June 15

Should We Ban Plastic Bags

Imagine yourself as a fish. You see a weird thing that is clear. You try to eat it and you suffocate. Later you become a shark’s dinner which means that the shark is now polluted too. Think of all the creatures that eat plastic and die. I think we should ban plastic, especially plastic bags. Plastic trash ends up in the ocean and can really harm marine life.  Another reason for banning plastic is all plastic bags can also contribute to global climate change.

To begin with plastic trash often ends up in the ocean. Have you ever heard of a trash island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? This  island is made up of trash that is the size of Texas that is still growing in size. Trash island is estimated to be about 5,800,000 square miles!  For instance plastic bags are usually only used for twenty minutes and then begin the journey to the ocean through the sewers, because most owners of the bags just leave them in the street to be blown away into the sewers. Did you know that more than 17 billion pounds of plastic trash ends up in the ocean each year?

Second, plastic bags can be harmful to marine life. For instance in Norway 30 plastic bags were found in the stomach of a beached whale.  Plastic bags consumed could lead to death by suffocation which is very sad. Did you know that at least 1 million seabirds and 100,000 mammals die each year from plastic materials.

Third, plastic bags can also contribute to global climate change.  Plastic bags are made out of a material that will release greenhouse gases when they decompose. Which is a very big core material in global climate change. The amount of trash that is burned each year in the dump will make massive impact on global climate change. Climate change will heat up the earth melt all of the ice in the world and make more water which will consume all the land in the world.

I think we should ban plastic bags. Did you know that California banned plastic bags last November? I say every state should do that. It’s easy to think plastic bags do not do any harm to the environment and can be recycled, but most don’t recycle them and put them in the regular trash or let them blow away. When you face the facts really plastic bags add to global climate change, harm marine life, and end up in our oceans or landfills. In the end you are sacrificing creatures to your benefit to live in your everyday life. Next time you go to the store think twice about your plastic bag or paper bag choice.

Photo credit: https://nuscimag.com/the-ocean-needs-you-not-your-trash-7d5967aa9e83

Category: Environment, Student Posts | 2 Comments on Should We Ban Plastic Bags
April 24

Surprise Attack On Pearl Harbor!

USS Nevada attempts escape from Pearl 80G32558.jpg

The bombing of Pearl Harbor

Public Domain, Link

Everyone has heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War 2, but how much do you really know?  2390 Americans were killed and 1178 were wounded. Although it seems very different, Pearl Harbor was very much the same as the attack on The World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.  Imagine standing on the deck of your battleship and seeing the first wave of a total of 353 enemy planes headed straight for you! Did you know that during the attack, American sailors and pilots shot down 29 Japanese planes?  This article will focus on the tragic loss of life and devastation inflicted by the Japanese military during their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.

The Japanese Attack Plan

The Japanese planned their attack in waves.  The first wave had a total of 183 planes and 5 midget submarines.  A midget sub holds two people and is used to cut through underwater cables protecting the ships in the harbor.  The second attack wave had 170 planes, including torpedo planes, fighter planes, and bombers. A total of 353 planes were transported across the Pacific on six aircraft carriers.   24 battleships escorted the fleet.

Moving Base, Unprepared For Attack, Entering World War 2

The American Pacific fleet was moved from San Diego to Honolulu, Hawaii, to create a Pacific force that could possibly defend against the advancement of Japanese forces, which had already secured the Philippines.  America created an oil embargo on the Pacific rim, cutting off oil supports to Japan. Army General Hideki Tojo took over as Prime Minister for Japan and told Japan to “ Get ready for war.”

The Tragic losses

On the morning of December 7, 1941, twenty-one American ships were hit with bombs and torpedoes, including all eight of the great battleships.  Not all of the ships were destroyed, but many were badly damaged. Other ships such as the USS Arizona, Pennsylvania, Cassin, Shaw, and Downes were also destroyed.  2390 American sailors and 1178 were wounded, for a total of 3568 casualties.

Conclusion

The attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 is forever remembered as the most brutal and devastating attack on American soil up until that point in history.  It served as the American entry point into World War 2. Although many, many thousands more soldiers and sailors sacrificed their lives over the next four years, we will always remember this day over all others.

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