Preface

This blog has evolved out of a semester long course work that challenged the author of the blog to read many literary topics regarding nature and to also write about given topics that parallel the readings. Selected readings included topics such as, True North by Margaret Atwood, The Way to Rainy Mountain by Scott Momaday, and Tides by Rachel Carson. Postings in this blog are responses to assignments that were given in an effort to generate reflection on experiences and topics in our own lives that relate to the readings. The postings were made within an assigned framework, but allowed for creativity and reflective thought.

As a result of my course work and studies this semester, I have gained insight into nature and environmental studies. Most importantly, I have become acutely aware of some major environmental issues and developed a sense of the complexity of the relationship between man and nature. The global problem of energy in terms of locating resources, developing synthetic energy sources, and maintaining a clean and stable environment has become more complex to me, and yet more clear to me after completing these assignments. Studying nature and reflecting on my own experiences in nature has opened my eyes and stimulated my interest regarding the future of our environment. Although I may not choose a career that leads me to directly working towards solving environmental problems, my awareness of nature and its importance to human life will make mesupportive of environmental issues and the efforts to identify, address, and resolve them.

I see my blog contributing to the larger environmental conversation that we have begun this semester by reinforcing both the awesome power of nature, and the personal experiences that each of us has with nature at various times in our lives. Although I have not spent excessive amounts of time in nature, I have had a couple of experiences that were profound in how they impacted my life. I think this is important, because I believe that there are many people who grow up and live in populated areas in the United States where there contact with nature is also very limited. However, these people, like myself, only need a few profound experiences with nature in order to appreciate its awesome power and beauty, and recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy environment. As a result, even with limited exposure to nature, individuals such as myself can become major supporters of local, national, and global efforts to protect and preserve nature and the environment.

Ground Zero

Photo taken by World's Famous Photos

Ground Zero
America is two hundred thirty-two years old. There have been countless locations in America and outside of our borders that were recognized as historic sites regarding American history and culture. Many of these sites are a couple of hundred years old, such as Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Other sites of historical significance are older than our nation itself, such as the Jamestown settlement, and Plymouth Rock. Furthermore, there are some historic military sites that are actually located beyond our countries borders, such as Normandy, France, which are historic sites for remembrance of American sacrifice and heroism during World War Two. The list of places that are designated for their significance in American history continues to grow. One of the most recent historic sites, and the most significant one in my lifetime is Ground Zero. I had the opportunity to visit the Ground zero site in July 2007, while on a visit to Columbia University in New York City. Standing at the Ground Zero property was an experience that affected me in a profound way by getting me to think of the value of life, and by making me more aware of myself as an individual, an American, and as a member of the global community.

Ground Zero is the term referred to the plot of land in lower Manhattan where the magnificent twin tower skyscrapers known as the World Trade Center towers once stood. This site will forever be recognized as both an American and a world historic site. It will not be remembered so much for the awesome engineering feats of building towers over one hundred stories high, but instead as the pile of rubble that they were reduced to in the matter of hours on September 11, 2001. This act of terrorism changed American culture as we knew it prior to the attacks that day at Ground Zero.

Even though the term Ground Zero refers to catastrophic damage such as the center of a nuclear bomb explosion, it doesn’t seem appropriate to describe that hallowed ground in New York City. Perhaps it is because the word zero makes us think of something without value or full of emptiness. It almost seems disrespectful to the thousands of people who lost their lives there and the millions of Americans and people throughout the free world who suffered through the sadness and tragedy of those terrorist attacks. When I stood at the site and looked at the relatively small piece of property that seems too small to hold the huge towers that once stood proudly there, the land appears as a site of emptiness. However, it is far from empty in terms of its historical and cultural significance. After looking at the site for a while and recalling the events that took place there, that small piece of land eventually gave me an understanding of the magnitude of that historical event and how greatly it has changed our American culture. I recall having feelings that were filled with many emotions, and made the events of September 11, 2001 seem very real and personal to me as I observed that site.

Standing and observing Ground Zero affected me as a person. I felt a great sense of pride that I am an American. For the first time in my life I realized that I am part of something much larger than my small community in which I live. Standing there and recalling the events of September 11, 2001 caused me to question my own character and how I may have reacted hat day. Many of the firemen, policemen, and others present that day risked and even gave their own lives to help others despite their own fears and the obvious dangers they faced. There were heroes buried in that vacant lot, as well as many more innocent victims who must have been confused, terrified, and feeling helpless as they suffered from the senseless terrorist attacks that day. The realism of visiting that site will stay with me throughout my life. I’m sure that some day I will return there, and there will probably be other buildings and beautiful landscaping where there was dirt and unfinished land. There will probably be monuments there as well that recognize the site and describe the events for people of future generations to visit. However, the impact of the devastation of September 11, 2001 will never be as real to me as it was when I was staring at that vacant lot during my first visit there.

While observing Ground Zero, it also created increased feelings of anger towards the enemies of America and the American way of life. I grew up learning that America was the greatest country in the world, with a way of life that promoted freedom to go where you want and do what you please, as long as it was not illegal. There was little fear of being attacked by terrorists or other enemies, and I was made to feel safe and protected by the armed forces. Seeing the World Trade Center site made these thoughts and ideas seem questionable. Although America remains the leader of the free world, as well as having the strongest military, American life changed after that day, as The War on Terror began, sparking many debates and policy changes regarding war, security and freedom. This became most evident to me whenever I went to the airport to travel by plane for the first time last year. There was a lot of talk about what you are and are not allowed to take on the plane, as well as airport regulations for passengers. The adults that traveled with us referred to September 11, 2001 on several occasions as we talked about the flights and airports. Security was intense, filled with checkpoints and searches, and will probably always be this way in the future. This is just one of many examples of how the events of that day changed American culture, and affected me as an American.

Although Ground Zero is American soil, it is a place that changed the ways in which each of us as Americans relate to the people and countries of the world. My generation and future generations will have to face the challenge of working hard to identify what countries and peoples are our friends, and which ones are our enemies. This will cause many more people to work for the government in security, intelligence, and international relations positions. We have to consider ourselves as Americans first, but remember that our country exists in a global economy that forces us to relate to many foreign peoples and countries. It is easy to think of the towers falling to the ground and want to isolate America from the rest of the world so that we can protect ourselves. Unfortunately, we cannot do that, so we must see ourselves as members of the world community and find ways to protect ourselves from our known and unknown enemies. At the same time, we also must stay positive and work at being successful in a world economy, while trying to make the world a better place for all of us.

In conclusion, standing at the site of Ground Zero in New York City was an experience that affected me in a profound way by getting me to think of the value of life, and by making me more aware of myself as an individual person, as an American, and as a member of the global community. The act of terrorism on September 11, 2001 became much more real to me as I observed that historical site and thought about the profound effects that seeing those awesome towers, full of innocent people, burn and crumble had upon all of us. It instilled fear in all Americans that day, which has lasted to the present day, thereby changing our American culture. Most of the historic sites of American history recognize events that occurred long before I was born, and they make the history books seem more real. However, Ground Zero happened in my lifetime, and visiting that place was an intense experience that changed me as a person because the issues related to those attacks are still present in our society and affecting our daily lives as Americans and as citizens of the global community. As a result, it can be argued that for those of us living today, Ground Zero is one of the most significant historical sites in America.

Happy Valley

Happy Valley

“It’s the name on the front of the jersey that matters most, not the one on the back,” said Joe Paterno (Paterno). The quote symbolizes the importance of teamwork in achieving success. Penn State is the name on the front of that jersey. The reputation of legendary football coach Joe Paterno and the familiarity of the Penn State name have become synonymous with one another as a result of growing and flourishing together over the past 59 years. Joe Paterno. Penn State. Penn State. Joe Paterno. They go hand in hand, and learning about Joe Paterno is essential to understanding The Pennsylvania State University because his values and virtues reflect the mission statement of Penn State. In all of sports, there has never been a person and place so greatly intertwined in terms of their identification by the national public, reputations in their respective professions, and their collective accomplishments within their community.

Joe Paterno has often stated that it is important to him that the entire country is aware of what Penn State has to offer, and that his vision is for Penn State to be number one in everything, not just football. As a result, he has made numerous contributions to the university that displays his dedication to this cause, and has improved the national image of Penn State University as a leader in student athletics. His personal philosophies of hard work and integrity have placed him among the most respected national sports figures of all time. Furthermore, his dedication to a value system that places graduation from college as the number one priority has brought about national recognition that has established Penn State as a shining example of what college athletics is supposed to be all about (Joe Paterno Biography). However, it is difficult to examine the life of Joe Paterno without reference to what Penn State has meant to him in terms of the opportunity and support necessary for success to occur.

Penn State University is located in State College, a rural conservative region of central Pennsylvania, where a culture of hard work, integrity, commitment, and community has developed, and where Joe Paterno portrays these values both on and off the field (Paterno). In addition, he could not have accomplished such a reputation for success without the support of the administration at Penn State. The argument can be made that their commitment together was actually a risk in terms of being successful in major college football. When Paterno began coaching, it was much easier to claim these ideal values and to reinforce the “student first, athlete second” priority system. However, the true test of his greatness has been the fact that he was able to continue that commitment for so long in face of the modern game of major college football. The modern game is strongly affected by financial and societal issues. Millions of dollars are available to winning programs, and that raises the temptation for a person to abandon their values and bend the rules to achieve success. Also, the athlete of today seeks to go to professional football, where there is the opportunity to make millions of dollars. As a result, the athlete often gives into the temptation of cheating, by using steroids and other performance enhancing substances to get an advantage. Some football programs have been found to ignore academic standards in order to recruit star athletes, and keep players eligible for games, and increased drug, alcohol, and crime prevalence in athletics and college campuses compounds the difficulty of running a reputable program. Joe Paterno and Penn State have not looked the other way on these issues, and therefore they have taken a risk, in that their football program could suffer because of placing themselves at a competitive disadvantage in terms of eligibility and recruiting. Fortunately, they have experienced great success while doing things the right way and refusing to look the other way on issues in the name of having great players on the field. Penn State won the college football national championship in 1982 and 1986 (Penn State Football). The Penn State University shares his value system, and works hand in hand with Paterno to put a winning team on the field without compromising their values and maintaining their reputation as a leader in reputable college athletics. As a result, Joe Paterno has become an icon at Penn State (Joe Paterno Biography). He is a highly recognizable symbol of the University that acts as a representative of Penn State throughout the United States and serves as a role model for hard work, integrity and commitment.

Pride in a national reputation for excellence in academics and athletics is the glue that holds the values of the Pennsylvania State University together, and that school spirit focuses on the successes of Head Coach Joe Paterno and their football team. Joe Paterno is more than a football coach, as he has evolved into a national sports icon that has been outspoken on the need to maintain integrity in college sports, and led by example in a long and prestigious career that has given more to the profession of coaching than he has taken (Joe Paterno Biography). As a teacher of the game, he embraced the opportunity to affect young men’s lives both on and off the football field. His players were challenged to become both better football players and better people. As a result, many of them went on to become successful and entered into leadership roles in their fields. Likewise, Penn State is dedicated to provide a first class education to all students. In 2007, Penn State’s NCAA Graduation Success Rate for football players ranked no. 3 in the country. A priority was established that led Paterno to make student-athletes attend class and study. Greg Buttle is a former Penn State All-American linebacker who in 2007 stated to the San Antonio Express-News in 2007. "Forget what he's done for players. He's done more for a single university than anyone else. It transcends his coaching. No. 1 to him is what he's done for Penn State University; No. 2 is what he has done for players." As a result of his philosophies, Penn State has achieved great success in football. Joe Paterno has coached Penn State to 2 national championships, 5 undefeated seasons, 34 bowl game appearances, 23 bowl victories, and he holds the record for the most victories by a Division I football coach. In addition, Paterno has achieved numerous personal awards such as Coach of the Year, and most notably, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 (Penn State Football). These accomplishments have resulted in a national reputation of Joe Paterno and Penn State as leaders in the commitment for universities to produce student-athletes who become productive members of society by seeing them enjoy success on the field and graduate with a meaningful degree.

The collective accomplishments of Joe Paterno and Penn State has extended deep into the local community, as fan support at Penn State remains high, and their passion and respect for Penn State and Paterno continues to spread. Penn State has been given the nickname of Happy Valley, and their football fans come out in full force at every home game, routinely filling their 106,000 seat stadium, in a display of the closeness of their community and their love for Joe Paterno and Penn State football. That sense of community is evident by the leadership that Paterno provides in terms of his financial support to the academic experience at Penn State. This commitment to the State College community has added to his legacy as a coach. From the beginning, Paterno dedicated himself to creating a collegiate environment whereby the partnering of athletics and academics was a high priority at all times. The Penn State community responded with support, and together they turned out student athletes who consistently achieved outstanding academic success as compared to other Universities who cvompete at the Division I level. The Paterno family has been very generous towards the university. They have contributed in excess of four million dollars to the university which has been allocated for efforts such as endowments for faculty positions, the creation of scholarship funds, gifts to the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and expansion projects. Two new buildings included in that expansion project include the Penn State All-Sports Museum, and the Pasquerilla spiritual center (Penn State Football). The university recognized the national visibility of Joe Paterno to alumni, and his family’s financial support as they raised nearly fourteen million dollars for a new library. As a result, the library was dedicated as Paterno Library, which will serve future Penn State students (Joe Paterno Biography, Penn State Football). These are some of the many efforts and accomplishments that deepen the intertwined legacy of Paterno and the Penn State University within the community at State College, PA.

In conclusion, in all of sports, there has never been a person and place so greatly intertwined in terms of their identification with the national public, their reputations in their respective professions, and their collective accomplishments within their community as that of Joe Paterno and Penn State. The relationship between the Pennsylvania State University, its alumni, and the State College community has been centered on the football program, and they have accepted Paterno as a leader and role model for the Penn State experience. Together, they have achieved a national reputation as a fine education institution and as a national football power. Joe Paterno has flourished within the conservative and deeply valued State College community which has shared his vision for success. Paterno has given a great deal of money, time, and support as well to the University and the State College community. As a result of his lifelong commitment, the University has joined with Paterno to establish certain buildings and services on the campus in his name, that serve as reminders of the intertwined accomplishments of Paterno and Penn State that have helped to create the experience at Happy Valley.



Works Cited

1. "Joe Paterno Biography." Biographybase. 8 Nov. 2008 .
2. "Joe Paterno." Penn State Football. 2008. 8 Nov. 2008 .
3. Paterno, Joe. "Joe Paterno Quotes." Brainy Quotes. 2008. 8 Nov. 2008 .

A Letter to the President

Photo taken by Starry Night Lights

Dear President Bush,
I know that your job is immense, dealing with the overwhelming domestic and foreign issues of the United States. I am nineteen years old, and my day is full of school related tasks as well as the personal, social, and financial problems of a college student. I can only imagine how you feel. However, I am taking time out of my day to write to you about my concerns regarding an environmental issue that I believe needs your attention. Clean alternative energy sources are needed in order to protect the environment, and to reduce our country’s dependence on oil. Since the majority of our oil comes from foreign sources, we are dependent on those countries to survive and thrive. This affects the security and future of our nation. In addition, the current use of oil as our primary energy source causes pollution and harm to the environment. Therefore, we must make it a priority in America to research and develop alternative energy sources such as nuclear power, clean coal, solar energy, ethanol, and other synthetic fuels.

Without alternative energy sources, I believe that the dependency on oil reserves of the Middle East as our primary energy source gives the Muslim nations that are enemies of free democracies such as the United States an advantage against us. They can use the oil as leverage to get what they want, and force us to do things that we do no want to do. We will always be concerned with that area of the world while we are dependent on their oil. Terrorists gain money and power from the oil sales and they would have much less power and influence if countries such as ours were not dependent on their oil. Energy independence can only be achieved once we develop alternative fuel sources.

Environmental issues are going to become more and more important as the population of our country increases. More people means more energy usage, and therefore more pollution at least until we develop clean sources of energy that will become our primary source of energy. The development of alternative sources of energy that are clean and environmentally friendly will not only improve our environment in America, but the technology of clean energy sources can be sold to foreign countries, thereby creating a new sector of business for Americans and improving the environment of the entire world. It is commonly reported and often stated that America is estimated to utilize eighty percent of the world’s energy supply, while failing to come anywhere close to producing that much energy to contribute to our daily needs and usage. Once again, we can bridge this gap by researching and developing alternative energy sources such as nuclear power, clean coal, solar energy, ethanol, and other synthetic fuels that are often mentioned as goals and concerns by politicians during campaigns, but soon afterwards forgotten along with so many other ideas that seem right and fitting for America today. This must become a priority, and a national effort to address this issue can only be effective if it is endorsed and under the leadership of the President’s office.

Please consider my request and ask yourself if you have done all that you could possibly do to support alternative fuel sources such as increased use of nuclear power, more emphasis on clean coal technology, solar energy, and research into developing other synthetic fuels. This is a topic which will make a huge difference for future generations of Americans, and there is not a more significant challenge facing our government and our nation than the development of clean alternative energy sources, and the achievement of energy independence.
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read my letter.
Sincerely,

Joseph Shaffo

My Town

My Town

Everybody has to live somewhere. The town that I am proud to say is my home is called Turtle Creek. It is a small town located in the suburbs about thirteen miles east of the city of Pittsburgh. Western Pennsylvania was once the steel industry capital of the world, and many small towns grew around the steel mills and related industries. Turtle Creek expanded in growth as the result of being the site for some of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation plants, as well as a junction for the major railroads going to and from the Pittsburgh steel mills and local coal mines. It was once a densely populated little town where men walked to work at the plants, and women traveled by street car to shop. Prior to the building of shopping malls, the town had a main street lined with many stores and shops including three drug stores, three food markets, a shoe store, two jewelry stores, a sporting goods store, and two furniture stores. The town had a large Catholic elementary school, and its own public school system, Turtle Creek School District. It was a self sufficient town, and the people became very close to one another because they lived, shopped, worked, and socialized with each other for most of their lives. Strong ethnic backgrounds were the background of people’s values back then, and that remains the same today. My childhood in Turtle Creek was filled with experiences that have instilled upon me the lasting values of respecting your heritage, friendliness, hard work, and diversity.

Growing up in the tradition rich town of Turtle Creek, and under the influence of older generations of my mother and father’s families that helped to make the town part of the once world leader in the steel industry, has instilled upon me a sense of pride regarding my heritage. Unfortunately, the local steel industry no longer dominates the world market, and therefore, western Pennsylvania, and small towns like Turtle Creek have suffered economically because of the shrinking steel industry and factory closings in our region. In additional to the financial loss, the community has been torn apart because many people relocated to other parts of the country and others retrained for different occupations. As a result, the closeness and traditions of the community were severely damaged. Today, there are not a lot of people that live in Turtle Creek, but many of the residents come from families that have lived there for several generations. As a result, they try to continue the traditions of their ethnic and family heritage. Several churches that were founded over 100 years ago continue to serve the people of different religious backgrounds. Ethnic clubs such as The Sub Alpina Italian Club and The Croatian Club continue to operate in the town, and there are still several long-standing businesses located in my town, as well as a few restaurants. One of my favorite restaurants is Palmieri’s Restaurant, which is located in the middle of the town plaza. I went there often when I was growing up, and everybody there was nice and friendly. Each time I drive past that restaurant, I recall good childhood memories. Turtle Creek also has a fire station, police station, and a post office, which was actually the first operating post office west of the Allegheny Mountains. It is enjoyable to hear family members and other older adults talk about Turtle Creek and the many great memories that they have there. Those people believed in a strong work ethic and close families and friendships as a way to success. Those values and beliefs helped to provide the local industries such as steel and coal, with excellent hard working and dedicated employees who are responsible for leading our country during the industrial revolution and through two world wars. Those same beliefs and values have been passed down from generation to generation, and I am proud and grateful that they have been instilled upon me and my generation as well, as we work hard in school and at jobs, while enjoying the close families and friendships that help to make us a success.

Friendliness is a theme that best describes the variety of people that live in Turtle Creek. It is a quality that I admire in people everywhere. Turtle Creek is a family-oriented town, although there are many single people who also live there. I rarely meet anyone there who thinks or acts as if they are better than the rest of us. Turtle Creek is not that type of community. Most of the residents here have grown up in homes where the values of love and friendliness are stressed. These values were modeled for me by my parents and older generations of family friends, and neighbors, and I will take them wherever I go. I am used to seeing a friendly face, and I mostly enjoy living there because the people are very friendly and everyone seems to enjoy their lives. Turtle Creek is a safe place to live because there is a sense of closeness in the community. This sense of closeness becomes most evident at local community events, including the weeklong fireman’s fair which is run by the local fire station each summer. Also, the annual St. Colman church fair brings back many former residents and helps raise money for the local Catholic Church. There also is a weeklong community days that ends on a Saturday that begins in the morning with the Turtle Trot, which is a 5k race to help raise money for the community, followed by a plastic duck race in the creek flowing through the middle of town, a food festival, and is followed that evening by a spectacular fireworks display. It will be difficult for me to live anywhere that does not resemble the value system of Turtle Creek, as the people who live here tend to be middle class people who are kind, hardworking, and friendly.

Hard work seems to have always been a value associated with all those who have lived in Turtle Creek. The town was first settled by Native Americans who gave it the name Turtle Creek, and they had to work hard in order to provide enough food and shelter to survive the winters. Coal miners and factory workers that populated the town during the Industrial Revolution, labored many long hours in order to provide for their families and help to create the culture of family and closeness in the valley. Over the years, many famous people called Turtle Creek home, even if only for a few days. General George Washington camped there during the Revolutionary War. More recent notables include Robert McMillan, an Olympic gold medalist, The Vogues, a popular singing group, and Leon Hart, who was a 1946 graduate of Turtle Creek High School, and would go to Notre Dame University and become a Heisman Trophy winner in 1949. He was the last lineman to do so, and is in the NFL Hall of Fame. Each of these people possessed a strong work ethic that they learned from family and passed on to their friends and families thereby promoting hard work as an important means success to the people of Turtle Creek. The current residents of the town continue to carry on the tradition by working very hard to pay bills and send their kids to college so that they can better their lives. It is these lasting values, such as hard work, that help us to keep our identity and be successful in the challenges and changes that occur in our lives.

A challenge for modern society is to recognize the diversity of the people in our culture, and that has brought about a desire to change some of the ways in which we live our lives. Change is never easy, and Turtle Creek was faced with an unexpected challenge to address diversity twenty-seven years ago. The Turtle Creek School District ceased to exist in 1981 after being included in the merger to form Woodland Hills School District, as part of the last Federal court-ordered forced school merger in the United States that was the result of a Federal judge ruling. Many residents from all of the thirteen affected communities in our school district, including Turtle Creek, exercised their right to freedom of speech, and voiced their objection to the merger. However, ultimately the power of the courts prevailed. The citizens of those communities represent a wide diversity in background, including racial, financial, religious, as well as various cultural differences. They were forced to accept the merger, and challenged to rely upon their strong values and sense of community to build a new and better more diverse community. Turtle is still a unique community in itself, but it is much more closely connected with the surrounding communities. Over time, the people of these communities have discovered that they are much more alike than different, and they have benefited from sharing resources such as schools, police, fire, and ambulance departments, athletic facilities and sports teams. That diversity still exists in the community today, and has become part of our heritage. I personally experienced it as a student at Woodland Hills High School, where exposure to ethnic, cultural, racial, and economic differences among students made the concept of diversity very clear, as working together on common academic and athletic goals made us stronger. It made us stronger as a group, and as individuals by showing us how unique we are and by helping us to accept others for who they are. That impressed me, and I realize that it has been a privilege for me to be exposed to the diversity of the Woodland Hills student population. Our differences serve as a source for growth in the human experience, which is now a part of living in our town. As a result of growing up in Turtle Creek, I will maintain my values of hard work, friendliness, closeness to family and friends, and diversity, as I approach life with an open mind towards all that is different from me and seek to grow as an individual and acquire knowledge.

In conclusion, my childhood in Turtle Creek was filled with experiences that have instilled in me the lasting values of respecting my heritage, friendliness, hard work, and diversity. Heritage is created through the hard work and success of previous generations. Those generations shaped Turtle Creek as an American town that has been very productive and instrumental to the progress of America as a great nation, and I am proud of them. They were instrumental in my childhood as I learned the values of friendliness and hard work that have helped make me the person that I am today. The diversity of America and the world is something that I understand because of the influence of experiencing diversity at the high school in my town. As a result of all of these family, cultural, social, academic, and athletic experiences and influences during my childhood, my life and way of thinking about others and my future has been permanently affected by being raised in the town of Turtle Creek. I am very comfortable there, and I am very proud to call it my hometown.

Instinct vs Intelligence

Photo source: Simone Brunozzi

Instinct vs. Intelligence
Intelligence and instinct are human characteristics also possessed to some degree by animals such as lions and gazelle. Intelligence is evidenced by the ability to gain knowledge and learn behavior. Humans possess the highest level of intelligence capabilities of all living creatures including lions and gazelle. Instincts are the inborn abilities of living creatures to recognize and react to stimuli in their environment. Unlike intelligence, it is very difficult to determine whether or not humans have more or less instincts than any particular animal because it is nearly impossible to compare them. These concepts become very interesting whenever we analyze a given animal that is the predator, and another animal that is one of its common preys. For example, animals such as lions utilize their intellectual capabilities when they act as predators in an effort to pursue gazelle, which are common prey for lions. The gazelle react to their role as prey by utilizing their instincts to flee the attacking lion and escape with their life. The behavioral characteristics of how animals relate to one another may give us insight into human behavior, as we distinguish their intellectual capabilities as predators, observe their instincts as prey, and compare their relative behaviors to the human experiences of intellect and the instinctive fight or flight response.

Lions are hunters who use their intellectual capabilities to stalk their prey, such as the gazelle, thereby putting themselves in positions to attack successfully. The thought of a lion generates a familiar image in our minds. It is the image of a large aggressive wild animal that roams around and kills other animals for food whenever it gets hungry. It is a symbol of awesome power that earns it the nickname of “King of the Jungle.” We don’t necessarily think of the lion as using its intelligence whenever it seeks food, but rather of the lion being an overwhelming beast that has no difficulty randomly selecting and dominating its prey. However, taking a closer look at this awesome creature reveals a more complex animal that uses intelligence to stalk its prey. The lion has learned that whenever it feels hungry, it should rely on its speed and quickness to hunt down their prey as well as their sense of smell, sight, and hearing. The lion first begins learning how to hunt by watching adult lions whenever it is just a cub, and thereby acquiring knowledge of hunting and developing predator behaviors. This is learned behavior that is reinforced as the lion grows and begins to hunt for food whenever it feels hungry. As a predator, it must rely on intelligence in order to learn hunting behaviors that overcome the instincts of its prey to recognize an attack and escape the lion.

The gazelle is a common prey of lions, and it has evolved great instincts which allow it to react to perceived danger such as alarming sounds and movements indicating potential life-threatening situations such as lion attacks. The gazelle instinctively reacts with its inborn capabilities of speed and agility in order to escape the attacker. They are very fast and are able to escape an attack. When faced with an unpredictable and threatening situation, the gazelle does not purposely seek to act as in a situation that requires intelligent thought in order to learn a behavior or gain knowledge, but relies on instincts instead. The prey does not have time to process information and make intellectual decisions. Instead, gazelle use their inborn instincts to escape their predators and live to see another day. The gazelle does not need to rely on its intelligence until it also reacts to the feeling of being hungry, by performing learned behaviors that allow it to seek and acquire its own food.

Much like the lion and the gazelle, the human possesses the characteristics of both intelligence thought, as well as inborn instincts, which serve as capabilities that can be used to meet the needs of their situation. Human beings rely upon their intelligence the majority of the time, as they plan their day and make decisions regarding meeting their physical needs. The need for food is a physical need that is met whenever humans use their skills and talents to earn money working at a job, and then taking some of that money and buying food. Humans rely on their instincts less often than animals. Instincts are also utilized to recognize dangerous situations, and humans react to dangerous situations with the initiation of an instinct known as the fight or flight response. The fight or flight response is a physiologic response of the human body that increases heart rate and blood pressure, as well as the acuity of the senses. This prepares the human to either run from the danger, or stay and fight against the source of the danger. Like the lion and the gazelle, there are times whenever it is appropriate to use intelligence in a given situation, and there are times whenever it is most appropriate to trust your inborn instincts in order to make the appropriate choice.

In conclusion, intelligence and instincts are human characteristics that are also observed in the animal kingdom. Intelligence represents the ability to gain knowledge and learn behavior, and is demonstrated by animals whenever they are the predator. Instincts are inborn responses that are displayed by animals whenever they become another animal’s prey. Both intelligence and instinct combine to give the animal the best chance to survive in their environment. Likewise, humans also display both intelligence and instinct characteristics. However, humans rely much more on intelligence and less on instincts as they live in a safer and more predictable environment.

Soil Erosion

Soil Erosion
Soil erosion issues are a global problem that rarely affect us directly, but often affect us indirectly (Butler). Soil erosion is a natural occurring process that in most cases is subtle and goes undetected, however, the daily activities of mankind, such as housing projects and other forms of building, expose the land to increases in the rate of erosion by an estimate of between 200 and 2,000 times the normal amount of erosion(Protecting Your Property from Erosion). Removing vegetation that holds the soil in place makes the land more vulnerable to the action of wind and water, leading to high rates and magnitudes of soil loss in the affected areas (Baldwin and Shelton). An awareness of environmental issues such as soil erosion often stems from personal experience that can lead to a desire to understand the issue, and support policies and practices that help to avoid the detrimental effects of soil erosion that can lead to catastrophic changes in the landscape that may greatly affect communities of people. I became directly aware of the great detrimental effects of soil erosion and the major inconveniences that it can cause as they occcurred last year through my personal experiences while traveling back and forth to a part time job.

A housing plan was being developed alongside of a steep slope in the road that I drove on to get to and from my job. The developer stripped the hillside, removing numerous trees and shrubbery in order to clear the land and begin preparing the individual properties for sale. This included digging foundations for houses, as well as leveling land for roads and utilities. Each day, as I passed the development, I glanced at the site and observed the progress. I had ridden on that road countless times in my life as either a passenger in my parents’ vehicle, or as a driver. It is a windy road through the countryside that is paved and smooth. Day after day, I passed the construction site, observed the development in progress, and enjoyed the smooth, windy, and scenic drive. This continued for several weeks and months, until one day I noticed a bump in the normally smooth ride as I passed the construction site below.

The same thing happened the next day. My car bounced up and down at the site as I passed by, and that bumpy feeling worsened each day over the course of the rest of the week. The following week I noticed that traffic was slowing down more each day as I approached the site. The excavation of the vegetation from the hillside that bordered the housing development and the road adjacent to it caused rapid soil erosion that destabilized the base of the hillside and thereby undermined the road. As a result, the road surface had shifted and there was a depression completely across the road that was several inches deep. A few days later, the pavement began to crack and break apart. The next week, the road was closed near the hillside, and reduced to one lane of traffic. This required the placement of Jersey barriers, flashing lights, stop signs, and warning signs along the road. The costs of the soil erosion were mounting. As the road surface further deteriorated, the depth of the collapsed surface approached one foot. Residents living along the road were greatly inconvenienced as traffic became heavy and vehicles lined up along the now one-lane road in front of their driveways and yards. Commuters had to plan extra time in their days to allow time to sit in the traffic, waiting to pass along the single lane stretch of road. School buses were forced to adjust their routes and schedules in order to bypass the heavily traveled main artery of road in this suburban/rural setting. Eventually, the sinking road became too dangerous for vehicle travel, and it was closed to all through traffic.

As a result, we were forced take alternative routs that caused us to drive along rural roads that were not only several miles out of our way, but also were not constructed for heavy vehicle travel. Within a couple of months, one of the alternative rural roads that I took began to collapse along a steep incline as the hillside could not handle the heavy traffic flow and large vehicles such as fully loaded school buses, garbage trucks, and other large trucks that were forced upon it. Meanwhile, the original road remained closed while officials from the state, county, local borough, and representatives from the developer argued over who was at fault for the road collapse. One thing was certain. Regardless of who was responsible for giving the final word to allow excavating of the trees and shrubbery from alongside the hillside that supported that road, the culprit of this road collapse was rapid soil erosion.

Soil erosion is a natural phenomenon that is affected by many factors in terms of the rate and magnitude of change to the land (Butler). Soil is stabilized by the vegetation that is present. Soil erosion takes place in a rapid and unnatural manner whenever vegetation is excavated in large quantities. The roots of trees take up and create spaces that allow water to flow through the spaces and downward away from the surface of the soil, thereby maintaining the integrity of the land. Furthermore, roots absorb water and transfer it toward the upper and outer portions of plants and trees, thereby relieving the ground of excessive water. Saturated ground does not absorb water, and in the case of hillsides in particular, it allows for excessive runoff that carries topsoil away and decreases the stabilization of the ground (Baldwin and Shelton).

In the example of the road destabilization, the soil erosion was more swift and excessive due to the steepness of the slope of the hillside that was stripped of its vegetation, because the steeper the slope of the land, the greater the amount of the soil runoff (Baldwin and Shelton). In the construction industry, there are several acceptable methods that are utilized to minimize soil erosion during the planning and constructing process. These are most effective when the work is carefully and properly planned, scheduled, and controlled by the builder and officials who are responsible to ensure that the plans meet the specifications for design, as well as local, regional, and national land management resource objectives (United States Environmental Protection Agency).

Soil erosion is an environmental concern that is very important to all of us. Although deforestation on a large scale is the greatest concern regarding land conversion issues, small housing development projects such as those described in this paper affect local communities and collectively pose a potential to regional ecosystems (Farley). Efforts should be made to take extreme caution with building projects for residential, commercial, and roadway projects, in order to prevent unnecessary environmental damage. It is important to avoid vast areas of tree and shrubbery excavation unless intense soil studies and topographical analyses have been performed with success. New tree growth takes years to reach maturity, and is not enough of a deterrent to soil erosion in the early period following land development. Although the costs of soil and environmental analysis during the planning of construction and housing project developments are high, they pale in comparison to the immense costs of post disaster analysis, court battles, and repairs. Furthermore, we cannot put a price on the inconvenience to the daily lives of people who are affected by such tragedies, and we all need to be aware of not only our local interests in the environment, but how phenomena such as soil erosion are a global issue that collectively creates both direct and indirect damage to our lands, natural resources, food sources, communities, and people.



Works Cited

1. Association of Bay Area Governments. “Protecting Your Property

from Erosion,” 2008.

http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/enviro/erosion/erosion.html
2. Baldwin and Shelton, “Soil Erosion-Causes and Effects,” Fact sheet #572,
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; 2003. Ontario, Canada.
about.omafra@ontario.ca
3. Butler, Rhett A. “Diversities of Image - Rainforest Biodiversity.”

Mongabay.com / A Place Out of Time: Erosion and its Effects. 9 January

2006.
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0305.htm.
4. Farley, “Land Use Conversion,” USDA Forest Service International Programs,

2007
http://www.fs.fed.us/global/aboutus/policy/tt/reports/4threats/conversion.pdf
5. United States Environmental Protection Agency, ”Management Measures for

Forestry.” February, 2008.

http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/MMGI/Chapter3/ch3-2c.html

The Bear

Photo taken by First people

The Bear
A face to face encounter with a bear is an unforgettable experience. It was truly the scariest moment of my life. It becomes even more frightening as time passes and I get older and become more familiar with the physical capabilities of a bear. Watching documentaries has taught me how aggressive a bear can become whenever it feels threatened, and how fast a bear can run. This memorable encounter with a wild animal took place one summer morning a couple of years ago while on a camping and fishing weekend at a friend’s cabin located in the mountains of Pennsylvania, about one and a half hours away from my house. It was a nice day, and the skies were blue and the trees were green. I gathered my fishing pole, and some snacks, and walk the country road to join my friends at the lake, as I had many other times before. However, little did I know that my walk to the lake that day would be interrupted halfway through whenever I unexpectedly came upon a black bear. This encounter left a lasting impression on me because of the sudden and unexpected nature of the encounter, the helpless feelings of fear and danger, and the respect for animals and nature that I have developed since that day.

My father and I were staying at a cabin in the mountains with some friends, where we liked to camp and fish. It is a fun place to go and experience nature. One summer morning a few years ago, I experienced way more nature than I had planned during that trip. The cabin is located in the Laurel Mountains and it is a very beautiful country setting. I like the open land around the group of cabins where we stay, and there is a forest and several lakes in the area. Fishing is fun, and there is a nice lake where we have always caught a lot of fish about a quarter of a mile away. We walk the dirt road to get to the lake. The road is hilly, and it goes past a couple of farms. One of the farms has horses in the field, and I like looking at them whenever I walk by. Passing the farm with the horses, the road goes downhill, and turns to the left at the bottom. Once you are at the bottom of the hill, you see a large field to your left as you walk around the bend in the road there. I always glance toward the field when I pass by, and continue walking forward toward the lake. This particular summer morning, I glanced to my left at the bottom of the hill, and then stopped suddenly. There would be no walking any further that morning, and I glanced again to my left and stared. I couldn’t believe what I unexpectedly saw sitting in the field, and surrounded by the beauty and quiet of the natural setting.

Up until that point, I could only try to imagine what it would be like to come face to face with a large black bear. I remember feeling and hearing my heart beat faster as I quickly came to the realization that I was abut fifty yards away from a large and dangerous wild animal. I know that I wasn’t standing there for more than a minute, but it seemed like I was frozen still for a very long time. I wasn’t really sure what to do, but I knew what I wasn’t going to do. I wasn’t about to take one more step forward along the road. I wasn’t really concerned about what to do if the bear came after me. Somehow, I believed that if I stayed still, that the bear would also stay seated on the ground. Obviously, I underestimated the danger of a bear encounter, but it is probably better that I knew little about wild animals. Otherwise, I may have panicked even more than I already had panicked, and startled the bear. I was most concerned that the bear would immediately chase me if and when I began to walk away. So, I made the decision not to walk away, but to run away. Run away as fast as I could, that is. I remember turning and sprinting back up that hill as fast as I could, with my fishing rod in my hand. Looking back, I’m not sure why I kept the rod with me. It slowed me down, but perhaps I thought that I could fight the bear off with the skinny fishing rod. It seems ridiculous now, but a flimsy stick for a weapon was better than no weapon at all. I’m athletic, but I am not the fastest guy around. However, I don’t think I ever ran faster in my life than I did that day. I ran all the way up that hill, past the horses and I didn’t look back until I hit the top of the hill. What a relief it was to look back and only see some dust and nothing else on the road. The bear stayed in the field, and I was safe. I began walking backwards until I caught my breath, and then I turned around and ran all the way back to the cabin to tell my father and his friends about the bear.

As the result of experiencing a face to face encounter with a wild animal, I developed a new respect for animals and a deeper understanding of nature. When I saw the bear, I realized that I was in the bear’s world and in the presence of something very powerful and dangerous. The mountains and the forest are the natural domain of animals. We are intruders into their world, and the more that we learn and understand about the behavior of animals and the workings of nature, the more successful we will be in terms of enjoying the outdoors experience. Since that bear encounter, I have learned a great deal more about bears and nature. Most of this information is from watching nature shows and documentaries on television. Bears and many other wild animals will avoid contact with humans. However, there are situations where the bear may feel threatened, and an encounter could become tragic for a human. I now realize that I was not in great danger that day, and that I could have quietly and slowly walked backwards around the bend and out of sight, and continue back up the road without being harmed. I also realize that if the bear wanted to attack me, I could not have escaped. Whenever I saw how fast a bear could run on a documentary, I became terrified. I didn’t know that they were that fast, and that fishing rod wasn’t going to do anything but make the bear more angry. I placed myself in a very dangerous situation, and I was not prepared for any animal encounters, especially a bear. My father and the other adults underestimated the dangers of nature and we were not cautious and smart about walking unprotected through the woods and countryside. Fortunately, my bear encounter was harmless, although very frightening. As a result, I would never consider going into the wild without studying the animals that live there, and preparing myself to be safe and protected in case of another unexpected encounter with a large and dangerous animal.

In conclusion, as I recall the events of that day, I realize how fortunate I was to encounter a bear only a short distance away from me, and make decisions to avoid the bear that did not result in my being attacked. Sudden and unexpected encounters with wild animals can be avoided, although not completely eliminated, with increased knowledge about the behavior of animals such as bears, and about nature in general. These types of encounters leave a lasting memory of the feeling of intense fear and of hopelessness in the face of danger. Wild animal encounters cannot be fully understood until we experience them. I now have a much greater respect for bears and other wild animals, as well as the power of nature. Although I will probably never encounter a bear in the wild again, this experience has left me with a deeper understanding of the fact that man and animals share the same world, and that we will benefit from the knowledge of animals and nature, if and when we have a sudden and unexpected encounter with a wild animal.

Whiteout

The Whiteout
My most memorable experience with nature took place last winter. I was traveling to Thiel College for a football recruiting visit. Thiel College is located in Northern Pennsylvania about two hours away from my house. My father was driving us in his truck towards the college early that Saturday morning in February, and the skies were clear and the roads were dry. The trip up seemed normal at first, as it was expectedly very cold out and also very windy. It began snowing very lightly when we got about halfway through our trip. As we progressed further toward Thiel College, the weather became worse and a lot more dangerous to drive in. I received a phone call from the Thiel football coach who told me that we should probably turn around and head back home. He said that there was a whiteout up where they were. As we neared our exit off of Interstate 79 North, the weather took an immediate turn for the worse. We began to drive along a country road. The next hour was spent trying to find our way through a phenomenon of nature in the form of a blinding snowstorm known as a whiteout, which affected me because of the power of nature, the danger of the experience, and the lesson of survival that I came away with that day.

The power of nature can be suprisingly sudden and unpredictable. I have experienced the beauty and quiet of nature many times before. However, I had only experienced the power of nature in the form of disasters such as the high winds of tornadoes, the deadly currents and waves of hurricanes, and the extreme temperatures and snowfalls of blizzards in news stories on television. That all changed with the sudden change in weather that February day. Up until then, I could only try to imagine what it would be like to be exposed to the extremes of nature. At first I wasn’t really concerned about the whiteout because I never experienced one before and I underestimated the severity of it. Also, at the time when the coach called, it wasn’t snowing very badly where we were. Therefore, we decided to keep on driving and hope that it would pass through before we got there. However, we were wrong. When we turned off the highway we entered on to a smaller road. We traveled down that road for about one or two miles until we literally could not see more than three feet in front of us. All of a sudden I realized that we were in trouble. My dad immediately turned the car around and headed back. While we were traveling back, we both had our heads out the window trying to see the road. I was amazed at how the wind did not stop continuously blowing the snow all around our truck. It took us about an hour before we were able to drive out of the whiteout area and see clearly again. There was a lot of debate going on between my father and me as we were trying to understand the severity of our situation, and make decisions regarding our safety. My first experience with the awesome power of nature was truly becoming a memorable experience.

It is a dangerous experience whenever you feel the helplessness of being in the presence of something very powerful in nature such as a total whiteout. I began to sense these feelings whenever I could not see more than three feet in front of us, and the winds and snow kept steadily blowing across the front of our truck. We had to worry about turns in the road and other vehicles. If we failed to recognize a turn in the road, we could drive into a tree or pond, as well as hitting any one of a whole lot of other objects. In order to help ourselves, my father and I rolled our windows down, so that we could listen for other vehicles, because my Dad was especially fearful that another vehicle would hit us. The option to just sit still and let the whiteout pass was discussed, but we both agreed that it didn’t feel safe to put the car in park because we did not know exactly where we were, and because nobody else would be able to see us until it was too late. Also, we definitely did not think it was a good idea to park the car and get out of it and walk off the road. I remember the feeling of a sense of continuous danger throughout that whiteout experience, which will serve as a lasting reminder to me of the power of nature.

Looking back at that experience, I learned a valuable lesson on how to survive a sudden and unexpected situation. Having never even heard of a whiteout, let alone ever seeing one, we were learning as we went through the event. Nature was not going to wait for us to feel comfortable with the whiteout. My father and I could not depend on our vision to find our way to safety. As a result, we called on our other senses such as hearing in order to increase the awareness of our surroundings and find our way out of the whiteout to safety. During the time we were stuck in the whiteout I was actually very worried that we could possibly get trapped in or even worse get hit by another car because even with the lights on, we could not see anything. Even the thought of leaving the car parked on the side of the road was dangerous, because the visibility was zero and other vehicles could not possibly know if they were completely on the road or not. In addition, there were many large eighteen wheeler trucks on and near the interstate that day. It was a very dangerous situation and one that I underestimated a lot. If we would have been cautious and smart about the situation we would have heeded the warning of the football coach, and we would not have even attempted to continue on our trip. Fortunately, we made good decisions to safely overcome the whiteout and learn a valuable lesson on the type of respect and thought process necessary to survive the sudden onset of the power of nature.

In conclusion, the power of nature is something that cannot be fully understood until we experience it. That is when we will truly realize how scared that we will become whenever we are finding ourselves in great danger. From this experience I learned that nature can be very dangerous because we were almost trapped in the whiteout and could have possibly been hit by another vehicle. There is no easy or obvious way to safety in the midst of a whiteout. Decisions are made to attempt to reach safety, but I now realize that for the most part, we were at the mercy of the power of nature and would only be truly safe whenever the whiteout phenomena passed our location. Who knows how long that storm would have lasted? It is possible that we could have been trapped in an isolated location for a whole day or even longer. This situation certainly could have easily been life threatening, but we were lucky and survived the whiteout without damage to our vehicle or injury to ourselves. We may not be so lucky the next time. As a result, it is imperative that in the future we pay extra close attention to weather reports and take precautions to avoid placing ourselves in these types of situations. It is most amazing to me how sudden nature can change from something very ordinary and familiar to something very powerful, dangerous, and uncertain.

Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic Eruptions
The word volcano generates a familiar image in our minds. It is the image of a large land mass or mountain that has a wide opening at the top and spews out red hot molten lava and huge clouds of smoke whenever it erupts. A volcano is the symbol of the awesome power of nature, and people who live near one are fearful of an eruption. A volcanic eruption is a natural phenomenon that most of us have become familiar with through the television, or from reading books. Most of us have not personally experienced the sight of a volcano, much less the fury of a sudden eruption from one. Furthermore, the average person is not aware of the many factors that go into describing and classifying this natural phenomenon. Taking a closer look at this phenomenon reveals a detailed variety of ways to describe volcanoes and their eruptions. These descriptions identify the sizeand shape of volcanoes, and the wide nature of volcanic eruptions ranging from the quiet oozing of molten lava to violent eruptions. Volcanoes are a complex phenomena that are classified by activity levels, types of volcanic eruptions, and the basic underlying physical science of volcanic activity that is common to each of them.

The main types of volcanoes according to activity levels are known as Active, Intermittent, Dormant, and Extinct volcanoes (Volcanic Eruptions). An Active volcano is one in which there is a constant state of eruption taking place. An Intermittent volcano is one in which eruptions occur on a somewhat regular basis, with periods of inactivity in between. A Dormant volcano is one that is inactive, meaning that there is no observable eruptive activity present. However, Dormant volcanoes have not been inactive over a long enough period of time to safely and accurately designate them as ones that definitely will not erupt again. An Extinct volcano is one in which there are no recorded eruptions as far back as records have been kept (Volcanic Eruptions). The activity levels of volcanoes are important to determine, so that people can determine which volcanoes are safe to visit or live near, and which ones are dangerous and unpredictable.

Volcanic eruptions are not typically viewed as occurring as many types of eruptions, but rather as a standard phenomenon of lava and smoke being ejected from the mouth of the volcano. However, there are several specific volcanic eruption characteristics which lead to them being designated as specific types of volcanic eruptions. They are commonly classified as Hawaiian, Pelean, Vulcanian, Strombolian, or Vesuvian. A Hawaiian eruption is characterized by lava flows which are generated by the escape of molten hot lava through fissures along the slopes or sides of volcanoes, or vents which have the lava shoot high into the air before returning to form lava lakes. As a result, they produce a wide series of lava streams and some lakes which feed these streams. Many tourists visit such volcanoes in Hawaii each year, probably without ever realizing the exact type of volcano that they are viewing. A Pelean eruption is characterized by a great blast of molten lava, ash, lava, and dust which rises above the volcano, then falls back and rapidly flows down the slopes of the volcano. The powerful explosion and massive amount of volcanic debris and gas can cause great destruction to the surrounding land and people. The blast and its lava are very bright and sometimes referred to as glowing. This is obviously a type of volcano that nobody would want to visit. A Vulcanian eruption is described as one in which a sudden violent and noisy eruption takes place as the gases force a cloud of ash, which is dense and steaming hot, high into the air above the rim of the volcano. Again, it is probably not known to a person who views this volcano as to the type that it is classified, other than the fact that it is scary and dangerous. Strombolian eruptions are intermittent because the magma is thicker and this prohibits the gases from freely escaping. Instead, the intermittent release of gas causes clumps or bombs of thick molten lava to be discharged from the volcano. The lava flows down the sides of the volcano in distinct streams of hot lava towards the base of the volcano. A Vesuvian eruption is characterized by a violent eruption of large amounts of gases that contain ash and result in the formation of a large wide cloud that hovers around and extends into the sky above the volcano (Watson). These vlassifications of types of volcanoes are important to scientists, and mech less familiar or important to the average person.

The basic underlying physical science of the mechanism of a typical volcanic eruption involves a process that displays some or all of the following common components. These include Magma, Lava, Gas, Ash, and Volcanic ash. Magma is very hot molten rock which is formed of the earth’s crust. It is ejected from the depths of the volcano during an eruption as the result of pressure changes. Lava is magma which has been erupted from the volcano and has now come in contact with the atmosphere or the surrounding Earth. Moving lava is termed a lava flow. Gases such as carbon dioxide and steam are emitted from the rising magma and they saturate the immediate atmosphere. These can be poisonous gases and they can occur at a density great enough to cause death through suffocation. Volcanic ash is very tiny pieces of volcanic rock that is released during the eruption, and is either a solid or in the form of a liquid or molten state. These basic terms and concepts are present within all eruptions (Watson). As a result, volcanic activity is a summation of a common and predictable underlying physical science that leads to a phenomena that is present in each type of volcano and each classification of volcanic eruption.

In conclusion, society benefits from the work of scientisit who develop a deeper understanding of volcanoes and classify them according to activity levels and types of eruptions. This allows people and nations the opportunity to make decisions regarding which volcanoes are safe to visit and live near, and which are unstable and dangerous. There are several types of volcanoes that produce various types of eruptions. However, even though there is this variety with classifying volcanoes, the basic mechanism and components of the physical science characteristic of each are similar. As a result, we think of all volcanoes as being large elevated land masses or mountains with a large opening at the top, and all volcanic eruptions as violent events that result in large explosions and smoke and hot molten lava being shot up into the air and flowing down the sides of the mountains to the flat lands below. It is true that a volcanic eruption is arguably the most powerful natural phenomena on Earth. Fortunately most of us have never experienced this devastating force of nature, and we never will. Interestingly though, volcanoes and their eruptions are much more complex events. There is much more to learn regarding all of nature, and scientists will continue to study volcanoes and their eruptions in an effort to make the earth safer from natural disasters and to discover unknown facts about the world in which we live.

Works Cited

1. Watson, John." Types of Volcanic Eruptions." Unites States Geological Survey. 5 Feb. 1997 <http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc/eruptions.html>.
2. " Volcanic Eruptions." Think Quest. 8 Oct. 2008 < http://library.thinkquest.org/17457/volcanoes/erupts.php>.