Over Population

Have you seen the starving children in Africa? Or people in poor countries that do not have clean water? The world's population is growing so rapidly that it is predicted we will run out of resource in only a few decades!

The world is constantly changing. Humans have been able to fight almost every disease or illness that nature has thrown at them. Ebola, malaria, and multiple types of cancers are just a few of the thousands of sicknesses that scientists and medics have found possible cures to. Due to extensive research and practices, the death rate has gone down considerably, and the birth rate has shot up. This has many positive sides, but with good comes bad. The population in the last few decades has expanded extensively, and there are more and more people coming into the world every day. The birth rate is approximately twice as large as the death rate with four babies being born per second, and two people dying every second as an approximation.  If we keep this up, soon, there will be no more resources left!

There are hundreds of thousands of people in Africa that are in famine. Most of the Somalian population are nomads and have to depend on their livestock for food. If their herd dies, or they cannot trade their animals at markets, they do not have anything to go on. I think that the people fortunate enough to have all the resources at hand should find a way to make them more accessible to others. This can be done through donating money, and recycling.


We should also find alternatives. Fossil fuels are running low, and are polluting our air. No fuel means nothing to run cars on, nothing to run heating and air conditioning on, and no electricity.We should try to switch to better alternatives such as solar, the wind, or hydro power, use bio-fuels, and recycle our waste products more efficiently. These different methods would supply us with fuel in a way that is much better for the environment.  If we do not do this soon animals will die, deforestation will increase, and all of our resources will begin to decrease. Plants let out oxygen, without them we will no be able to breath. Humans are spread across the globe, but there are many places we have not inhabited because the conditions are too harsh. Antarctica and parts of Australia are examples of places we have not settled in. If we keep this yearly population expansion, and do not change our ways, generations to come will have a very difficult life. This is the most important thing I know about the world, and what you must have in mind when travelling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECGT4NEog6g

I Wonder

Sometimes I wonder if the cultures of the world will ever understand each other. There are so many wars and so many people afraid of differences.

There are many, many different cultures around the world, all have particular aspects that make them unique and special in their own way. Aspects of one will seem like a way of life for some, and obscure to others. For example, in the Roman Catholic Church, you receive Holy Communion. The Holy Communion represents the body of Jesus Christ, and the idea is that when you take communion Jesus becomes alive within you. People who follow the beliefs of Catholicism understand the symbolic importance of this tradition, and perform this action with reverence. On the other hand, people who are unfamiliar with Christianity will not understand this custom, and often find it strange.

I am from three very different, and not so different, places: England, Belgium, and Trinidad.  These three destinations compare and contrast in many different ways. Two islands, one big one small, two old world and two new world nations, two speak English, one speaks French, Dutch and German.

There are some obvious differences such as Trinidad is in a warmer climate zone, and, therefore,  does not experience the same seasons as the people in England and Belgium, but rather a rainy season and a dry season.  Trinidad hosts this one big carnival every year in February. Everyone goes out onto the streets in fantastic costumes and dances the day away. In European countries, and England, the timing of this celebration is bizarre. In February it is often cold, rainy, and miserable. Hardly the weather to wear short costumes and parade along the streets. Europeans eat pancakes on Carnival Tuesday, a very poor celebration to a Trinidadian! There are many other ways the countries contrast. London is a big city. Always busy and bustling. You can walk everywhere. From Big Ben to the Millennium Bridge you can walk all over the city. I loved the idea that anywhere I wanted to go could be reached on foot, everything is connected.  Like when I went to Stomp, after the performance was finished, my family walked to Covent Garden. The bright Christmas lights strung over the streets, cold air blowing in your face, and the background noise of the voices of the people in the square. This atmosphere is not present in Belgium or Trinidad.  While you can walk in the capitals of Brussels and Port of Spain, the buzz, the excitement of the big city is not there. Family holidays in Brussels are very traditional. Everyone goes to Church, and then once the mass has come to an end, the family goes back home for a large meal. This is different from the variety of traditions that take place all year in multicultural, cosmopolitan London, and the party attitude of the people in the Caribbean, Christmas is a season which lasts until Carnival picks up the baton.

There are many ways in which they are similar as well. Trinidad and London are both mixes of many cultures, Belgium and Trinidad are both small countries with strong family ties and social structures, Brussels and London are both Northern European cities, where the rhythms of life follow the seasons and the often grey weather. They are all great to spend time in with your family and friends. In London, you can see theatrical performances, visit art galleries, or go to see major tourist attractions such as the Houses of Parliament.  In Belgium, you can go to La Grand Place in the spring and see the square covered in flowers, pay a visit to Mannequin Pis, or you can see the remainders of old castles that still belong to many families. Trinidad hosts many parties, you could go to the beach, or see some of the wildlife reserves in the swampy regions of the island.

Very different places all with many good things, many things that I love and many things that I do not understand in each. And... they are all home.

Maybe someday people from the variety of different cultures all over the world will see that different can be good, and that as well as differences there are similarities; that with effort we can all understand or accept each other.

http://brussels.mfa.ir/uploads/gpltap02_2562.jpg 
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8f/69/a2/8f69a2555e6a0c763ba336ba4f56e5e9.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/c3/bb/05/c3bb0540a5a268be8dfa9ca40e1d1c33.jpg

        

Stomp

             It is so cool when you see music being played, and performed, in a way you had never even thought of. When I lived in London I went to a musical performance called Stomp, for my birthday. The main idea was to show the audience how music could be played using everyday objects. For example, the performers would combine the sound of a broom sweeping the floor with the sound of bin lids clashing together. They would both be played to a simultaneous beat, and the rhythmic patterns would blend together, and create a musical sound. I found it remarkable that the producers found a way to make the clashing of objects sound more than just a noise.

            My favorite performance was when all the lights were turned off, and the musicians stood in a line downstage. Every person, on stage, held lighter in their hands. At the beginning, the center person's lighter was lit and held to his face. It was completely silent as the audience anticipated what would happen next. Then the soft sound of brooms sweeping the floor filled the room. A quiet metallic object was being tapped gently upon, what it was I am not sure. As the melody started each person lit their lighter in a sudden rush. After this there was a swift series of lit and unlit lighters; their faces were lit one second, and disappeared into the darkness the next. What fascinated me about this particular segment was the ability to do so much with so little.

             There were many other performance. One that stood out from the rest was when they participants were clashing and clanging bin lids together, while others bending themselves into acrobatic position, and another juggling fire. The idea that such a powerful performance could be displayed  by the use of percussion is incredible. I encourage everyone watch!!!


http://www.umassalumni.com/s/1640/images/gid2/editor/alumni_association/networks/stomp2.jpg