Indifference is a Problem

By: Daniela Silva

A new commercial from Save the Children has been making its rounds around the web in providing insight on the very real situation going down in Syria. The video depicts a young girl, taking video snapshots in her day to day life. It gradually turns into havoc, despair, and tragedy as her normal childhood is turned into a terrible rendition of hide and seek. The war has unfortunately killed over 11,000 children, and many more may face this unimaginable demise.

So, before you press play, keep in mind that this sort of tragedy exists. Children also succumb to the war and terror that we as adults are responsible for. If your childhood didn't end like this, you really have a lot to be thankful for.


                                

                                    I do not take any ownership of the video and its contents.

Drug Users Beware

By: Daniela Silva
A new drug craze has hit the American streets once again, this time it is rapidly taking away the lives of many drug users. Heroin laced with fentanyl; a powerful prescription drug used for severe around the clock pain and used for those to have chronic pain.

Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine this drug is mixed with heroin and distributed to drug users. Dozens have died in the past few weeks; the previous outbreak in 2006 killed hundreds of people. Police are desperate to find a solution before many more people die from the use of the drug.

Peace in pieces.

Syrian peace talks no longer justify the amount of deaths that occur in Syria, at least 100 people a day lose their lives in the attempt to make the most out of the rubble they used to call home.
With the last peace talk on Friday, the number of deaths a day have not declined, and many are still suffering in the hands of the government. On February 1st, oil drums full of explosives and tightly packed shrapnel were used against the Syrian people by the government; a cruel war crime indeed. These Shrapnel packed oil drums have now taken the lives of 700 people, and since 2011, the war itself has costed the lives of more than 130,000 people and is responsible for the homelessness of over 6 million people.

Do GMO's affect you?

By: Daniela Silva

     When providing a balanced diet for your children, to what extent do you control the nutritional value and safety of their food? One of the most important things you can do to help your child’s overall health is to maintain a healthy diet; full of organic, natural, raw material. Labels also help us make decisions as to what would be a healthier choice for our families. Nonetheless, more than 70% of produce in grocery stores have genetically modified (GM) ingredients that we cannot identify, owing to an absence of labeling. Almost all produce is distributed by Monsanto a company specialized in biotechnology; in other words, specialized in manipulating biological development for their own industrial use. In what way can this be healthy? How may we identify what is safe to eat?  

       Monsanto is a company that seeks to be a hero in a world of famine, using biotechnology to reduce water usage and waste, which by me; that doesn't sound bad at all. However despite their efforts there is more waste being generated and it is impacting the health of consumers, and obviously negatively impacting the ecosystem as well. Mass suicides in India’s agricultural work fields are said to be a result of Monsanto’s Bt cotton, and with further study on Monsanto’s other product; Bt corn, is now considered a pesticide by many.  Both The institute for responsible technology and the organic consumers association are concerned of the long term effects of the toxin as a result of the corn’s capability of producing the pesticide in every kernel of corn. It has been banned in 64 countries to have GM foods without labels.  However it is still kept in our grocery stores

    What is significantly alarming is that we don’t know to what extent genetically modified foods are safe for consumption; how much GM foods occupy our grocery stores. Some tests on store bought produce show that genetically modified foods can link to leukemia, anemia, allergens, and horizontal gene transfer. Whereas Monsanto has stated the food to be”… “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) in the United States, and are considered safe by food safety experts globally.”  Beneficial or not, we are not given the opportunity to make a decision democratically whether or not if it should be on our grocer’s shelves. In addition it is difficult to identify genetically modified products so we are not able to avoid these foods as a whole. As a consumer, I support banning non-labeled GMO foods; do research your local grocery stores and genetically modified products. You’ll be glad you did.

Suffocating among the dead.

By: Daniela Silva
To an inspector's dismay over 1600 animals were found tightly packed in crates in a south african airport earlier today. The smell had caught the inspectors attention and he immediately opened it to discover hundreds upon hundreds of reptiles and amphibians crammed into small containers with other species. One third of the animals were found dead and decomposing, crates and boxes included  vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered species. Many are in critical state but are slowly but surely stabilizing, some may not recover.

It is believed that the animals are supplied from Madagascar; a country that is well known for its diverse multitude of wildlife and was destined to arrive at the united states. It is believed that the animals were predestined to be sold in exotic pet markets. It is being determined whether or not this it animal cruelty, however it should not difficult to conclude.

Animal cruelty is an appalling reality in our world. We have a duty to protect innocent beings, and this should not be limited to our people. Many animals could not turn around  in these containers, nor were they given food or water for their journey. These animals were left for five days in conditions that had taken the lives of many due to cannibalism, organ failure, dehydration and skin infections from the decomposing animals beneath them.

Honey; not so sweet anymore.

By: Daniela Silva

Honey becomes more valuable after every drop consumed, due to the astonishing decline of our apinae friends. Honey bees of all different species are dropping dead from various diseases and viruses, yet; this has not become a serious concern for many. With the rapid collapse of hives and species it has become brutally detrimental to our ecosystem and our flora; and detrimental to our future perseverance. Colony collapse disorder and many other diseases are contributing to the demise of our bees; a crucial part of life.

Colony collapse disorder; also known as spring dwindle, fall dwindle disease, autumn collapse and disappearing disease has been observed to  affect beehives worldwide creating disastrous effects for the apinae. The bees become hesitant to eat, young bees will take over most of the workforce until the hive becomes dormant of adult bees.Many disappear without a trace and are presumed dead. However the hive is not completely left alone, capped brood still remain and the queen remains in the hive

It is presumed that pesticides and insecticides may be the prime source of colony collapse disorder, however scientists are not certain and continue to study this phenomenon. Without bees, we are looking at the endangerment of a vast majority of our flora, ecosystems and animals who depend on bees for the pollination of their food source then have to completely alter the way they live; possibly leading to the endangerment of animal species.

The way this can affect us is through pharmaceuticals; due to the fact that most medicines are plant based.Without the production of plants we would lose many different medications that people depend on such as morphine. Bio fuel will become scarce; making us dependent on fossil fuels and non renewable energies. Most importantly, the air we breathe will become polluted and life will become unsustainable. Our ecosystem relies on this species, and we need to further take charge and protect these small creatures. Do your part and limit the use of pesticides and insecticides. Your life may depend on it.