The financial cost of protecting endangered species is enormous. Since 1985, the World Wildlife Fund, a charity largely funded by public donations, has invested over $1 billion in endangered species. In 2007, U.S. federal and state spending on wildlife protection was around $1.65 billion. What’s more, wildlife protection campaigns frequently feature predator species, such as sharks, tigers, wolves, and lions, in their headlines even though these animals pose a direct threat to human lives and incomes. So why protect them when they are so costly?
Category: Vocabulary
Fashion Victim or Environmental Victor
You are on your way home and you make a quick visit to the mall to see if there is anything novel or interesting in any of your favorite stores. Chances are there will be if you shop at any of the retail chains that' use the fast fashion model of business. There's no longer any need to wait for a change of season (for example, from autumn to winter) to see a new collection of clothes because fashion retailers are introducing new lines of clothing on a monthly, or even weekly, basis.
Balloon Boy Brand Failure
On October 15, 2009, the American media was taken over by a breaking news story. Cable news networks carried the story live, and the whole country-and soon much of the world turned its eyes to Colorado. There, an amateur scientist who had built an experimental weather balloon found that the balloon had broken away from its base and blown away. At about the same time, he discovered that his 6-year-old son was missing. TV news helicopters, emergency service workers, and the Colorado National Guard were called in to help search for the boy. Two hours later, the balloon landed 60 miles away with no little boy inside. Five hours later, the little boy was found hiding in the family garage. Later that evening, the boy’s answer to an interview question on CNN appeared to indicate that the whole event had been a publicity stunt for the purpose of “making the family more marketable for future media interests.” One month later, his parents pleaded guilty to criminal charges relating to the hoax.
Japanese and American Comic Book Heroes
To some people, the idea of reading comic books seems childish. To others, comics are nothing more than reminders of their happy childhoods. But for people who love comic books, they can be a fantastic escape from the harsh realities of modern life. Comics are able to transport readers to brightly-colored, imaginary worlds where superheroes fight with super-villains, where good can triumph over evil, and where heroes can save thousands of innocent people from the "bad guys." Comics are published globally, but Japanese and American versions dominate the market despite the fact-or perhaps because they differ in a number of ways.
Who’s a Hero?
What makes a hero? Different people will point to different characteristics- courage, vision, influence over important world events. In fact, we all have different ideas of what makes a hero and, consequently, make different choices about who our personal heroes are.
Rise of the Machines
The complex relationship between humans and technology has been a constant feature of modern life: from real-life protests during the Industrial Revolution in the seventeenth century, to the imaginary worlds of early science fiction novels of the late nineteenth century and movies in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. During this time, technology has divided us into two basic groups: those who think technology will revolutionize humanity in a positive way and those who believe it will bring about our downfall.
The Lion and the Rabbit
A cruel lion lived in the forest. Every day, he killed and ate a lot of animals. The other animals were afraid the lion would kill them all. The animals told the lion, “Let’s make a deal. If you promise to eat only one animal each day, then one of us will come to you every day. Then you don’t have to hunt and kill us.”
Continue reading The Lion and the RabbitGetting into the Flow
Do you ever find yourself so completely gripped by what you are doing that you lose track of time? All of a sudden you look up at the clock and realize that hours have passed? This could apply to a basketball player absorbed in perfecting a shot, or a violinist fiercely concentrating on a piece of music. When does this total engagement and loss of time typically occur for you?