The Great Dying

The great dying is upon us. I read this article in The New Republic magazine that was in the free press bin at school. I thought that you might be interested. Oh, and btw...I'm retyping this article for you all. Now, I do not agree with everything written in this article, but it gives you a general feel for how I'm feeling currently about the state of the world. This is for educational purposes only. I want you all to learn about what is going on and understand that although global warming is not the the biggest thing to worry about, but all the issues that deal with the earth. We need to get mobilized.
The Great Dying
Two Hundred fifty million years ago, a monumental catastrophe devastated life on earth. We don't know the cause-perhaps glaciers, volcanoes, or even the impact of a giant meteorite-but whatever happened drove more than 90 percent of the planet's species to extinction. After the Great Dying, as the end-permian extinction is called, Earth's biodiversity-its panoply of species-didn't bounce back for more than ten million years.Aside from the Great Dying, there have been four other mass extinctions, all of which severely pruned life's diversity. Scientists agree that we're now in the midst of a sixth such episode. This new one, however, is different-and, in many way, much worse. For, unlike earlier extinctions, this one results form the work of a single species, Homo sapiens. we are relentlessly taking over the planet, laying it to waste and eliminating most of our fellow species. Moreover, we're doing it much faster than the mass extinctions that came before. Every year, up to 30,000 species disappear due to human activity alone. At this rate, we could lose half of Earth's species in this century. And, unlike with previous extinctions, there's no hope that biodiversithy will ever recover, since the cause of the decimation-us-is here to stay.To scientists, this is an unparalleled calamity, far more severe than global warming, which is, after all, only one of many threats to biodiversity. Yet global warming gets far more press. Why? One reason is that, while the increase in temperature is easy to document, the decrease of species is not. Biologists don't know, for example, exactly how many species exist on earth. Estimates range widely, from three million to more than 50 million, and that doesn't count microbes, critical (albeit invisible) components of ecosystems. W're not certain about the rate of extinction, either; how could we be, sinc ethe vast majority of species have yet to be described? We're even less sure how the loss of some species will affect the ecosystems in which they're emedded since the intricate connection between organisms means that the loss of a single species can ramify unpredictably.But we do know some things. Tropical rainforests are disappearing at a rate of 2 percent per year. Populations of most large fish are down to only 10 percent of what they were in 1950. Many primates and all the great apes-our closest relvatives-are nearly gone from the wild.And we know that extinction and global warming act synergistically. Extinction exacerbates glocal warming: By burning rainforests, we're not only polluting the atmosphere with carbon dioxide (a major greenhouse gas) but destroying the very plants that can remove this gas from the air. Conversely, global warming increases extinction, both directly (killing corals) and indirectly (destroying the habitats of Arctic and Anarctic animals). As extinction increases, then, so does global warming, which in turn causes more extinction-and so on, into a downward spiral of destruction.Why, exactly, should we care? Let's start with the most celebrated case: the rainforests. Their loss will worsen global warming-raising temperatures, melting icecaps, and flooding coastal cities. And, as the forest habitat shrinks, so begins the inevitable contact between organisms that have not eveolved together, a scenario played out many times, and one that is never good. Dreadful diseases have successfully jumped species boundaries with humans as prime recipients. We have gotten AIDS from apes, SARS from civets, and Ebola from fruit bats. Additional worldwide plagues from unknown microbes are a very real possibility.But it isn't just the destruction of the rainforests that should trouble us. Healthy ecosystems the world over provide hidden services like waste disposal, nutrient cycling, soil formation, water purification, and oxygen production. Such services are best rendered by ecosystems that are diverse. yet, through both intention and accident, humans have introduced exotic species that turn biodiversity into monoculture. Fast growing zebra mussels, for example, have outcompeted more than 15 species of native mussels in N. America's Great Lakes and have damaged harbors and water-treatment plants. Native prairies are becoming dominated by single species (often genetically homogenous) of corn or wheat. Thanks to these developments, soils will erode and become unproductive-which, along with temperature change, will diminish agricltural yields. Meanwhile, with increases pollution and runoff, as well as reduced forest cover, ecostystems will no longer be able to purify water; and a shortage of clean water spells disaster.In many ways, oceans are the most vulnerable areas of all. As overfishing eliminates major prediators, while polluted and warming waters kill of phytoplankton, the intricate aquatic food web could collapse from both sides. Fish, on which so many humans depend, will be a fond memory. As phytoplankton vanish, so does the ability of oceans to absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. (Half of the oxygen we breathe is made by phytoplankton, with the rest coming from land plants.) Species extinction is also imperiling coral reefs-a major problem since these reefs have far more than recreational value: They provide tremendous amounts of food for human populations and buffer coastlines against erosion.In fact, the global value of "hidden" services provided by ecosystems-those services, like waste disposal, that aren't bought and sold in the marketplace-has been extimate to be as much as $50 billion per year, toughly equal to the gross domestic product of all countries combined. And that doesn't include tangible goods like fish and timber. Life as we know if would be impossible if ecosystems collapsed. Yet that is where we're heading species extinction continues at its current pace.Extinction also has a huge impact on medicine. Who really cares if, say, a worm in the remote swamps of French Guiana goes extinct? Well, those who suffer from cardiovascular disease. The recent discovery of a rare S. American leech has led to the isolation of a powerful enxyme that, unlike other anticoagulants, not only prevents blood from clotting but also disolves existing clots. And it's not just this one species of worm: Its wriggly relatives have evolved other biomedically valuable proteins, including antistatin (a potential anticancer agent), decorsin and ornatin (platelet aggregation inhibitors), and hirudin (another anticoagulant).Plants, too, are pharmaceutical gold mines. The bark of trees, for example, has given us quinine (the first cure for malaria), taxol (a drug highly effective against ovarian and breast cancer), and aspirin. More than a quarter of the medicines on our pharmacy shelves were originally derived from plants. The sap of the Madagascar periwinkle contains more than 70 useful alkaloids, including vincristine, a powerful anticancer drug that saved the life of one of our friends.Of the roughly 250,000 plant species on Earth, fewer than 5 percent have been screened for pharmaceutical properties. Who knows what life saving drugs remain to be discovered? Given current extinction rates, it's estimated that we're losing one valuable drug every two years.Our arguments so far have tacitly assumed that species are worth saving only in proportion to their economic value and their effects on our quality of life, an attitude that is strongly ingrained, especially in Americans. That is why conservationists always base their case on an economic calculus. But we biologists kno in our hearts that there are deeper and equally compelling reasons to worry about the loss of biodiversity:namely, simple morality and intellectual values that transcend pecuniary interests. What, for example, gives us the right to destroy other creatures? And what could be more thrilling than looking around us, seeing that we are surrounded by our evolutionary cousins, and realizing that we all got here by the same simple process of natural selection? To biologists, and potentially everyone else, apprehending the genetic kinship and common origin of all species is a spiritual experience-not necessarily religious, but spiritual nonetheless, for it stirs the soul.But, whether or not one is moved by such concerns, it is certain that our future is bleak if we do nothing to stem this sixth extinction. We are creating a world in which exotic diseases flourish but natural medicinal cures are lost; a world in which carbon waste accumulates while food sources dwindle; a world of sweltering heat, failing crops, and impure water. In the end, we must accept the possiblity that we ourselves are not immune to extinction. Or, if we survive, perhaps only a few of us will remain, scratching out a grubby existence on a devestated planet. Global warming will seem like a secondary problem when humanity finally faces the consequences of what we have done to nature:not just another Great Dying, but perhaps the greatest dying of them all.

~By: Jerry A. Coyne and Hopi E. Hoekstra (The Mall)

Great Ways to Earn Money!!!

The Best Ways to Make Some Good Money

This is my personal site where you can find tips from other users and more ways to make money:
Spoutawf
These two sites are sister sites. They are compilations of some of the best ways to make money:
Inboxdollars
Sendearnings
This site is like myspace, but you get paid for it:
Yuwie
The following are all sites where you can PTC:
Bux.to
Wordlinx
Clixmedia
Clixsense
Dreamclix
Honey Advertiser Pro
Linkgrand
Adbux
Clickpandemic
Traffic Surfer
These two sites are great places to share you opinion and get paid for it:
Mylot
Helium
Have fun here and steal money from other gamers! Hey, it's the object of the game:
Wealthwars

Spoutawf.com

Owning a website is a hard expedition. I should know; I've got one. I call it Spoutawf. It's meant to be a place where people can gain knowledge and share knowledge. Sure, there are places that are better. And we all know that there are places that are worse. But that's not important. The point is that no matter where my site ranks against other sites, it is hard to maintain and grow any website. It's not like a plant that can be watered and given sun light and left alone for a week at a time. Bills must be paid, problems must be assessed, and ads need to be placed.

There are tons of work that must go into a site before it can even leave the ground. First, you must decide what to call it. You need to find a name that isn't already taken by another webmaster out there and get it made into a hosted site that can be seen by the world. Once you're got that done, you can start to design the site. Obviously, it needs to be eyecatching and relevant. If the site is meant to inform, you need to inform. You can't just inform six people about the meaning behind your latest tattoo. You need to inform a large group of people. These people should want to tell their friends what you just told them.

If you are going to sell products, make them products that people NEED to have. Don't sell your toenail clippings, sell an item that thousands must have in their homes and want their friends and family to also own. It doesn't have to be a unique item, simply something that you know people want or need, such as hair products, coffee, or cleaning supplies. These are things that ship easily and people nearly can't live without.

But once you've got that part down, you sort of need people to visit your site and make things worth while. This is the toughest part of all. Placing ads, using traffic exchanges, buying impressions and banners and telling your friends are some of the best ways. Your site needs to grow or all your time will have been spent in vain, not to speak of the money you just spent on a domain as well.

Want to visit my site? Go to spoutawf.com now!

Making money online

I've begun to try new methods of making money online. I've started trying places where you write about stuff. The first site I tried was helium.com. I love it. But, it's a slow process, so I'm reaching for whatever I can find. Now I'm at mylot.com where you also share your opinion. Nice place. Check them out and look for me.







LAWise520

So, I started this new website, spoutawf.com. It's a pretty cool place so far. Creating a website is much harder than I thought it would be. I have to think about what info to put up, how I want the site to look, what links to add, and the styles. It's time-consuming, yes, but the fun and learning is the part I love most. In the forum, I have a total of 4 members. That's probably the same amount that have visited the site in full. Sad. But I have hope. The site has only been up and running for about a month and a half. It is no where near being fully up since I've yet to deal with the main pages on the main site. I've spent most my time working with the forum, since that is the most interactive and member-collecting portion of the site. Hopefully I will be able to get the site to it's full potential soon and gain some new IP addresses. Come visit and give me your feedback.

And so I have realized...

Much can be learned by reading a book and living a life that is not so good. You see, I am taught many things that I do not even realize that I am learning. When I actually feel the teaching taking hold, it is a great thing for me to know. I, through reading 'Man's Search For Meaning,' have realized many new things. I have long searched for the meaning to life, thinking it broad and generalized, given to all men equally, not differing from man to man. I have found that this is absolutely far from truth, as far as it can be. The true meaning to life cannot be found in a book, it cannot be told by some great rabbi or leader. It is impossible, for each man owns his own meaning to life. It differs even from day to day for each man. This is an immense thing to have realized. My meaning is not your meaning. But today, I have found my meaning. I have had a void for very long, but now, although I do not actually KNOW the meaning in words, I KNOW the meaning in being. I am given a purpose. My suffering is not in vain. I suffer for a reason that I do not know. However, I must be noble in my suffering, for the outcome of it will be great. I do not know the outcome just as I do not know when I will die. I only know that God will use me whether I stand by him in my mind or not. He is always using me and I often cannot even tell. I must align my spirit with him more and more for him to use me to the fullest, then, but not only then, can my meaning come to surface. I am always doing my meaning, but I am hardly ever recognizing my meaning. If he and I are one, I will know my purpose more fully. If he and I are apart, the meaning will forever evade me. My wicked actions need to be purposed in a different way, my evil must come to surface so that I can reach a higher plain. I will hate this. I will suffer much, but it will hold purpose, purpose that I long for and need so much so to have. That is why I must listen to his voice as I think that I once did. No 'soon' could ever make things go better for me. It must be now...and now is not something that I enjoy all too much. I would rather put off my purpose than face the now. But that involves ruining lives other than my own without ever knowing which lives I am ruining. It is something that not even heaven will reveal to me. I will never know whose life I will not serve because I was selfish. I am to serve just as Christ served, and I am refusing such an honor every second that I sway from him. I still care only a little for this. I have been gone too long and must come quickly back in order to once again feel the pain of hurting him. I have numbed myself quite a bit in this matter and again, now, must come to truth with not only myself but also my Lord. That is simple. And yet so very difficult.

I enjoyed smoking as much as I do puking

So, I tried smoking the other day. I wanted to see what the big deal was. So I bought a pack of Camels. I've never even touched a cigarette before. That in itself was a new experience. I didn't realize they were so spongy. Anyway, I lit one up while driving around and took a few puffs. At first, it was nothing. It didn't even taste like anything. Then, I was like "ooh, that's nice." So I kept smoking it. I finished that one, the feeling just about gone and decided to try another. I lit that one up and barely got half way into it when I started to feel nauseous and got a headache. I pitched that thing out the window and opened up the passenger side window as well. Driving in the rain and the cold, I couldn't get enough cold air on my face. Soon, my body was freezing and I had the heat on, but both windows open. I thought I was going to have to stop the car and go puke in a field soon. But I held onto my cookies and kept driving. Two hours later, I finally fell asleep. It was a horrible experience. I hated every second of it (minus the initial tiny buzz). Really people, how can you smoke those things? It's so gross. It tastes bad, it makes me sick. Oh man is it horrible. Don't bother trying them, I just tried them for you. It's not worth your four bucks. Keep it and buy some candy or something, anything that tastes better than a cancer stick (just about everything).

80 GB Video iPod is a good investment

The iPod Video with 80 GB's is an amazing little monster. The sleek black and silver coating gives it an invisible feel. If you have your name engraved on the back, you've got an extra feature that is nice to show off to your friends. Compared to the 4th generation iPods, the new iPods have a battery life that far surpasses it's older sibling. While at work, I can spend the day (8-5) listening to music and yet, in the evening, only 1/3 of the power has been used. I have over 3,000 songs and still have 63 GB's left to use. That's quite a few songs. I don't even have any videos on my iPod yet, but the colors are very sharp on my brother's iPod. An 80 GB iPod Video is expensive, however, if you're collection of music is HUGE, I highly suggest investing your money wisely in one of these amazing machines.

Sugar Free Red Bull, the Pick Me Up You Need!

When it comes to getting more than a lift but a good taste and low calories, Red Bull Sugar Free hits the spot. Unlike many other energy drinks, it doesn't taste syrupy or thick. It is smooth, with a nice amount of carbonation. It's smooth and not just refreshing, but mind-enhancing. Whether or not the chemicals/vitamins that are added actually do what the company says they do, the caffeine does just the trick for a long day or a fun night of partying. With Red Bull in hand, I greet the day. With another for those fun weekend nights, I can stay awake and alert the whole night.
Clocking in at only 10 calories, sugar free Red Bull is something that can give you energy to walk the extra mile and not give you unwanted calories to make up for what is lost. I'm not saying that this energy drink should be used while exercising, however, if you plan on doing manual labor, a can of Red Bull can get you through the hard work with a boost. Plus, without the sugar, you won't be cheating on your diet. There aren't many energy drinks with the bonus of being sold side by side with their sugar free counterparts, or even having the option of being sugar free.
If you want a boost without the calories, sugar free Red Bull is the way to go.

Water Dragons are Cool!

Chinese Water Dragons are one of the most interesting reptile species to own and keep. While they get to be about 3 feet in length tip to tail, the tail makes up almost two-thirds of the total length, as is the case with most reptiles. Some have said that Water Dragons look like smart-looking, miniature Iguanas. Each dragon has its own personality and does respond to the voice of its owner. The more time spent with your dragon, the more it will trust you and know your voice.
Water Dragons and other reptiles need special care and are not at all like other caged animals. They have unique needs when it comes to habitat, feeding, lighting, heat, humidity, and substrate. If you are thinking of obtaining a Water Dragon, you need to have adequate funds and know that a Water Dragon is a costly pet.
Enclosure: The enclosure (cage) of a Water Dragon should be as wide and long as they are long. The cage should give them ample room to climb as well as run along the ground. For a full grown lizard, a cage that is 3 deep x 4 wide x 5 high (feet) is sufficient. Although you can buy a different cage to meet the exact need of the lizard at it's current length, it is much more cost efficient to simply buy one cage that the dragon will have for its entire life.
The cage material is up to you, however, there are pros and cons to each type. Wire cages allow the dragon to climb the side, but it will also rub its face on the wire and could cause the snout to be worn down the bone and cause infection. On the other hand, glass and plexi-glass do not cause nearly as much damage to the snout of the dragon, but they can't climb it either. Glass enclosures also keep in a greater percentage of heat. The dragon may not be able to see the glass and therefore run into it more often than wiring, however, this can be avoided by simply putting plants over the glass using suction cups. Plants can also be lined along the glass on the ground. I have found this method to work quite well and keeps my dragon from randomly running smack into the glass.
There are a large amount of plants that cannot be put into Water Dragon enclosures due to toxicity. Some vine-like plants that can be used in the enclosure include: Spider plant, Kudzu, and Wandering Jew (although the sap may be an issue, so the wild version is a better choice). Flowering plants that can be used include: Violets, Carnations, Dahilia, Day Lilies, Impatiens, Geraniums, Dandelions, Pansies, and Petunias. There are other plants as well, but proper research should be done before putting any plant into the enclosure.
Large branches from trees such as Apple Trees, which are often knotted and allow for good grips can be used. Be sure to avoid Cedar at all costs as it can be toxic to dragons. These branches not only allow the dragon places to climb and rest, but also for the climbing plants that you might include in your cage.
For a substrate, bark is the most common and probably the best to use. Dirt, woodchips or astroturf also works extremely well. Bark and woodships need to be large enough so that the pieces cannot be swallowed easily be the dragon. Dirt must be thoroughly sterilized by baking before being used. If potting soil is used, it must also be baked and cannot have pesticides or other chemicals in it. Astroturf must have edges that are not fraying because the dragon may eat it otherwise, thinking it is a plant. Gravel tends to be a substate that can cause problems as the dragon may injest the gravel and cause digestive problems such as impaction.
Water Dragons need places to hide in times of stress or when they think that they are in danger. Such hiding places can be as simple as a plastic bowl turned upside-down with an entrance cut into the side. More natural hiding places can be bought at a pet store and often look like a small, half-log that is hollowed out. These come in different sizes and work very well. Other hiding places can be created by having a large amount of foliage in the enclosure.
Finally, a must for any Water Dragon enclosure is a large amount of water. It should not be any deeper than 4 inches but should exceed 1 inch. How deep the water should be also depends on the size of the dragon. Juveniles should have about 1 inch of water while full grown dragons should have the full four inches. A good rule of thumb to note is whether the dragon can keep its head above the water while touching the bottle of the pool. There should always be a way for the dragon to exist the pool very easily. It should not have to jump to reach a way out. If the dragon is especially tired, it may not be able to do this and may then result in the death of the lizard from being too cool in the water.
Diet: Water Dragon's have a broad appetite. Nevertheless, each dragon has its own specific likes and dislikes, just like people. Most dragons enjoy crickets and super worms (mealie worms). Likewise, some dragons will not eat either of those ever, or may eat them for a long time but suddenly decide that they no longer want to eat it. This is completely normal as, unlike dogs and cats, they do sometimes grow bored with the same foods. No matter what the dragon likes, it is a good plan to always rotate their food and give them different types of foods every month, at least. Dragons can also eat small fish and "pinkies" (baby mice). These two items should not be fed too often and should be kept in the rotation with many fruits and vegetables.
Dragons eat a large variety of plants as well. However, be very careful to research the plant that you are giving to your dragon, as it may be toxic. Most plants and fruits that humans eat are edible for dragons as well, but it is best to be safe because a few are not. Some favorite plants of dragons are: dandelions, bananas, apples, cantelope, papaya, and Romaine lettuce. My dragon has a particular fancy for apples and I've seen him eat a whole, small wedge (in little slices of course). A rule of thumb (or snout) is to never give the dragon anything bigger than the area in front of its eyes on the top of its snout. The best size of food is anything that is less than 1/3 the width of the head. Always cut food very fine and choose crickets and worms that are right for each dragon.
Lighting, Heat, and Humidity: Although Water Dragons are called "Chinese," they are further south than China. They are native to South East Asia, where it is around 65-85 (f) all year round. This means that they need both incandescent and fluorescent lighting to simulate sunlight and give them the proper amount of vitmans such as vitamin D so that they can properly digest food. The temperature should stay around 75-85 (f) in the summer and usually 70-75 (f) in the winter. At night, the temperature can go down to 70 in the summer and 65 in the winter. Since most dragons are kept indoors, it is unncessary to have winter temperatures unless mating is desired. When it comes to humidity, it is important to keep it around 60-80%. Less humidty can result in poor shedding and thus a loss of appendages. Having live plants in the enclosure can create more humidity if there is a problem of keeping the enclosure's humidity up.
Remember, Water Dragons are not cheap animals to take care of. They require much time, energy, and money to care for in order to care for them properly. Unlike hamsters, they require much more. So, if you are thinking of getting a water dragon, be sure to do your research and know what you must do to grow it into adult hood. They can live to be over 13 years old if cared for well. Good luck!