilissa Ocko. That's because, unlike carbon dioxide, methane's warming power doesn't come from a gradual buildup over time but is almost entirely from recent emissions.

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Stephen Petranek: Your kids might live on Mars. Here's how they'll survive

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It sounds like science fiction, but journalist Stephen Petranek considers it fact: within 20 years, humans will live on Mars. In this provocative talk, Petranek makes the case that humans will become a spacefaring species and describes in fascinating detail how we'll make Mars our next home.

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CAS3 → TED Video Environment → Documentation → Reflection

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CAS3 → TED Video Environment → Documentation → Reflection

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Video 1: Your kids might live on Mars. Here's how they'll survive

Stephen Petranek opens up his ted talk by bluntly telling the crowd that adults will end up on Mars to colonize it and work there while their children will end up living there. He believes that humans should live on Mars because we are sensitive creatures who cannot withstand the harm of an asteroid. He also believed that humans should colonize Mars because exploration is just in our DNA. Petranek then goes on to explain some facts about Mars such as Mars is smaller than the planet Earth and is also thinner, nor breathable and he even explains that it would take 258 days to travel to Mars and that is only possible if we travel on a specific day at a specific time. He explains how we can live on Mars by saying that there is water in the solid in Mars, NASA created a machine that could produce enough oxygen to keep a person alive, food would have to be transported from Earth, as for shelter, we would have to live underground in caves or lava groups. As to what humans will be wearing, humans would be wearing a sleek space suit that would keep us warm and block radiation. Petranek talks about reengineering the planet Mars in order for humans to strive on that planet.
Video 2: The fastest way to slow climate change now Ocko, Ilissa.
Llissa Ocko introduces her topic in her ted talk by explaining how 99% of pollution is carbon dioxide while 1% is methane. However, even though it is only 1%, that methane can cause a whole lot of more harm than the pollution that is coming from the carbon dioxide. Ocko strives to identify ways to slow down global warming as fast as possible to help lower the risk of more damages in the future. Methane can stay in the air for a decade, therefore this damage is coming as a result of recent emissions. Ocko claims that cutting methane is the single most effective opportunity to immediately slow down the rate of warming. The methane that is being emitted is coming from three sources, those being Agriculture, energy production, and waste management. Cutting energy production is the cheapest, easiest way to slow down global warming. Agriculture is the hardest because of all the livestock digestion. Ocko and her colleagues discovered that by the mid century, humans can cut as much as 30% of global warming which would prevent wildfires, the rise of temperatures, etc...

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In Indonesia, bigger catches for a fishing village protecting its mangroves

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SUNGAI NIBUNG, Indonesia — The phone signal comes and goes and the electricity grid has yet to reach this patch of jungle on the west coast of Borneo. The quickest way into the village of Sungai Nibung is by boat through the rivers. (Sungai means “river” in Indonesian.) You arrive at a small dock pu…

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OCHO RIOS, Jamaica (AP) - Everton Simpson squints at the Caribbean from his motorboat, scanning the dazzling bands of color for hints of what lies beneath. Emerald green indicates sandy bottoms. Sapphire blue lies above seagrass meadows. And deep indigo marks coral reefs. That's where he's headed.

He steers the boat to an unmarked spot that he knows as the "coral nursery." ″It's like a forest under the sea," he says, strapping on blue flippers and fastening his tank before tipping backward into the azure waters. He swims down 25 feet (7.6 meters) carrying a pair of metal shears, fishing line and a plastic crate.

Restoring landscapes and species in a world damaged by climate change. Explore AP's in-depth series: What Can Be Saved?

On the ocean floor, small coral fragments dangle from suspended ropes, like socks hung on a laundry line. Simpson and other divers tend to this underwater nursery as gardeners mind a flower bed - slowly and painstakingly plucking off snails and fireworms that feast on immature coral.

When each stub grows to about the size of a human hand, Simpson collects them in his crate to individually "transplant" onto a reef, a process akin to planting each blade of grass in a lawn separately.

Even fast-growing coral species add just a few inches a year. And it's not possible to simply scatter seeds.

A few hours later, at a site called Dickie's Reef, Simpson dives again and uses bits of fishing line to tie clusters of staghorn coral onto rocky outcroppings - a temporary binding until the coral's limestone skeleton grows and fixes itself onto the rock. The goal is to jumpstart the natural growth of a coral reef. And so far, it's working.

Almost everyone in Jamaica depends on the sea, including Simpson, who lives in a modest house he built himself near the island's northern coast. The energetic 68-year-old has reinvented himself several times, but always made a living from the ocean.

Once a spear fisherman and later a scuba-diving instructor, Simpson started working as a "coral gardener" two years ago - part of grassroots efforts to bring Jamaica's coral reefs back from the brink.

Coral reefs are often called "rainforests of the sea" for the astonishing diversity of life they shelter.

Just 2% of the ocean floor is filled with coral, but the branching structures - shaped like everything from reindeer antlers to human brains - sustain a quarter of all marine species. Clown fish, parrotfish, groupers and snappers lay eggs and hide from predators in the reef's nooks and crannies, and their presence draws eels, sea snakes, octopuses and even sharks. In healthy reefs, jellyfish and sea turtles are regular visitors.

With fish and coral, it's a codependent relationship - the fish rely upon the reef structure to evade danger and lay eggs, and they also eat up the coral's rivals.

Life on the ocean floor is like a slow-motion competition for space, or an underwater game of musical chairs. Tropical fish and other marine animals, like black sea urchins, munch on fast-growing algae and seaweed that may otherwise outcompete the slow-growing coral for space. When too many fish disappear, the coral suffers - and vice-versa.

After a series of natural and man-made disasters in the 1980s and 1990s, Jamaica lost 85% of its once-bountiful coral reefs. Meanwhile, fish catches declined to a sixth of what they had been in the 1950s, pushing families that depend on seafood closer to poverty. Many scientists thought that most of Jamaica's coral reef had been permanently replaced by seaweed, like jungle overtaking a ruined cathedral.

But today, the corals and tropical fish are slowly reappearing, thanks in part to a series of careful interventions.

The delicate labor of the coral gardener is only one part of restoring a reef - and for all its intricacy, it's actually the most straightforward part. Convincing lifelong fishermen to curtail when and where they fish and controlling the surging waste dumped into the ocean are trickier endeavors.

Still, slowly, the comeback effort is gaining momentum.

"The coral are coming back; the fish are coming back," says Stuart Sandin, a marine biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. "It's probably some of the most vibrant coral reefs we've seen in Jamaica since the 1970s."

"When you give nature a chance, she can repair herself," he adds. "It's not too late."

Sandin is studying the health of coral reefs around the world as part of a research project called the "100 Island Challenge." His starting assumption was that the most populated islands would have the most degraded habitats, but what he found instead is that humans can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on how they manage resources.

In Jamaica, more than a dozen grassroots-run coral nurseries and fish sanctuaries have sprung up in the past decade, supported by small grants from foundations, local businesses such as hotels and scuba clinics, and the Jamaican government.

At White River Fish Sanctuary, which is only about 2 years old and where Simpson works, the clearest proof of early success is the return of tropical fish that inhabit the reefs, as well as hungry pelicans, skimming the surface of the water to feed on them.

Jamaica's coral reefs were once among the world's most celebrated, with their golden branching structures and resident bright-colored fish drawing the attention of travelers from Christopher Columbus to Ian Fleming, who wrote most of his James Bond novels on the island nation's northern coast in the 1950s and '60s.

In 1965, the country became the site of the first global research hub for coral reefs, the Discovery Bay Marine Lab, now associated with the University of the West Indies. The pathbreaking marine biologist couple Thomas and Nora Goreau completed fundamental research here, including describing the symbiotic relationship between coral and algae and pioneering the use of scuba equipment for marine studies.

The same lab also provided a vantage point as the coral disappeared.

Peter Gayle has been a marine biologist at Discovery Bay since 1985. From the yard outside his office, he points toward the reef crest about 300 meters away - a thin brown line splashed with white waves. "Before 1980, Jamaica had healthy coral," he notes. Then several disasters struck.

The first calamity was 1980′s Hurricane Allen, one of the most powerful cyclones in recorded history. "Its 40-foot waves crashed against the shore and basically chewed up the reef," Gayle says. Coral can grow back after natural disasters, but only when given a chance to recover - which it never got.

That same decade, a mysterious epidemic killed more than 95% of the black sea urchins in the Caribbean, while overfishing ravaged fish populations. And surging waste from the island's growing human population, which nearly doubled between 1960 and 2010, released chemicals and nutrients into the water that spur faster algae growth. The result: Seaweed and algae took over.

"There was a tipping point in the 1980s, when it switched from being a coral-dominated system to being an algae-dominated system," Gayle says. "Scientists call it a 'phase shift.'"

That seemed like the end of the story, until an unlikely alliance started to tip the ecosystem back in the other direction, with help from residents like Everton Simpson and his fellow fisherman Lipton Bailey.

The fishing community of White River revolves around a small boat-docking area about a quarter-mile from where the river flows into the Caribbean Sea. One early morning, as purple dawn light filters into the sky, Simpson and Bailey step onto a 28-foot motorboat called the Interceptor.

Both men have lived and fished their whole lives in the community. Recently, they have come to believe that they need to protect the coral reefs that attract tropical fish, while setting limits on fishing to ensure the sea isn't emptied too quickly.

In the White River area, the solution was to create a protected area - a "fish sanctuary" - for immature fish to grow and reach reproductive age before they are caught.

Two years ago, the fishermen joined with local businesses, including hotel owners, to form a marine association and negotiate the boundaries for a no-fishing zone stretching two miles along the coast. A simple line in the water is hardly a deterrent, however; to make the boundary meaningful, it must be enforced. Today, the local fishermen, including Simpson and Bailey, take turns patrolling the boundary in the Interceptor.

On this morning, the men steer the boat just outside a row of orange buoys marked "No Fishing." ″We are looking for violators," Bailey says, his eyes trained on the rocky coast. "Sometimes you find spearmen. They think they're smart. We try to beat them at their game."

Most of the older and more established fishermen, who own boats and set out lines and wire cages, have come to accept the no-fishing zone. Besides, the risk of having their equipment confiscated is too great. But not everyone is on board. Some younger men hunt with lightweight spearguns, swimming out to sea and firing at close-range. These men - some of them poor and with few options - are the most likely trespassers.

The patrols carry no weapons, so they must master the art of persuasion. "Let them understand this. It's not a you thing or a me thing. This isn't personal," Bailey says of past encounters with violators.

These are sometimes risky efforts. Two years ago, Jerlene Layne, a manager at nearby Boscobel Fish Sanctuary, landed in the hospital with a bruised leg after being attacked by a man she had reprimanded for fishing illegally in the sanctuary. "He used a stick to hit my leg because I was doing my job, telling him he cannot fish in the protected area," she says.

Layne believes her work would be safer with more formal support from the police, but she isn't going to stop.

"Public mindsets can change," she says. "If I back down on this, what kind of message does that send? You have to stand for something."

She has pressed charges in court against repeat trespassers, typically resulting in a fine and equipment confiscation.

One such violator is Damian Brown, 33, who lives in a coastal neighborhood called Stewart Town. Sitting outside on a concrete staircase near his modest home, Brown says fishing is his only option for work - and he believes the sanctuary boundaries extend too far.

But others who once were skeptical say they've come to see limits as a good thing.

Back at the White River docking area, Rick Walker, a 35-year-old spearfisherman, is cleaning his motorboat. He remembers the early opposition to the fish sanctuary, with many people saying, "'No, they're trying to stop our livelihood.'"

Two years later, Walker, who is not involved in running the sanctuary but supports its boundary, says he can see the benefits. "It's easier to catch snapper and barracuda," he says. "At least my great grandkids will get to see some fish."

When Columbus landed in Jamaica, he sailed into Oracabessa Bay, today a 20-minute drive from the mouth of the White River.

Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary was the first of the grassroots-led efforts to revive Jamaica's coral reefs. Its sanctuary was legally incorporated in 2010, and its approach of enlisting local fishermen as patrols became a model for other regions.

"The fishermen are mostly on board and happy, that's the distinction. That's why it's working," sanctuary manager Inilek Wilmot says.

David Murray, head of the Oracabessa Fishers' Association, notes that Jamaica's 60,000 fishermen operate without a safety net. "Fishing is like gambling, it's a game. Sometimes you catch something, sometimes you don't," he says.

When fish populations began to collapse two decades ago, something had to change.

Murray now works as a warden in the Oracabessa sanctuary, while continuing to fish outside its boundary. He also spends time explaining the concept to neighbors.

"It's people work - it's a process to get people to agree on a sanctuary boundary," he says. "It's a tough job to tell a man who's been fishing all his life that he can't fish here."

But once it became clear that a no-fishing zone actually helped nearby fish populations rebound, it became easier to build support. The number of fish in the sanctuary has doubled between 2011 and 2017, and the individual fish have grown larger - nearly tripling in length on average - according to annual surveys by Jamaica's National Environment and Planning Agency. And that boosts catches in surrounding areas.

After word got out about Oracabessa, other regions wanted advice.

"We have the data to show success, but even more important than data is word of mouth," says Wilmot, who oversaw training to help start the fish sanctuary at White River.

Belinda Morrow, a lifelong water-sports enthusiast often seen paddle-boarding with her dog Shadow, runs the White River Marine Association. She attends fishers' meetings and raises small grants from the Jamaican government and other foundations to support equipment purchases and coral replanting campaigns.

"We all depend on the ocean," Morrow says, sitting in a small office decorated with nautical maps in the iconic 70-year-old Jamaica Inn. "If we don't have a good healthy reef and a good healthy marine environment, we will lose too much. Too much of the country relies on the sea."

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This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Coral gardeners bring back Jamaica's reefs, piece by piece

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OCHO RIOS, Jamaica (AP) - Everton Simpson squints at the Caribbean from his motorboat, scanning the dazzling bands of color for hints of what lies beneath. Emerald green indicates sandy bottoms. Sapphire blue lies above seagrass meadows. And deep indigo marks coral reefs. That's where he's headed.

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CAS2 → The World’s Challenges → Documentation → Reflection

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CAS2 → The World’s Challenges → Documentation → Reflection

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Coral gardeners bring back Jamaica's reefs, Piece by piece:
Summary:

In this article, a story is told from two point of views. One view being from Everton Simpson, who is the main character of this article, and the second point of view being from an outside perspective coming from a journalist. Everton Simpson was once a spear fisherman and a scuba diving instructor but two years ago, he dedicated his life to being a coral gardener and is dedicated to bringing back Jamaica’s coral reefs back to life. In the 1980s, Jamaica lost 85% of its tourist attracted coral reefs, but since 2019, Jamaican locals along with others have been working hard to bring their coral reef back to life. Simpson not only dedicates his life to bringing the coral reef back to life but Simpson along with Lipton Bailey also dedicate their lives to protecting the tropical fish that come to these coral reefs from fishermen. On some mornings, Lipton and bailey head to guard the no fishing zones. These guards have no weapons and sometimes even come out injured from trying to protect the fish and the coral reefs. Lipton and Bailey have even persuaded some of these fishermen to volunteer at these fish sanctuaries too.
"In Indonesia, bigger catches for a fishing village protecting its mangroves":
A village in Indonesia, Sungai Nibung, has closed 3 square miles of their river and banned fishing for three months to allow for crabs and fishes to reproduce. This ban has been into action because fishing laws in these fisheries were being weakly enforced. Therefore, this village was facing overfishing and depletion on certain habitats and in addition, mangroves were being ripped out of the ocean. Anyone who violates the fishing ban will face harsh criticism and fines. This village is not the only one with this ban. A community on the southern coast of west Papua has also temporarily closed to protect sea cucumbers. To enforce this ban, Sungai Nibung’s local government has established patrol teams to monitor and enforce this fishing ban. This occurred during October through December 2017 and the, later during April through July 2018. Since then, fishermen’s income has increased, and the weight of catching crabs has also increased. The spread of this ban was a bit difficult to enforce because illiteracy was quite high.
Reflection:
This subject is definitely a popular subject, I think. Fish nurseries along with coral nurseries have been known to people since before 2019 and I think people who dedicate their life to saving coral reefs and fish nurseries are beyond amazing because Earth needs Coral reefs and beautiful fish. I hope that one day our coral reefs will be as beautiful and healthy as they were in the beginning but at times it will be difficult to establish that because man families depend on catching fish and selling it to put food in their bellies and keep a roof over their head. But things much change for the better. Somethings I learned was that Jamaica has people that work to keep these coral nurseries alive. I also learned that sometimes local are what protect these fish nurseries. By that I mean, I thought that these fish nurseries were protected by governmental protection who were armed but, in reality, it’s just locals hoping they can persuade fishermen to stop killing fish, without these locals being badly injured. This subject was portrayed uniquely through solutions journalism in many ways. One of those ways is, they have many images for the readers to see and not just normal ones but in-depth images. For example, Solutions journalism has a video of a young fishermen catching fish with a speargun in no fishing zone (AP Larson).
I learned that there is in fact, a country that enforces a fishing ban for a certain amount of moths. I also learned that Indonesia has a high rate of illiteracy, and it isn’t because they can’t pay to go to school, it’s because once they get a taste of earning money, they rather work to earn money rather than going to school. I learned that there is an organization that not only addresses the consequences of overfishing but also has a goal to decrease illiteracy. For example, they have educational programs like business, development, financial education, and literacy(Mongabay, Pahlevi).  I think that the temporary fishing ban is great because it leads to growth of mangroves along with the reproducing growth of fish and crabs. However, it doesn’t make sense to stop fishing for the reproduction of fish but then once the ban is over, fishermen’s income increases because they’re fishing more leading them back to stage one, which is the overfishing and depletion on certain habitats, including mangroves. Once again, Solutions Journalism portrayed this subject uniquely through images. Solutions journalism had unique images of local men catching fish and the process of what happens after they caught the fish. For example, they had an image that showed how woman dries the fish after it’s caught (Mongabay, Pahlevi) .

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CAS1→ My Story of Stuff → Documentation → Reflection

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CAS1→ My Story of Stuff → Documentation → Reflection

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First video:

1) "The story of Plastic" Animated Short
Description
Plastic started being used in the 1930s. Who would’ve thought that just thirty years later, plastic would create a problem for our mother Earth? Everyone knows that plastic is huge problem for our planet yet, we keep using it even more. When we think about it, it’s not easy to stop using plastic. It’s how we store milk, juice, fruits, vegetables, and bread. Is it how we carry our groceries from point A to Point B. It’s how we carry our clothes when we leave the mall. But things must change. Everyone needs to take sacrifices to save our planet from the monster we call plastic. The story of plastic is a short, animated documentary that reveals all the damage that plastic has caused and the consequences our world has been facing. The video starts off by showing an animation that represents the "giant trash island in the ocean". The video shows how the plastic that ends up in the environment like our beach, lakes, rivers, or parks, gets a lot of attention but most of us don't think about where the rest of the trash ends up. The video informs the viewers of what plastics is made from and how the process creates pollution that hurts our planet. The video reveals how even though just the process of creating plastic hurts citizens, the government still doesn't shut down the business of plastic and in fact even creates plans to expand the usage of plastic to other parts of the world. The video reveals the percentage of where trash ends up at such as 32% being in the environment, 40% being in landfills and 14% end up in incinerators, where it is polluted into communities nearby and another 14% of trash is actually recycled and only 2% is  effectively recycled. the video suggest ideas to stop the usage of plastic and create a sustainable economy such as passing laws and regulations that do not allow the usage of plastic, making companies be accountable for their actions and contributions,
Second Video:
2) "The Story of Cosmetics"
Description:
The average girl is more than likely to have their first interaction with cosmetics when they’re a toddler and are playing with mom’s makeup. Then, the average boy has their first interaction with cosmetics when they start going through puberty and they are start growing facial hairs. Why am I mentioning this? When people first start their journey with cosmetics, we are not aware of the toxic's that some of these products hold. And some may think it’s only in products that are for older people, but, these toxic chemicals can even be in shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, shaving products, conditioner, hair gel, heat protector sprays or oil, and the list goes on and on and we use those products daily! The story of cosmetics gives an idea on how these toxic chemicals are growing more by the day and sneaking their way into our personal care products. The video reveals who is in charge of injecting these toxic chemicals and even suggest alternatives that can be better. The video starts off with Annie Leonard revealing that products such as her own shampoo, sunscreen and even baby shampoo contains toxic chemicals that have a link to cancer and even asthma. She reveals how those toxic chemicals are injected and how the creating hurts the workers, the citizens who are using them and communities around them. She even reveals how words such as organic or natural do not have a legal definition so when shampoos have written organic or natural on the label, that doesn't mean that it is really "natural". Leonard states how these chemicals are still in the products we use because there are no laws that ban the injection of of these toxic chemicals into our products. Leonard sums up the video describing how companies need to stop using toxic chemicals so that we can feel comfortable when we buy products in stores.

Reflection:

When it comes to using safe cosmetics, I face little guilt because I like to do research on these products and research the chemicals that are in the labels. However, I still relate to the role of consumption because I still buy products at these companies such as Walmart. I may make smart choices on what I am buying but I am still giving money to these companies which leads to the mass production of these bad products. Not only is that just with cosmetics but also with the usage of plastics. When people go to Walmart, most of the population still put their groceries in the plastic bags because we prefer those bags because they make our life easier when in reality, it is hurting our planet. And since we are still using those bags, The companies and factories must make more plastic bags!

These videos have inspired me to sacrifice my wanting urge to use Plastic bags in stores despite the urge because my planet is suffering and so are the communities around me. I recycle the plastic I use however this video has encouraged me to spread how important it is to recycle to create a better future for us and the generation after. It has inspired me to make wiser consumptions and carefully think of the companies I am buying products from. I will continue to do research on the cosmetics that I buy but also encourage others to do research on the chemicals in the cosmetics that are being used on a daily basis.

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About this film

The Story of Plastic (animated short) pulls back the curtain on the plastic pollution headlines, revealing the true causes and consequences of the global plastics crisis. This animated short is a companion piece to The Story of Plastic (documentary), which premiered in April of 2020.

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Movie Resources

Credits

The Story of Plastic (animated short) was written by Brett Chamberlin, Michael O'Heaney, and Ruben DeLuna. Animation by Ruben DeLuna Creative, voiceover by Tiza Mafira. Based on "The Story of Plastic" feature-length documentary.

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The Story of Plastic (animated short) - Story of Stuff

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About this film The Story of Plastic (animated short) pulls back the curtain on the plastic pollution headlines, revealing the true causes and consequences of the global plastics crisis. This animated short is a companion piece to The Story of Plastic (documentary), which premiered in April of 2020.

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In this reflection essay, I will be reflecting on my work SP2, CAS2, CAS3. Something that these assignments all have in common is that they broadened my view about our world and did so by introducing the variety of learning resources that we, not only students have, but also everyone in general. So, with that being said, I start off by reflecting on SP2.
What did you think or feel about the action or concept before you engaged in the activity? In SP2, students had to attend a training session that informed us about research tools. At first, I did not expect much because in the past, I have had assignments that required much research, which I did so with the resources that were provided to students like the mdc library online. What expectations, associations, or assumptions did you have about the concept or action before you completed the activity? I felt like I understood the concept of research tools quite well but also, I expected that the person giving the session would just be talking about mdc resources and explaining how to use their resources such as journals, but it turned out, that the professor did more than that. For example, using local resources like Miamidade.gov, suggested by Professor Isabel Duque, “I learned that on May 4,2021, Miami Dade approved a Miami Dade country awareness week and also is making an investment in the movement of “getting 2 zero initiative”. Miami Dade commissioners are making sure that this campaign provides educational information in all three languages and are also providing condoms for safe sex.”
Describe your experience. What was it like? The assignment for CAS3 was to watch two ted talk videos, summarize them, and reflect on one video. To find a video that kept my attention was a little difficult because I did not want to do a video that everyone would do but at the same time, I wanted to do a topic that I did not know much about. How was your experience different from what you expected? Once I found a ted talk that was genuinely interesting to me, I found it easy to complete the assignment, which was the opposite of what I expected.
CAS2 was an assignment in which students must find two articles on the same subject using a website named “solutions journalism”. For this assignment, I chose an article titled “Coral gardeners bring back Jamaica's reefs, Piece by piece:” and another titled “In Indonesia, bigger catches for a fishing village protecting its mangroves:” What did you learn from the experience? From this experience, I learned more about how other countries are helping ease out environmental issues. For example, I learned that locals in Jamaica guard the coral reefs with absolutely no protection and sometimes injure themselves from protecting the coral reefs. I learned that in Indonesia, a village closed three square miles of their river and banned fishing for three months to allow for crabs and fishes to reproduce. However, since illiteracy in this village is high, it was difficult to enforce this ban. Not only did I learn about these countries, but I did so by using a resource that I never knew about. Solutions journalism is a source that I did not know about until this class. How did completing the activity change how you think or feel about the concept or action? When I was first reading the article In Indonesia, bigger catches for a fishing village protecting its mangroves, I thought it was great that Indonesia was taking action to protect their mangroves. Yes, the ban of fishing for three months to allow for crabs and fishes to reproduce in December 2017 is improvement, but then later in April 2018, fishing increased again. In CAS2, I said “However, it doesn’t make sense to stop fishing for the reproduction of fish but then once the ban is over, fishermen’s income increases because they’re fishing more leading them back to stage one, which is the overfishing and depletion on certain habitats, including mangroves.”
Like I said previously, completing these assignments broadened my view about our world and did so by introducing the variety of learning resources that we, not only as students have, but also everyone in general.

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1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. n.d. 1 June 2021.

My first article explains what HIV is. Not only does it explain what HIV is, but it also provides information about its background, like where HIV came from along with how to know if you have HIV as well as what the symptoms are. In addition, it provides the stages of HIV, how it can be transmitted and how to protect yourself from HIV. I used to this to spread facts about what HIV is.

1. MiamidadeTV. Getting 2 ZeroAwareness Campaign. Miami: Miami Dade Minute, 2018

This second resource is a video that explains and event in 2018 where Miami Dade commissioners start a campaign that provides educational information in all three languages and in addition, provide and advice condoms for safe sex. This campaign was started because Miami was a city with the highest HIV cases. This helped show what Miami’s reaction to HIV was.

1.  Advocacy, Community. Help us end the HIV epidemic. Miami: Miamidade.gov, 2021.

This resource is from Miami Dade County and the office of Community Advocacy. This newspaper provided information about how the office of Community Advocacy and the Florida Department of health established the campaign of Getting 2 Zero Initiative.  Their goal was to start a movement that can reduce HIV infections, spread the right information of the Infection, and increase access to equal health care. This movement also dedicated the third week of February of each year to spread awareness. This informed people about a movement that was started in Miami in result of it being a city with high amounts of cases

1. Molina, Daniel. The Floridian. 23 January 2022.

This last source was a newspaper that informed people about the Floridian Representatives that passed a $3.5 million federal grant to ensure that people who are infected with HIV can access medical care and treatment. This announcement came at the perfect time because the FDA had just approved the first injection for HIV. This was announced mid-January when Orlando became one of the top three cities in the U.S. with new HIV cases. This helped show how Miami’s responded to HIV.

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SP2 → Research Training → Research Topic Proposal → Reflection

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SP2 → Research Training → Research Topic Proposal → Reflection

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Professor Isabel Duque shared some interesting research methods and some I was aware of because I have used these resources for previous classes. Other however blew my mind! For example, Professor Duque showed how we can research topics using the MDC library and showed just how specific you can get by sorting out exactly what you are looking for. It was pleasant to be reminded of what resources my school provides students with. In addition, Professor Duque even brought to light some resources that I was not aware of at all. For example, on the MDC homepage, if you were to click on research tools & services, students are provided with resources such as journals and video resources like Kanopy and swank where students can look up educational videos for research purposes and they are all for free! In some ways, I was aware of these resources, but I had never explored them and I am very appreciative towards Professor Duque for reminding me of these resources we are given.
I decided to research the topic of HIV in Miami. Did you know that just a couple of years ago, Florida was reported to be the second state with the most HIV infections? But what even is HIV? How is it spread? How can your protect yourself from HIV? And what is Florida, specifically, Miami doing to stop the spread of HIV? HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus and this virus attacks your immune system and is transmitted by sexual contact, sharing needles for purposes such as injecting drugs into your body, and can also be transmitted to a baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding. It cannot be transmitted through air, water, saliva, sweat, kissing, insects/pets, nor can be transmitted by sharing toilets, food or drinks. To protect yourself from HIV, you should get tested at least once, use condoms when you are having sex, and don’t share needs with other people. HIV currently has no cure but there are medications that can help ease the pain. Now, what is Florida doing to stop the spread of HIV? Well, one thing Florida did is provide funding to fight HIV. According to the Floridian, the CDC has announced that this past year, Florida has seen over 3,000 new cases and our representatives, Stephanie Murphy, Val Demings and Daren Soto have just dedicated a federal grant of $3.5 million to ensure that those with HIV are receiving medical care. What Is Miami doing to stop the spread of HIV? By using a resource that Professor Duque showed in class, I was able to use local resources like Miamidade.gov, and through there, I learned that on May 4,2021, Miami Dade approved a Miami Dade country awareness week and also is making an investment in the movement of “getting 2 zero initiative”. Miami Dade commissioners are making sure that this campaign provides educational information in all three languages and are also providing condoms for safe sex. I wanted to write about the topic of HIV because I feel like there is a lot of stereotypes about HIV and I wanted to provide educational information about HIV using resources our school gives us.

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Getting 2 zero is a campaign that provides educational information in all three languages and are also providing condoms for safe sex

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The Office of Community Advocacy and The Florida Department of Health have made a community investment to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, establishing the Getting 2 Zero initiative. The Getting 2 Zero initiative is a movement to reduce new HIV/AIDS infections, increase access to care, reduce stigma and to promote health equality in the community.

On May 4, 2021, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved a resoluton renaming "Getting to Zero Miami-Dade County Awareness Week" to "Ending the HIV Epidemic in Miami-Dade County Awareness Week." The Board further declared the week of February 14, 2022, and the third week of February of each year thereafter as "Ending the HIV Epidemic" in Miami-Dade County Awareness Week.

Community goals include:

Aim to reduce the reported AIDS case rate

Reduce the percentage of newly diagnosed HIV cases throughout Miami-Dade County

Reduce reported new HIV cases

Increase the percentage of newly identified HIV-infected individuals who are linked to care within 90 days of diagnosis and are receiving appropriate care and treatment services

Help us Make HIV History.

Know the Facts and Statistics
Miami-Dade has the highest HIV infection rate in the U.S.

Get Tested.
Learn more about free HIV testing.

Get Treated.
Medications that can effectively reduce levels of HIV are available.

Request free condoms online.

The Board of County Commissioners sponsored a resolution in support of this movement.

Follow the Getting 2 Zero initiative on Twitter and Instagram.

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The Office of Community Advocacy and The Florida Department of Health have made a community investment to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, establishing the Getting 2 Zero initiative. The Getting 2 Zero initiative is a movement to reduce new HIV/AIDS infections, increase access to care, reduce stigma and to promote health equality in the community.

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Learning the basics about HIV can keep you healthy and  prevent HIV transmission. You can also download materials to share or watch videos on basic information about HIV.

What is HIV?

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body's immune system. If HIV is not treated, it can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

There is currently no effective cure. Once people get HIV, they have it for life.

But with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. People with HIV who get effective HIV treatment can live long, healthy lives and protect their partners.

Where did HIV come from?

HIV infection in humans came from a type of chimpanzee in Central Africa. Studies show that HIV may have jumped from chimpanzees to humans as far back as the late 1800s.

The chimpanzee version of the virus is called simian immunodeficiency virus. It was probably passed to humans when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came in contact with their infected blood.

Over decades, HIV slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world. The virus has existed in the United States since at least the mid to late 1970s.

To learn more about the history of HIV in the United States and CDC's response to the epidemic, see CDC's HIV and AIDS Timeline.

How do I know if I have HIV?

The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested. Knowing your HIV status helps you make healthy decisions to prevent getting or transmitting HIV.

Are there symptoms?

For many, yes. Most people have flu-like symptoms within 2 to 4 weeks after infection. Symptoms may last for a few days or several weeks.

Having these symptoms alone doesn't mean you have HIV. Other illnesses can cause similar symptoms.

Some people have no symptoms at all. The only way to know if you have HIV is to get tested.

What are the stages of HIV?

When people with HIV don't get treatment, they typically progress through three stages. But HIV treatment can slow or prevent progression of the disease. With advances in HIV treatment, progression to Stage 3 (AIDS) is less common today than in the early years of HIV.

People have a large amount of HIV in their blood and are very contagious.

Many people have flu-like symptoms.

If you have flu-like symptoms and think you may have been exposed to HIV, get tested.

This stage is also called asymptomatic HIV infection or clinical latency.

HIV is still active and continues to reproduce in the body.

People may not have any symptoms or get sick during this phase but can transmit HIV.

People who take HIV treatment as prescribed may never move into Stage 3 (AIDS).

Without HIV treatment, this stage may last a decade or longer, or may progress faster. At the end of this stage, the amount of HIV in the blood (viral load) goes up and the person may move into Stage 3 (AIDS).

The most severe stage of HIV infection.

People with AIDS can have a high viral load and may easily transmit HIV to others.

People with AIDS have badly damaged immune systems. They can get an increasing number of opportunistic infections or other serious illnesses.

Without HIV treatment, people with AIDS typically survive about three years.

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When people with HIV don't get treatment, they typically progress through three stages. Learn about the three stages of HIV.

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Hey, my name is Jamie Palacios, I am 18. My parents are from Nicaragua, and I grew up in Miami, but I do not see myself living in Miami/Florida for the rest of my life. That may be because Florida has a very big population, and it can be very overwhelming at time. I would like to live somewhere where it’s calm and quiet but at the same time, I can have options on what to do. I would like to live somewhere I know my kids are safe and everyone will be treated equal. Something that is the most important to me is my family and success. If it wasn’t because of the urge of wanting to be able to support my family and be able to give them the lifestyle that I desire, I wouldn’t be trying so hard to get a good education.
My MDC home campus is Miami Dade North campus and I hope to achieve my goal of earning my Associates degree in Psychology and then transferring to Florida State University to earn my Psychology and then going to their law school and either become an attorney or a family lawyer to help children who are in tough scenarios. I strive to be the best version of myself and to be able to support the people around, such as my family, significant other and my children. Something that I am the proudest about myself is that I know what I want in life and therefore am willing to work hard for lifestyle I crave. I am proud that I am a loyal person who will have people’s back, and I am proud that I am in college working hard for my future. I am excited to get to know you guys and I hope we all have a good semester!