Rendering: 'How to Save Tropical Rainforests'

The article ‘How to Save Tropical Rainforests’ was published by Rhett Butler on July 22 in Mongabai.com. It reports at length about the ways for saving tropical rainforests.

   Speaking of the global situation, it’s necessary to note that today tropical rainforests are disappearing from the face of the earth, and rainforests continue to be destroyed at a pace exceeding 80,000 acres (32,000 hectares) per day. It’s an open secret that deforestation of tropical rainforests has a global impact through species extinction, the loss of important ecosystem services and renewable resources, and the reduction of carbon sinks. However, this destruction can be slowed, stopped, and in some cases even reversed. It’s necessary to note that but the means are not as simple as fortifying fences around the remaining rainforests or banning the timber trade.

    Before looking for the solution, it’s important to point out the reasons of deforestation, as rainforests are being cut mostly for economic reasons, though there are political and social motivations as well. A significant portion of deforestation is caused by poor farmers simply trying to eke out a living on marginal lands. Beyond conversion for subsistence agriculture, activities like logging, clearing for cattle pasture and commercial agriculture are sizable contributors to deforestation on a global scale. Agricultural fires typically used for land-clearing often spread outside cultivated areas and into degraded rainforest regions. Speaking of the solution, it’ necessary to note that the solution must be based on what is feasible, not overly idealistic, and depends on developing a conservation approach built on the principle of sustainable use and development of rainforests.

    Analyzing the situation in looking for the solution, it’s necessary to emphasize that there are several ways for saving rain forests, and the author stresses the importance of following: first of all, we must increase and sustain the productivity of farms, pastures, plantations, and scrub land in addition to restoring species and ecosystems to degraded habitats. By reducing wasteful land-use practices, consolidating gains on existing cleared lands, and improving already developed lands, we can diminish the need to clear additional forest.

 Then it’s payments for ecosystem services, as people will soon pay for the services provided by healthy rainforests. This idea operates as follows: tropical countries receive payments for reducing deforestation and forest degradation rates below a historic, mutually agreed-upon baseline. The payments go toward activities that reduce deforestation, whether its creating alternative livelihoods to slash-and-burn agriculture, subsidizing industrial agricultural expansion on degraded grasslands instead of forests, or providing health care to communities that normally depend on illegal logging to pay for medicine.

 The third way is commodity roundtables, the idea of which is that agricultural producers who abide by certain standards that reduce carbon emissions — like avoiding deforestation — would see higher prices for their products or receive preferential market access, like reduced tariffs.

 The fourth way, mentioned by the author, is corporate sponsorship, which consists in dividing tropical rainforests into blocks and then soliciting funding commitments from international environmental groups, development institutions, corporations, and other credible donors. There would be a bidding process, after which an entity would take responsibility for maintaining forest cover and forest health in each block of the entire forest system.

 Analyzing the following steps for stopping deforestation, it’s necessary to emphasize that the author mentions such steps as: expand protected areas, increase surveillance of and patrols in protected areas and encouraging entrepreneurship.

   In conclusion the author makes it clear that simply banning the timber trade or establishing reserves will not be enough to salvage the world's remaining tropical rainforests. In order for the forest to be preserved, the underlying social, economic, and political reasons for deforestation must be recognized and addressed. Once the issues are brought into the light, the decision can be made about what should be done. If it is decided that rainforests must be saved, then the creation of multi-use reserves that promote sustainable development and education of local people would be a good place to start.

I think that forests’ protection is one of the most important issues (along with limiting of air, water and soil pollution), as forests are the source of our life, in addition, they play an important role for the environment. They help to support the soil and prevent erosion and siltation, forests also absorb carbon dioxide from the air we breathe and release oxygen. The tree is the symbol of the living nature, which reminds us of the importance of preservation of the environment, that’s, humanity is obliged to stop deforestation.  

“The Teeth of the Tiger” by Tom Clancy (Chapter 5 – Chapter 9)

Mohammed and his allies had taken to using their own code words (which was another trap in itself, since codes gave a false sense of security). So when Hassan’s leader received e-mail ("And, Juan, Maria is pregnant. She's having twins"), he had to tell his guest that the operation could begin at once. The guest’s name was Pablo and he ensured the 16 Colombians’ transportation in America.

    Meanwhile, the company Hendly Associates found the men, they were looking for: people who could think on their feet, who were self-starters, and who didn't faint at the sight of blood. Brian (the Marine) and Dominic (the FBI guy) Caruso had killed people out in the real world; in both of cases, they were faced with the unexpected, and both of them handled the situation efficiently. Neither of them had any regrets. So that would be their job: the brothers were going to become professional killers, and their targets would be those who killed innocent people in such a way that conventional procedures cannot handle them. For that reason Pete Alexander trained the brothers. Their first mission was shadowing, though the men nearly failed it, as they were a little close, but only a really sharp-eyed target would have noticed, given the limited time. Besides that Dominic and Brian ran and shot, though the three-mile run wasn't a big deal for the Marine, but for Dominic, who had just maxed out his PT test for the FBI, it had been a bit of a stretch. So they were both doing nicely with the tracking and tailing drills; helped that they were ordinary-looking; the only problem was their conscience, as what they were asked to do was a premeditated murder. Brian usually went into the field with an exquisitely trained sniper under his command, and he knew what they did wasn't far removed from murder, either. But being in uniform made it different. It put some sort of blessing on it. So it wasn’t going to be a fun job, but it would be a job which would serve the interests of their country. Besides, they would have a good cover legend, but no diplomatic protection of any kind; the brothers would live by their wits.

    Hendly Associates picked up not only the two agents, but also Jack Patrick Ryan, Jr, son of the former President John Patrick Ryan. Jack was the job to review known or suspected stringers for unaccountable money transfers. But he was working on eleven different people, all but one of them Middle Eastern, all in the money business, and one of them (Uda bin Sali, an international banker) drew his attention.

Individual Reading: "The Teeth of the Tiger": part 2

Rendering: "How cities are using nature to cut pollution"

The article ‘How cities are using nature to cutpollution’ was published by Jim Robbins in the Guardian on August 23. It discusses the ways for cutting pollution, using nature. 

   It’s important to note that in Puget Sound blowhole samples taken from killer whales (swim not far from more than 3 million people who live in the Seattle region) have revealed fungi, viruses and bacteria living in their respiratory tracts, some of them antibiotic-resistant and once found only on land. It testifies to the fact that the sound is seriously polluted. Besides, when it rains, storm water washes into the same system of underground pipes that carries the region's sewage, and 1 billion gallons a year overflow into the sound when area sewer systems contain more water than can be treated. In addition, motor oil, lawn chemicals, PCBs, heavy metals, pet waste, and many other substances run unabated into the sound, both through the storm water pipes and from roads and other shoreline structures.

 Speaking of the ways for the solution of this problem, it’s necessary to note that Seattle is embracing an innovative solution to storm water runoff called green infrastructure, which experts increasingly say is not only the most cost-effective way to deal with such a large-scale problem, but also offers a range of other benefits. And they consist in following: green infrastructure is the harnessing of the natural processes of trees and other vegetation (so-called ecosystem services) to carry out the functions of the built systems; it often intercepts the water before it can run into streets and become polluted and stores the water for gradual release through percolation or evapotranspiration; besides, it  isn't just about being green, as it makes financial sense.

 Analyzing the situation of green infrastructure’s effectiveness, it’s necessary to emphasize that the Puget Sound city of Coupeville, Washington is experimenting with the use of trees and other plants to clean water to scrub runoff from a large parking lot and housing development. This experiment shows that the water flows first through a bio-swale, which is essentially a drainage ditch with gently sloping sides and rip rap and vegetation that catches silt and sediment. The water flows to a depression, 250 feet by 35 feet, planted densely with poplar and willow trees designed to capture and hold thousands of gallons of runoff a day.

  There’s every reason to believe that this method is really effective and economical, as microbes that live around trees’ roots neutralize the nastiest waste coming off streets, including ammonia, nitrates, and the copper from brake linings. Once the roots work their magic, the water is released for irrigation. In addition, it’s important to note that copper is an essential nutrient for trees, whose roots and hummus can absorb large quantities of the element.

  Giving appraisal of the green infrastructure, it’s necessary to point out other tools, like green roofs (adopted in North America) are living rooftops prairie with seven species of grass and flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and eliminate the need for water treatment facility. The second tool, mentioned in the article, is permeable pavement, which is made of materials that allow water to soak through into the ground instead of running off.

  There are also signs that another way for prevention of pollution is so-cold "wind paths," that  encourage breezes from the surrounding hills to naturally clean and air condition the city.

  But in conclusion the author suggests that in some cases it's not known how well all these technologies will work over time. And one of the biggest hurdles to more widespread implementation is from regulatory agencies, which have a hard time reconciling the new approach with existing regulations. That’s why it’ll take years to change codes and allow new technologies.

   I agree with the author that we have to create new technologies to reduce the amount of pollutants, but I don’t think that the so-called green infrastructure will greatly help. As it’s an open secret that now the amount of emitted pollutants is so great, that this infrastructure simply can’t cope. As a result every time we will have to change the old and "worn out" plants for new ones, which will result in a large amount of money. In addition, this process (planting and cultivation of plants) will take not a year or two, but dozens of years. But nevertheless, we must use any opportunity for the sake of our future generations.

“The Teeth of the Tiger” by Tom Clancy (Prologue – Chapter 4)

The Israeli scout David Gringold was killed by a terrorist group, called Hassan, so having removed a serious threat. As Hassan’s leader Mohammed tried to embody his plan of carryover his people in the US, but could do nothing without any help from the outside. That’s why the group made a deal with the Colombian cartel.

  Meanwhile, a company Hendly Associates (nobody knew its real destination, as officially it was engaged in money transfers, but it had no clients), headed by a former Senator Gerald Paul Hendley, and then Jerome Rounds, became interested in two men: Brian Caruso and Dominic Caruso. Brian was the Captain of The Marine Corps. He did a nice job in Afghanistan for a young officer in his first combat action, when he saved one of his men’s lives. Besides, Brian saved an Agency guy who went into the mountains with him, when they were in ambush. Besides, his language skills were impressive, as his dad was an American citizen (native-born) but his dad came from Italy. So, his father grew up speaking mostly Italian, and a lot of that came down on Brian and his brother. Moreover, both of them took Spanish in high school and college. Dominic was Special Agent of FBI. One day he was looking for a pedophile on a white van, in which a little girl had been kidnapped. The agent found a house, next to which the car was parked, went, but when he saw the girl’s body with her cut throat, realized that he had been late only for an hour. Therefore, he didn’t regret about his future actions: he went to the kitchen, where the murderer was sitting, cocked his leg and kicked the table over. The man grabbed for the butcher knife on the coffee table and even started to rise to his feet. Caruso's finger depressed the trigger of his Smith, sending the first round straight through the subject's heart; two more followed in less than a second. And all this without waiting for the Sheriff’s arrival; and when he came, Caruso outlined a slightly different version of the incident: allegedly, he tripped over the table; the murder saw him, and went for his knife, turned toward him and so, Caruso drew his pistol and shot him. However, the Sheriff knew that balancing on one leg, it was virtually impossible to shot right in the heart.

  The company Hendly Associates needed such people: smart, brave, responsible, not regretting their actions. Besides, they had to deploy together, as Dominic would do most of the heavy lifting on the investigative side; Brian would back him up on the muscle side, and along the way he’d learn to do his brother’s work. Their cover mainly would be as a businessman or a tourist. So, they had to dress neatly, but not like the Prince of Wales; besides, both of them had to let their hair grow out, especially Brian.

    In fact, Hendly Associates was the organization, created for the fight against terrorism; the cover was the remittances. It was gathering intelligence information, but was not part of the governmental system and acted, when the government Agencies could not control the situation. It was the organization where Jack Patrick Ryan, Jr, son of the former President John Patrick Ryan and a graduate of The Johns Hopkins Institute, wanted to work. 

Individual Reading: "The Teeth of the Tiger"; part 1

Rendering: 'Global Climate Change - In the News Again!'

The article 'Global Climate Change - In the News Again!' was published by Jason Haraldsen in Huff Post Science on October 15, and it discusses the problem of global warming and the ways of its splution.

  Though there are different opinions on this problem, as some scientists claim it is a result of changing ocean currents due to global warming in combination with cooling due to the hole in the ozone layer; the opposition claims that it is evidence that global warming is a fraud; the author suggests that while the local temperature at the Antarctic is cooler, the average global temperature is rising.

  Speaking on global warming, it's necessary to note that its studies have predicted for many years that the earth will experience dramatic changes in climate. This means that some places will get cooler and some will get hotter due to changes in the air and ocean currents. It has also been predicted that the earth will have more dramatic shifts in summer heat and winter cold, which have also been noted throughout the past decade.

 Analyzing the situation of climate change, it's necessary to emphasize that the author focuses on the history of temperatures and CO2 concentration, as there is no need to look at a chart to notice that glaciers are melting and the ocean is rising.

It's an open secret that the CO2 concentration has been increasing since the industrial revolution in the late 1800s. Since global temperature and CO2 concentration are closely linked, it is simple to infer that human activity is producing a warming effect. Through the examination of ice cores, it has been shown that over the last 500,000 years the earth has gone through numerous warming and cooling cycles, where temperature and CO2 rises and falls together. The author affirms that the extra CO2 causes the temperature to increase as energy gets trapped in the earth's atmosphere via the "greenhouse effect".

  The author gives two probable variants if we want to cool off the Earth (but with the same result), as it has been suggested that changing air and ocean currents will shift the earth into a cooling cycle. The first one is if we keep pumping out CO2, but in this case the Earth will continue to heat up. The second one is we will just continue heating, as we may have by passed the trigger mechanism already.

  In conclusion the author suggests that changes in climate mean that we will have to move or adapted to colder winters and hotter summers, but there will be casualties along the way. People living on coastal regions will have to deal with more violent storms and higher sea levels. Areas that once flourished may become famished, and it is likely that cities like Amsterdam and New York will have to deal with major flooding due to raising oceans.

  I completely agree with the author that the global temperature and CO2 concentration are closely linked. As since the industrial revolution in the late 1800s humanity put a cross on its future, because every year the number of factories, and as a result hazardous waste, increase, that leads to increase of CO2 and holes in the ozone layer. The only thing that can "pump" is a plant, but because of the construction of new buildings, forests are cut down, that leads to an increase in CO2 and holes in the ozone layer. So I think there's no way to change anything.

A Film Review: The Pelican Brief (1993)

'The Pelican Brief' (1993)

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Cast: Julia Roberts as Darby Shaw, Denzel Washington as Gray Grantham, Tony Goldwyn as Fletcher Cole, Sam Shepard as Thomas Callahan, John Heard as Gavin Verheek, James B. Sikking as F. Denton Voyles, Robert Culp as The President, John Lithgow as Smith Keen

Synopsis: After two Supreme Court members’ assassination, a law school student Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts) was interested in their death’s reason and began her own investigation. The whole business is rather tangled, as it was connected both with the politics (particularly the White House) and the environmental protection. In order to confirm her rendition, Darby had to endanger her life, as hunting started of her.

Review: ‘The Pelican Brief’ was forgotten for several years. In that brief Greens protested against the canal lying across the river with endangered pelican species, but the White House ordered to shut down it. However, after two Supreme Court members’ assassination, a law school student Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts) tried to find out the truth having written her own brief rendition, which was right and which nobody was going to disclose. That’s why the White House began gradually removing those who were connected with that brief: Darby’s professor and lover Thomas Callahan (Sam Shepard), his friend lawyer and special counsel to the FBI director Gavin Vereek (John Heard), and everybody who had any contact with the young woman. Then Darby turned to Gray Grantham’s  (Denzel Washington) help, a reporter for the fictional 'Washington Herald' and a man in whom her lover believed. And now hunting started not only of Darby, but either of her friend, as the truth shouldn’t leak to the press.

  The film makes us think about many things, like an honor and justice, a real money and influence power, environmental protection, and law. It makes us think about our world, as we live in a lying and corrupt world, where money and power settle everything, where people (particularly the government) don’t think much of danger and consequences that their actions will cause. It shows us the same thing again, that sometimes people don’t want to believe the truth, which have been waiting so long.

  Speaking about the actors’ performances, I think to say that they played well, means to say nothing. As during the whole film I got an impression that all of them were created for these roles. I always liked Julia Roberts’ participation, and here she played excellent. Her character reminded me of Tess of ‘Ocean's Twelve’ (smart, purposeful and acting at her own risk). As for Denzel Washington (who was an embodiment of honor and justice), his acting is not inferior to Julia Roberts.

  To sum it up I’d like to say that I really liked this film. Despite of the duration and the amount of text (in comparison with actions) it didn’t seem boring. On the contrary, after the first assassination I was engrossed in the film, like I was not in my room, but there, in the film.