What's next?

Hello all.
Tonight was my last night of my last Tech Week ever. I have spent the last twelve years dancing for Washington Dance Studio and now it's all coming to a close. It seems like just yesterday that I was dancing in Blueberry Pie as a fresh kindergartner. Just kidding, that was a loooooong time ago. But I do remember the royal blue costumes with the sequined skirts and the blue hair piece. I had a bob back then, so I was extra adorable. I remember I did a dance about sunflowers in first or second grade. I did a dance to some song from Sesame Street. That was awesome. I remember my first year of jazz, we did a dance to the song Oklahoma. Those costumes were so fun and twirly. I did a dance with chairs to Who Are You. I also did a jazz dance to Sunglasses at Night and wore black trash-bag jumpsuits. Super awesome. There were so many dances that I'm reminiscing on right now (I just spelled reminiscing correctly on the first try) and it's making me super depressed. But remembering all of the fun times and dedication that I put into  my dancing years is good.

When I first tried out for Junior Company, I was a fresh-faced seventh grader with the notion to take over the world. Just kidding, but I was ready for a challenge. I had taken the required number of ballet and jazz classes to be able to try out for the company. When I got the news that I had made the team, I literally started crying because I was so happy. That was my first year of doing a character jazz piece. The next year I tried out for Junior Company again, but didn't make it. I remember sitting at my eighth grade track meet, icing my shin splints, when my mom texted me saying that I didn't make the cut. I cried a lot then also. It's safe to say that I cry a lot. After that I almost gave up on dance. But Jennie, our super awesome dance instructor, gave us some wise words. She said, "just because you don't make it, doesn't mean that this isn't your thing. It just might not be your thing at this point in time." (That's not actually a direct quote. I kind of improvised). I was so devastated about not making Junior Company that I didn't try out for company my ninth grade year. That was a huge mistake. I remember watching from the wings at recital as they did a super awesome choreography to the can-can. I've never, in my twelve years of dancing, been in a kick line and it makes me kind of sad.

For my tenth grade year I tried out for Senior Company and made it! That was the year that we did my favorite dance. It was a lyrical piece to Fix You by Coldplay. First of all, Coldplay is one of my all-time favorite bands. Second, the costume for that dance was so awesome. Third, the choreography was just amazing. Being on Senior Company was strange for me because everyone already knew each other fairly well from the previous year, so I was mostly the odd one out because I'm sort of an introvert. After that year, I became more and more self-motivated to do well. I took advantage of doing across-the-floors and practiced at constantly improving my leaps and my turns. I remember my first year back from taking a break from being on a company, I was so bad at doing turns in second. I thought they were the devil. But now, I think I'm pretty dang good at them.

So anyway, back to my main point. Tonight was the last night of Tech Week. We've been practicing since last summer. This Friday will be my last full recital. I have nine dances, nine chances to prove everything I've learned in the past twelve years. I get to show how much I've improved in my strength and grace. I get to prove that I am strong. I have the opportunity to show how well I can perform. I've literally been working for the last twelve years for this very weekend. I will go out on that stage on Friday night and give everything I have. I have poured my heart and soul into dance and I will pour my heart, soul, and every fiber of my being into performing for the audience.
It's going to be awesome.

I guess I also just want to take a second to thank my fellow dance sisters. You all push me every day to be better than I was the day before. Sometimes we get grumpy, sometimes we're silly, but you will never find us unmotivated or not dedicated to what we do. I also want to thank Jennie for being the most amazing dance teacher ever. She has the most amazing personality, morals, and thoughts about the world. She tells us every day that we are beautiful and amazing dancers (my goodness, I'm tearing up right now).
It's been real WDS. Thanks for the memories.
Peace.

Immigration: Enhancing Culture or Overpopulating?

What happened to the phrase “let freedom ring”?

Our ancestors came to America to escape prejudice, start a new life and to seek new opportunities. People in this day and age who come to our country are still doing exactly that, so why is it that we feel the need to call them aliens and look down on them in disgust? Technically, we are a nation of immigrants.

Immigration is not hurting the “American Experiment,” for we still have our individual rights and freedoms. Immigrants provide business connections to world markets, allowing America to profit in the global economy. Our economy is somewhat reliant on immigrants in the fact that producers have to adapt to constantly changing consumer demands. The people who come to America from other countries not only improve our influence on the world, but they also help to enhance our culture.

Culture has always fascinated me. I have always wanted to travel the world and indulge myself in the culture of other countries. If I don’t get the opportunity to actually go to other countries, I could just go introduce myself to the Arabic family who lives down the street or learn all about the culture of the family next door who moved here from Germany. My point is that there is already so much diversity in America and we should be embracing it, not shunning it.

Immigrants can’t be blamed for causing overpopulation, either, because the world is ever-growing. There will always be an increase of people in America, whether immigrants move here or not. America’s annual population growth of one percent is below our average growth rate of the last century. Without immigration, our labor force would drastically decrease.

The most diverse gathering of races and ethnicities from across the world is living in one place. That place is right here in the United States. This is the country where almost everyone’s ancestors came from somewhere else, so we have no room to judge someone for wanting to start a new life here. The people who are forced to leave their country have the drive to stand on their own somewhere new. They bring with them a sense of cultural wisdom, and that is what helps enrich America.

If you take the time to look, it’s not very hard to see the different cultures in the “melting pot” we call America. By realizing that other cultures that come into our country actually benefit us, maybe we can be less judgemental about someone not being “American.” Because in reality, everyone here is exactly the same.

Is It Too Late To Save The World From Pollution?

China is the world’s leading manufacturer of chemical fertilization, cement, and steel. After China’s eighth Five Year Plan from 1991 to 1995, in hopes to slow the economy to a manageable level, the nation had begun to show signs of stagnation and the Chinese government was forced to back off on their attempts to control the economy. Since this, the rate of output by industry skyrocketed. The Chinese government had declared a war on poverty, hoping to increase the amount of jobs available to the people. Essentially, the more people employed the more industrial facilities and vehicles are in use. Why does this matter? It matters because the more that China increases their industry, the more they are destroying our planet.

Of course, China isn’t the only country who has an issue with pollution. But to give an idea of how bad it is, the World Health Organization recommends a level of 25 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5, fine particles that pose a risk to human health, to be the the ceiling of safety. Beijing’s levels of concentration hit 505 micrograms per cubic meter just recently. Earlier this month, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences put out a report that Beijing’s considerable amounts of pollution deemed the city as almost “uninhabitable for human beings”. Chinese scientists have compared the country’s toxic air pollution to that of a nuclear winter. It is so bad that it is slowing photosynthesis in plants, destroying most of the country’s food supply.

This new declaration of “war on pollution” could turn out to be just as disastrous as the Great Leap Forward of 1950s when the government pushed to industrialize and collectivize, causing a famine that killed millions of people. Now that China has industrialized, it is killing even more of their citizens with its pollution. Studies show that 750,000 Chinese people die prematurely every year due to high pollution levels in big cities. In the past, Beijing was known as China’s capital of smog. Now, China has high levels of smog that extend all the way from Beijing to Shanghai and the levels are still increasing.

The pollution levels are so daunting that in larger cities, corporations are being called to limit production. A ban on fireworks and outdoor barbeques is even in effect. Schools and highways are being shut down and many flights to and from large cities in China have been canceled due to the putrid layer of smog that covers the cities.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang declared that China will fight the smog with the same intensity that they fought the war on poverty and he is encouraging the Chinese people to be more vigorous in protecting the land on which they live. This is all well and great, but studies from the National Academy of Sciences found that China’s pollution is starting to affect the western coast of the United States. These studies show that Chinese pollution related to exports contributes up to 12% to 24% of daily sulfate concentrations. Sulfate concentrations went up by 2%, and the ozone and carbon monoxide levels saw definite increases on the west coast.

So the question is, is it too late to fight the war on pollution now that China’s pollution is starting to spread to other nations? China’s government undoubtedly deserves recognition for increasing material welfare of the Chinese people over the past years, but they also deserve recognition for polluting the planet. China’s attempts to modernize and industrialize are making it sick rather than improving the country, and they are bringing the rest of the world down with them.

Ebola Crisis In West Africa

When I think about third world countries, I immediately think of things like their lack of fresh water or food. But the more I read into the problems of poverty stricken countries, the more I realize that at this point medical attention is what they need most. The most current medical scare in the world is taking place in Western Africa right now with an outrageous Ebola epidemic. Ebola is one of the world’s most deadly viral diseases and there have been numerous cases confirmed in Guinea, Africa. The problem with Ebola is that 90 percent of people who contract the virus die. These people are getting Ebola from handling infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelopes and porcupines found ill or dead in the rainforest. The virus is then passed through close contact with bodily "fluids such as blood, saliva and sweat of an infected person or animal. Ebola was first discovered in 1976 by two outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan, and Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, no known cure has been found for the virus, which is why this is creating such a panic. Symptoms of Ebola consist of sudden fevers, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches, and sore throats.

Intense symptoms like bleeding from the ears, and the popping of blood vessels are recorded to be some of the most horrific symptoms. West Africa is having troubles keeping the virus under control without having a cure. Ebola has started spreading from remote villages in Guinea’s rainforests to the more bustling African capital of Liberia. At this point, 90 deaths in Liberia have been recorded and the number is still climbing. As much as the government and health centers are doing their best to keep the civilians from panicking, angry southern Guinean citizens recently attacked a health center where patients were being treated. An unavoidable panic has started rising. Senegal has closed its border to Guinea. Morocco has increased their border control and neighboring countries are being asked to keep watch for more spreading of the virus.

Of course, we can assume that these African countries are working to find a cure for this virus, but I can’t help but think if there is any more that people can do. If they haven’t found a cure in 30-plus years, how do we know that there is even hope of one? With America’s many organizations that do things like building wells, sending supplies, or caring for orphans, we should also focus on helping countries with a lack of water and food. In order to stop something that could eventually be threatening to the entire world, we should be adamant about helping countries with limited medical attention.