Martina's Blog

There is an ongoing debate about whether water should be a commodity or a human right.  One side of the argument is that water should be a commodity, something that is bought and sold as a good between countries and nations.  The other side’s argument is that water should be a human right, something that everyone, everywhere can access for free.  In doing so, it would help out impoverished countries in a small way, but it would help.

Rights for Water

A very long time ago, water was free to anyone who needed it.  Nobody had to pay for a necessity of survival, like we do today.  The United Nations General Assembly has recognized that water is a necessity and should be a human right that everyone should have. In November 2002, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted General Comment No. 15 on the right to water. Article I.1 states that “The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights” (www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/) The General Comment No. 15 also stated the right to water as “the right of everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable and physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses.” (www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/).  And yet, around three billion people do NOT have access to safe water. (www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/) Also, on average women, in parts of Africa or other third world countries, have to walk distances that could take up too six or more hours to reach their destination only to find water that is not safe for use.  (www.sierraclub.org/committees/cac/water/human_right/) But what other choice do they have? People in third world countries do not have the  income to support the cost of clean usable water.  Some of the ways to ensure that access to clean water is free or affordable is, to buy from eco efficient companies or to sponsor an organization that would bring water for free to countries in need and build wells for them also, just to name a few.   This could not only aid the countries and people in need, but it could also be the start of a new way of living for all of humanity regardless of the state of economy.

Water as a Commodity

Many companies and organizations profit from the buying and selling of a main natural resource to all living things, water.  In doing so, they see this as a way to boost their economic ranks because water is a necessity of life and people need it to survive. If they have to buy it, they will.  These companies also sell it to the people in third world countries believing that they are improving the state of the impoverished communities.  Also since water is becoming scarce more and more companies and governments are privatizing their water sources that were originally shared with other countries or companies.  These private owners say  “If water distribution was privatized, prices for individual consumers would likely increase with use, which would have the positive side effect of encouraging conservation.” (www.2.macleans.ca/2011/07/07/turning-water-into-money/) This means that with water privatization the more people will become aware of how much water they use. Also, this makes people think of ways they can conserve the water source they have.

In my opinion water should be a human right because water is a necessity of life and it’s not possible to survive a long period of time without it.  By making water a commodity or privatizing it this makes it unfair to those who can not afford the price of water or are not healthy enough to make the journey to a fresh water source.  If water is made a human right, then people everywhere will have access to it without hassle and this enables them to take care of their families.  Of course there could be a limit on how much water is used so that it doesn’t run out, but with water as a right it would also make the struggle of life lessen for those of miss fortune.

In conclusion, my decision as to what water should be when it comes to humanity sways towards having it as a right, but I also see the points that the companies and organizations voting for water as a commodity, if they sell water then their businesses will thrive from the profit.  Both sides have very reasonable arguments, but what do you think water should be? A right, or a commodity?

In today’s global market any kind of change can affect the entire economic stability of a nation.  Living in Canada, we are lucky enough to have a natural resource right within our grasp that we can not only use for the needs of ourselves but to export those resources to other nations that need them.   Although, is there a point where we just have to stop exporting our resources?  Bringing things like food sources or forestation and housing supplies and resources does help other nations greatly, so does exporting our water, but if Canada’s fresh water is a flow resource, meaning that if we run out of water to quickly, it’s very unlikely that we would be able to replenish it.  Also, if nations decide to own their own water flow – stopping other countries from gaining access to the water that was once flowing to them and keeping it for themselves alone. Then this could affect the environmental sustainability of the countries that got cut off from a huge source of water.

The Big Question, ‘Can countries remain self-sustaining with a stable economic system without sacrificing their environment?’

In Canada, there are so many ways we can profit from sale of our natural resources.  For example, Canada will export food, lumber, and water to other countries and then we import much of the same from them.  Although this is a good way to profit from trading and selling our natural resources, we do it in mass quantities.  This means that our ecosystem is failing because of the rate we are taking things like water and lumber.  As I mentioned, if we run out of a resource to quickly then it is very unlikely that we can replenish it.  This could plunge our economy into poverty and this causes our whole country to waste away much like places in Africa, where it is very rare not to see an impoverished community in some places in that country.  This is because their natural resources are very small or they have none at all.  There is a contaminated water source, or little or no rain which destroys the crops.  Certain places have draughts because of their climate which impacts them even more.  This isn’t something that can be helped, which is why they rely on other countries for their resources so that they can try to survive without their own.

Any country can be self-sustaining with a stable economic system without sacrificing their environment by finding a way they can support their economy.  For example, in Qatar, they support their economy by running large oil companies because that is a main profit source for them. Yes this does impact the environment some, but if a country can find a source that is very plentiful in their country, then they can trade the resources they have with other countries for the resources that they need to sustain themselves.  Also, if your country has a large agricultural based economy, like Brazil, then you can use this to your advantage as a renewable resource to trade.  The problem for most countries is that they either don’t have a renewable resource and that what they do have is disappearing too fast, like a water source, or they didn’t really have a resource to begin with because it disappeared too quickly.  This makes things difficult for economy to grow and thrive because without renewable resource other resources a country might have would die out.  This is a problem because it changes the perception of what a country might want.  If all countries found a resource that they knew wouldn’t diminish to quickly or that would last forever then they could not only support themselves economically, but they could also support their environment.

In my opinion, countries with a large amount of resources they can not only profit from but also use to help others should not be privatized but used and sold in moderation.  We definitely need to be careful how we distribute our resources to others but it would be wrong to cut them off.  Countries like Qatar, Africa, Australia, etc. are lacking in much needed resources to survive, water being a main one.  Of course Canada has a plentiful amount of resources that can help struggling countries but if we help with their way of living too much we might end up with nothing ourselves.

In conclusion, by moderately distributing resources instead of keeping everything we have to ourselves, we as a country could help other countries get on their feet so that they can start their own amount of resources as to not always have to rely on the help of others. This way, we won’t destroy or run out of our resources and neither will the countries that are struggling to survive without very many themselves.

“In life, as in novels, choices have consequences for people.  How are choices made, what are the effects of those choices and how do people respond to them?”

When choices are made, there are a variety of different reactions and responses people can have.  They may try to change your choice, or they could support you in your decisions.  Choices, like Clary deciding to try to find her mother who was kidnapped by a powerful  Shadowhunter named Valentine.  Jace and the other  Shadowhunters stood behind her in this decision, while Valentine and his followers want to kidnap her as well, but they can’t have her as long as she is protected by Jace and the Shadowhunters.  Also, choices like Kylie’s when she chose to find her father’s adopted parents and try to find more information about what she is.  But some people want her to stop digging and this could endanger her life based on choices made by others.

Clary decided to go after her mother because, A) apart from Luke, her mother is the only family she has, and B) her mother knows why Clary has “The Sight” and also why what she really is was hidden from her.  Alec, Isobel, and Hodges told Clary that she should just leave her mother and that she was just a human that could never survive against Valentine and his followers.  Jace however, told them that Clary is different and that if she finds her mom she can find out why she is that way.  Kylie wants to know what she is so that she can identify herself in the supernatural community, and also so she can finally tell her mother the truth about herself and her father.  Holiday, Burnett, Della, Miranda, Lucas, Derek and Kylie’s father are all trying to help her.  They tell her to follow her leads and her gut feeling.  There are also some not so good supernaturals that want Kylie’s power for themselves.  When Kylie gets a lead on her father’s adopted parents and they come to the camp to visit.  Her father’s ghost tries telling Kylie that something is wrong, as does Holiday, but Kylie chooses not to listen.  By doing so, she puts her life in jeopardy.  Kylie’s friends wish that she had listened but help her any way they can regardless.

A big decision I made that was news to many people was deciding to come to Destinations.  My family was so happy and were encouraging me to further my learning, but my friends didn’t want me to leave.  My best friend was especially distraught that I was leaving, but they all supported my decision.  I still go and see them from time to time, but coming to Destinations was the best choice ever!  I met new people, and got to experience new things here.  Sometimes I miss my old school but I love my new one so much.  Like Clary and Kylie I made a life changing decision.  I will never know what the outcome might have been had I not gone to Destinations, but in coming here the outcome was good.  I know I mad the right decision just like Clary and Kylie were thinking in their minds when they chose to act on certain things.

When choices are mad in the world for the world, the consequences and outcomes can be huge and effect nearly the whole population.  For example, if governments and countries choose to make peace and alliance with each other every one can choose to be open to different societies, cultures, and ways of living, but if governments and countries decide to rage war on each other, billions are effected. People rebel, try to make peace, or fight against other authority.  this could lead to the destruction of races, cultures, religions, and humanity itself.  All of this can be avoided or acted on based on the decisions of one or many, and the responses to those choices by one or many.

“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”

~Albert Einstein

I think this reflects great thinking that I’ve done in my life because, there are so many things that you can know about, but by thinking outside of the box, which I like to do, you can accomplish anything.  By just having knowledge alone isn’t going to get you very far unless you are willing to be open to new things and use your imagination.

In geography class, we have been studying the qualities of life in countries around the world (literacy rate, life expectancy and GDP per capita) with the assistance of the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI).  We were assigned with different developmental challenges to study. My group was focused on education for all. We had to look for evidence about the quality of life experienced by people confronting this challenge.

There were; agriculture and rural development, child labor, children of war, disaster relief, education for all, pollution, health and nutrition, humanitarian aid for refugees, and water and sanitation.

Which aspects of quality of life seem to be most frequently absent among people facing development challenges? Why might this be the case?

The aspects of quality of life that seem to be most frequently absent among people facing development challenges are, food and nutrition, and clean water and reasonable sanitation. This is the case because, mostly a lack of income for all of the people that can gain access to jobs.  On that point there is a low income rate because not many people have access to education in third world countries because of certain laws made by the government. For example in some countries girls are not allowed to attend school. Also in some cases if you don’t have enough money then you cannot attend school either.

Which aspects of quality of life seem to be the most frequently present despite the development challenges people face? Why might this be the case?

The aspects of quality of life that seem to be the most frequently present despite the development challenges people face are, access to education and freedom to act on one’s beliefs and wishes.  This is the case because, more and more countries are opening up to the realization that by giving others the chance to access a proper education and freedom to express their beliefs there will be more access to health care and nutrition because there will be more people that will study to be doctors or scientists to help better others. More doctors means more people that can be treated from sickness, and more scientists mean that there would be more people to create antidotes for the ill and more people to help find cures for diseases. Also if people have the freedom to express and act on their beliefs and wishes I think that there would be a lot less war because the people of each country could voice their ideas on a better and safer approach. In any case, access to education and freedom to act on one’s beliefs and wishes will have a benefit to everyone.

Words of wisdom, you can take them or leave them, but trust me it would be wise to listen. 

Words of Wisdom

To be open-minded you have to be open to new things. When, you are faced with a problem or when doing a project being open-mided will help you greatly.

In our Portfolio class we have been studying what great community members do.  From this we have been learning how we can become great community members, both in our class learning community, and in the world.  After playing games that required collaboration, open-mindedness and responsibility, we then studied people from history: Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.  From these experiences we learned more about the power of one person’s actions, allowing us to then reflect on the power of our actions within our community.  My answer to the question below is a reflection of what I have learned in this unit.

Why is it important for community members to be open-minded, responsible, and collaborative?  Use your knowledge of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to support your reasoning.

It is important for community members to be open-minded, responsible, and collaborative because, by being all of these you can achieve so much. For example, by being open minded you are open to new ideas and new things. This could help with being able to understand other people and situations better so you can help those around you, like Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X did in fighting for the rights of others. An example of being a responsible member in a community is –like MLK Jr. And Malcolm X- when you take full effort in making sure that whatever you are responsible for is your job and not someone else’s. MLK Jr. was responsible because he was a leader, so was Malcolm X. Leader’s need to have responsibility so that they know that they have to put themselves first. Without this you are a selfish person and not very trustworthy.  It’s important for community members to be collaborative because without collaboration then you will always be close minded and want to do things by yourself, or with certain people, but in reality you are going to have to work with lots of different people and you are going to have to make it work in order to succeed. An example of collaboration was when MLK Jr. led the protest for human rights. He listened to others ideas and worked with them to increase the chances of succeeding in creating equal rights for everyone. In conclusion, being open-minded, responsible and collaborative are great traits to have as a community member because, like I said in the beginning we can achieve so much. We will have fewer disagreements with others, we will be more open to new ideas, and we will live a happier and healthier life in our communities and countries.

In literacy class we have been making poetry of all sorts.  Today we had to post three poems that we made.

Here is my acrostic poem, my cinquain and my sonnet.

My acrostic

Laughter can brighten my darkest days

Imagination is the key to other worlds

Value: that is what everyone’s life has

Explore, discover, create, you have a long life to live.

My cinquain

Art

Colourful, Creative

Creating, Drawing, Sketching

Full of sparkling awesomeness

Everything

My sonnet

Bullying

You wake up scared to face another day.

Getting slammed, pushed down falling on your face.

You just want them to stay far, far away.

They look at you in such great, great disgrace.

You want to fight back with all of your might.

But instead you run, hide, cower in fear.

Thank goodness you have gone out of their sight.

You think to yourself what a bad school year.

Days pass, you have finally had enough.

You want to take a stand against bullies.

You know that sometimes decisions can be tough.

You feel better, with no anxieties.

Stand up for others treated like you were.

Stand proud the past is now a fuzzy blur.

Thank you for taking the time to read my three poems.  I really hope that you enjoyed them!