Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Coral crisis

Abstract

The topic of this research paper is coral crisis. It argues that coral reefs are still shrinking and bleaching because of other hidden factors. There are three elements for this argument. First, marine tourism is a real killer that destroys coral’s habitats. The soil erosion of grazing land, furthermore, injects a huge amount of chemical substances into the marine ecology. Finally, the jellyfish feed on corals as nutrients, and some underwater creatures absorb many algae which adhere to the surface of coral reefs.

“Coral reefs are made of limestone and are created by living things. The most important reef-building organisms are corals. Coral support over 25% of all known marine species” (Levinton, 1995, para.1). Coral reef organisms and communities have evolved over the past 40-55 million years (Bothner, 2002). By 1998, an estimated 11 percent of the world’s reefs had been destroyed by human activity, and an additional 16 percent were extensively damaged in 1997-98 by coral beaching (Wilkinson, 2000). According to Liebeler (2002), furthermore, coral reefs are the rainforests of the ocean. Reefs lay a foundation of ecological ecosystems for marine creatures, and have a high biodiversity that serves as a storage bank of rich genetic resources. They can not only provide a source of food and medicine, but also protect the coast from wave erosion. “Reefs support at least a million described species of animals and plants, and 8 million coral reef species are estimated to be as yet undiscovered” (Moore, 2003, para.2). In recent years, some scientific reports have already proved, coral reefs have been severely damaged by human activities, and the coral crisis is happening over the world. In Caribbean, “nearly two-thirds of coral reefs are threatened by at least one form of human activity. An estimated one-third of coral reefs are threatened by coastal development, sediment, and pollution from land-based sources” (Burke, 2005, para.5). Moreover, corals are subject to global warming, “man-made activities, trawling, ocean acidification and other influences” (Loft, 2008, para.8).

With those obvious hurtful reasons, coral reefs are still shrinking and bleaching because of other factors. Firstly, tourism is a real killer that destroys coral’s habitats. The scuba diving is not only a famous oceanic activity in the world, but also one of the serious culprits that pollute natural resources. The soil erosion of grazing land, moreover, injects a huge amount of chemical substances into the marine ecology. Parts of the sediments contain rich nutrition to enrich bacteria and algae, which affect coral’s growth and reproduction. Finally, the jellyfish feed corals as nutrients, and some underwater creatures absorb algae which adhere to the surface of coral reefs. Those tiny plants are like an umbrella that shields reefs from direct sunlight.

Marine tourism, first, is continually killing coral reefs. It is difficult to draw a dividing line between tourism and coral reefs. According to the Nature Conservancy, “the annual economic value of coral reefs to world tourism is $9.6 billion” (Tsui, 2007, para.3). This is a serious statistic that indicates that a number of countries’ development is related with the tourist industry, which hangs on the natural environment. In 2003, according to a 2002 report, “between 28,000 and 100,000 people per year visited coral reefs, with diving and snorkeling being the most popular marine recreation activities” (Moore, 2003, para.12). These oceanic activities not only produce oil spills and sewage to stain the quality of the water, but also become a lure to invite more tourists. Scuba diving, for example, is a famous oceanic activity over many countries. When people join scuba diving activities, some divers collect these coral reefs as souvenirs, take them away in aquariums, or touch them. If humans continue to expand the development of the tourism in coral regions, marine tourism will also become a helper of global warming. If countries do not ban or reduce the tourism in these natural fields, corals will constantly be wiped out in decades. How to solve the tourism problem and balance the ecosystem? Governments must migrate marine tourism to terrestrial activities. In the beginning, they can chart more working opportunities for residents, or reduce the tax to invite investors. Then, the development of terrestrial tourism will follow the step to grow up. This method can both shield these precious creatures, and balance business for people who depend on oceanic industries for survival.

Second, sediments shrink the reproduction of corals. The soil erosion of grazing land dumps large amounts of sediments and nutrients into the ocean. They contain various chemical substances and nutrients that pollute the quality of water. A number of coral reefs are influenced by the pollutants that diminish their spawning capacity. The highest erosion risks that affected coral ecosystem have occurred “in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Eastern Jamaica, Haiti, and Puerto Rico” (Hodgson, 2002. para.3). Besides, the soil erosion provides nourishment to stimulate algae and decline the growth of underwater plants. Coral reefs are subject to the crown of thorns starfish, because sediments inject abundant nutrients into the marine ecology that stimulate starfish’s growth. “The plagues of starfish are a sign of the Reef being out of balance” (Wylie, 2007, para.6). Also, farming is the other culprit to use poisonous products. Farmers, for example, have employed a huge amount of pesticides to keep their agriculture from other insects. These agricultural chemicals have already accumulated into underground soil for a long period. When a flood flushes the soil into the water, these pollutants will bruise the living system of corals, prevent coral spawning, and deprive it of its capacity of regeneration. Following human activities, the erosion rates have elevated in recent decades. With the accelerated erosion, the sediment drastically reduces the amount of light reaching coral reefs. The result is corals cannot acquire sufficient oxygen to survive, because these zooxanthellae which stick to the surface of reefs cannot complete photosynthesis. Also, a huge amount of accumulation of sediment will wipe out coral communities, because these creatures require hard and stable surfaces to grow. Without coral reefs on the underwater land, many beaches and buildings would become vulnerable to wave action and storm damage. To prevent the sediments, therefore, a suitable grazing management program will be a crucial key in protecting and balancing the coral reefs. If we forbid poisonous products, also, land will not become saturated with pollutant. Using the organic material to irrigate and nurture the agriculture is the best way to shelter corals from pesticides. Consumers can support organic farming by purchasing organic foods, and this action will encourage farmers to advocate the organic policy.

Lastly, the jellyfish feed on corals as nutrients, and some underwater creatures such as stonefish consume algae as food that stick to the coral. Coral reefs are easily attacked by jellyfish, which are the most poisonous creatures that feed on corals in marine ecology. Jellyfish is one of the true coral-killers. “In Australia, box jellyfish are among the deadliest forms of ocean life, with one species, Chironex flecken, considered the world’s most venomous marine creature” (Burke, 2005, para.12). Following the agricultural activities and some industries, for instance, sewage and sediments become good helpers that store rich nourishment below the soil and underground reservoirs. These substances can not only stimulate the growth of bacteria and algae, but also enrich the energy for reef-predators. With the growth of jellyfish, coral reefs will rapidly lose their life. According to Levinton (1995), global warming and the loss of predators to fishing nets are leading to a bloom of jellyfish all over the world (para.12).

Stonefish, furthermore, absorb algae which adhere to the surface of the coral reefs. These fish depend on the algae, so coral reefs continually lose their natural protection. “When the algae die, corals appear white and are referred to as bleached” (Loft, 2008, para.6). Coral reefs, under the umbrella of algae, can avoid bleaching from the sun, because they need to grow in the shadow environments. A huge amount of light will bleach these underwater creatures. Besides, the zooxanthellae can provide corals with oxygen. These algae not only support corals’ abundant nutrients, but also shield them from bleaching. “Algae is critical to the growth and maintenance of the reef ecosystem. If there is not enough algae, the coral will die because it will not be able to acquire food and oxygen” (Moore, 2003, para.4). Consequently, if the population of coral-eaters, which are not seriously affected by rising temperature or pollutants, cannot be controlled by the food chain, coral reefs will keep being killed. How to avoid the phenomenon? Some scientists suggest that “corals and reef-building could migrate to higher latitudes in response to global warming” (Hodgson, 2002, para.23). With the suggestion, the marine ecosystem will maintain a number of green plants that support the food chain. Therefore, they will support enough algae to shield corals.

Opponents of depending on coral reefs declare that it is unreasonable to forbid the man-made activities in coral regions, because the coral crisis is a natural process and an ecological phenomenon. This argument, however, does not illustrate a clear-cut testimony of avoiding global warming. When residences overly employ the natural treasures to balance their business, the global temperature is rapidly rising to render more huge natural disasters. In recent years, an example of natural havoc is the weather crack in the regular activity that made a serious change in China. Parts of the Chinese continent were covered by a severe storm of snow in summer. This catastrophe destroyed thousands of humans’ lives, because people wildly damaged the natural conditions to fulfill their desires. Moreover, coral reefs can keep humankind from floods, because they are attached to the solid land at the bottom of the ocean. These creatures can reduce the impact of waves when hurricanes happen on the ocean. Because of these harmful influences, coral reefs must be sheltered to balance the ecosystem. All hurtful actions which are related with corals must be banned by every country in the world.

With this powerful evidence, coral reefs are continually attacked by oceanic tourism, sediments, and some poisonous creatures. These influences seem to be some inevitable evils that shadow corals. If human beings do not focus their attention on those physical factors, the marine resources will vanish from the earth in decades. This result will not only affect the living of all organism and humans, but also elevate greenhouse effects. Human beings must remember that the oceanic ecosystem occupies a fourth of natural resources on earth. The royal road to cherish our globe, therefore, is to restrict man-made activities in these corals’ environment right now.


References

Bothner, T. (2002, March 23). Early warning signs: Coral reefs bleaching. UCS. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from http://wwwucsusa.org/global_warming/sicence/early-warming-signs-of-global-warmimg-coral-reef-bleaching.htm

Burke, L. (2005, August 12). Reefs at risk in the Caribbean. EarthTrends. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from http://wwwearthtrends.wri.org/features/view_feature.php

Hodgson, G. & Liebeler, J. (2002, August). The global coral reef crisis: trends and solutions. Reefcheck. Retrieved June 9, 2008, from http://www.reefcheck.org/about_RC_Reef/The_Global_Coral_Reef_Crisis_Trends_and_Solutions.php

Levinton, J.S. (1995, January 23). What are corals and coral reefs? Coris. Retrieved June 9, 2008, from http://coris.noaa.gov/about/what_are

Loft, K. (2008, April 21). Coral Crisis: Global warming, trawling, pollutants threaten the world’s coral population. Journalnow.com. Retrieved May 20, 2008, from http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/apr/21/coral-crisis-global-warming-trawling-pollutants-th

Moore, F. (2003, May 8). Coral reef crisis: Causes and consequences. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved June 9, 2008, from http://www.aaas.org/international/africa/coralreefs/ch1.shtml

Quek, T. (2007, June 28). Tourism players dive into bid to save Barrier Reef; One shopowner even forms political party to push for government action. Straits Times (Singapore). Retrieved May 28, 2008, from LexisNexis.

Tsui, B. (2007, June 24). Saving coral reefs becomes a tourism priority. Toronto Star. Retrieved May 29, 2008, from LexisNexis.

Wilkinson, T. (2000, November 12). Coral reefs still in danger from tourism head. Science. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci

Wylie, P. (2007, September 29). Less beef could mean a healthier Reef. Courier Mail (Australia). Retrieved June 2, 2008, from LexisNexis.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Chat and writing

Is instant message a better writing tool for students? Following the advance of the technology in 21st century, the IM technology is a popular tool for young students. They can not only type the message to chat with each other, but also improve social skills by Internet. Many students think that chatting by instant message will sharpen their writing abilities. In my opinion, however, using IM technology is only helpful for social skills or conversation, because it is a knee-jerk response. In a writing class, students need to focus their attention on grammar, logic, rhetoric and diction.

Grammar, first, lays an elementary foundation for writing. To understand the functions of grammar will benefit people in expressing correct information. Also, the grammar is related with structure and organization in composition. When writers compose an essay, for instance, they need to branch an article into three parts, including introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion. Students will learn how to use the correct grammar, to manage the powerful structures, and to organize the ideas into each parts.

With the grammar element, furthermore, logic is a clear-cut sign of composition. To chat with IM technology, people do not pay attention to think about anything or meaning. According to Lee (2002), teenagers write their composition with shortened words, and employ informal characters like &, $, and @. They use the same thinking model, instead of the one preferred for formal writing at school (paras.12-14). In writing assignments ,however, to exhibit logical expression will play a significant role.If students do not obey the logical principle to write an essay, for example, each idea or purpose cannot be pieced together. They will also jump their central thesis out of the article.

Finally, diction and rhetoric are the crucial ingredients: there is nothing that can be paralleled or on the same parity with them. Reading is the key point to enrich the article before writing at school. To write a compelling composition, the diction and
rhetoric will be like the diamonds that make the content sparkle. Nowadays, students do not pay more attention to enlarging their knowledge for writing. “Traditional ways of thinking and learning are undergoing a “sea change”” (Guess, 2007, para.17). Chatting with IM technology makes it impossible to improve their writing abilities.

Grammar, logic, diction and rhetoric are the critical elements to manage a compelling composition. Using instant message, therefore, is not the royal road to enforce their writing skills. The IM technology only fulfills the need for social conversation for students.

References

Guess, A. (2007, September 17), Students’ Evolving use of technology, Inside Higher Ed, Retrieved June 17, 2008, from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/09/17/it

Lee, J. (2002, September). Nu shortcuts in school R 2 much 4 teachers, NY Times,Retrieved June 17, 2008, from http://www.tinyurl.com/5p7vtb

Friday, June 6, 2008

The crisis is hidden on sediment

In Wylie’s (2007) article entitled “Less beef could mean a healthier Reef”, the author illustrates that the soil erosion of grazing land dumps large amounts of sediment and nutrients into the ocean. They contain various chemical substances and nutrients that pollute the quality of water. First, sediments shrink the reproduction of corals. A number of coral reefs are influenced by the pollutant that diminishes their spawning capacity. The soil erosion, furthermore, provides nourishment to stimulate algae and decline the growth of underwater plants. Coral reefs, finally, are subject to the crown of thorns starfish, because sediments inject abundant nutrients into the marine ecology that stimulate starfish’s growth. “The plagues of starfish are a sign of the Reef being out of balance” (Wylie, 2007, para.6). In conclusion, suitable grazing management will play a significant role in protecting and balancing the barrier reefs.

In my opinion, the phenomenon of soil erosion is a serious warning that strikes between grazing land and coral reefs. According to some reports, those soils which are eroded from grazing land still contain a diversity of pesticides, encourage poisonous creatures to grow, and consist of plentiful acid ingredients. With these harmful factors, organizing grazing lands will be the best method to control the coral crisis.

The first effect to leap on the stage is the pesticide. Farming is the main culprit to use poisonous products. Farmers, for example, have employed a huge amount of toxic products to protect their agriculture from other insects. These agricultural chemicals have already accumulated into underground soil for a long period. When a flood flushes the soil into the water, these pollutants will bruise the living system of corals, prevent coral spawning, and deprive it of its capacity of regeneration.

Sediments, moreover, contain abundant nutrients to furnish jellyfish, which are the most poisonous creatures that feed on corals in marine ecology. Jellyfish is one of the true coral-killers. Agricultural activities become a good helper that gather and store rich nourishment below the soil of the ground. These substances can not only stimulate the growth of bacteria and algae, but also enrich the energy for reef-predators. With the growth of jellyfish, coral reefs will rapidly lose their life.

The rising level of ocean acidification, finally, will destroy underwater corals. With the development of farming, grazing lands are already saturated with injurious materials that carry high acidity. Those chemical substances will accompany floods that pour the acidic elements into the ocean. Following the escalating sediments, for instance, it will not only shrink the living space of marine capacity for corals, but also damage its reproductive system. highlighting the threat of ocean acidification, additionally, we see that it will kill the amount of marine plants that circle the quality of water for reefs.

In conclusion, if human beings want to shield the coral reefs, managing the grazing land will lay a foundation for them. It is difficult to draw a dividing line between soil and marine ecosystems. To preserve and cherish the grazing land is the key to keeping these natural resources. With the pesticide, jellyfish, and acidification, coral reefs will quickly be extinct in marine ecology.

Reference

Wylie, P. (2007, September 29). Less beef could mean a healthier Reef. Courier Mail (Australia). Retrieved June 2, 2008, from LexisNexis.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Save economy or Save Barrier Reef

In Quek’s (2007) article entitled “Tourism players dive into bid to save Barrier Reef; One shopowner even forms political party to push or government action”, the author states that some tourism operators have organized a group to support the global warming phenomenon in Australia. They describe that it is global warming that has destroyed the reef. First of all, the Great Barrier Reef attracts more than two million visitors to visit Australia every year. Most tourist industries depend on natural resources to survive. Moreover, if government forbids the tourism industries to protect the natural treasures, which reduce the global warming effects, the country will not exist. Lastly, an environmental lawyer announced that he is pushing “Australian policymakers on the need to set appropriate targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions” (para.15). In conclusion, these coral reefs clearly indicate that “global warming in the last 20 years is real. It is not just a geological phenomenon” (para. 23).

In my opinion, I strongly suggest to ban tourism in Australia, because it is the best way that prevent the damage of rising temperature to threaten coral reefs. If tourism is forbidden in Australia, first, residents will lose their income to survive. Education, additionally, is the central key to protect these natural resources. Finally, government can divide the area of coral reefs into two parts, one part is provided for visiting, the other is shielded to balance the environment.

The first reason is the business effects. “Australia’s Great Barrier Reef alone draws about 1.9 million visitors a year, supporting a $4.2 billion industries. According to the Nature Conservancy, the annual economic value of coral reefs to world tourism is $9.6 billion” (Tsui, 2007, para.3). It is difficult to draw a dividing line between income and coral reefs, because the country’s development is a tourist industry that hangs on the natural environment. For example, scuba diving is a famous activity in Australia. There are many industries to produce the related equipment, to supply entertainment, and to service the tourists. If the area of coral reefs is closed to reduce the rising crisis in the marine ecosystem, the unemployment caused by residents losing their income will hit a new high.

Moreover, education lays the foundation of protecting the environment for a global climate. Educating human beings to cherish and maintain our precious marine ecology is a basic key resolving the global crisis. For instance, government can arrange some marine program that introduces endangered species in a compulsory education system. When people join scuba diving activities, they should not be able to take these coral reefs off as souvenirs or touch them. Additionally, tourists should not be able to pour any chemical substances into the oceanic environment. If humans obey these rules when they enjoy oceanic entertainment, tourism will not become a helper of global warming.

With the business and education factors, finally, government can separate the underwater area into two parts. One part of coral reefs can be exhibited for visitors to cruise, dive, and admire. To prohibit travel in coral reefs, human beings will use illegal behaviors to enjoy the oceanic environment. The policy will invite a far-reaching impact to make a dent in underwater ecology. Officers, for example, can chart a clear-cut management to employ some of natural resources. This field provides researchers with research, attracts visitors to consume, or stimulates the local economy.

In conclusion, restricting the tourism protects coral reefs in Australia is not a suitable or permanent policy to reduce the global effects. Some countries which depend on tourism for business will raise the unemployment. Also, the education is the most fundamental way to protect the Earth. Finally, people still need some natural places to relax and research. Following these factors, tourism and coral reefs are related with each other. We can’t restrict anyone.

Reference

Quek, T. (2007, June 28). Tourism players dive into bid to save Barrier Reef; One shopowner even forms political party to push or government action. Straits Times (Singapore). Retrieved May 28, 2008, from LexisNexis.

Tsui, B. (2007, June 24). Saving Coral Reefs Becomes a Tourism Priority. Toronto Star. Retrieved May 29, 2008, from LexisNexis.

Friday, May 30, 2008

The coral crisis is boiling to the surface

In Loft’s (2008) article entitled “Coral Crisis: Global warming, trawling, pollutants threaten the world’s coral population”, the author states that the rising temperature around the world is continually hitting the population of coral reefs: the biggest underwater ecosystem on earth. First of all, the coral reefs occupy a fourth of marine resources. The ecosystem is related with the living life of human beings and oceanic creatures. Human beings must pay more attention to preserving and managing the natural treasures before the crisis expand to an extinction. Global warming, moreover, is not the only culprit that destroys the coral reefs. They are subject to “man-made pollution, trawling, ocean acidification and other influences” (para.8). Finally, the coral reefs are identical with the rain forest in that they balance the natural ecology on Earth. They are a significant sign of environmental phenomena to maintain the marine ecosystem. In conclusion, some experts think that parts of coral reefs have already adapted to the warmer water, although the global warming causes a far-reaching effect of bleaching these oceanic creatures.

In my opinion, I agree that those factors make a stir to damage the marine ecology. Following the rising temperature factor, it changes the living conditions that underwater species depend on. Human beings’ activities, additionally, inject various poisonous chemicals into the ocean. These toxic substances can wipe out all oceanic species. Lastly, the coral reefs are an important key to piece together the chain of the marine ecosystem.

The first reason to leap on the stage is that every species has its essential and regular conditions for living. For instance, parts of coral reefs, some cases have proven, are already destroyed and bleached by rising global temperature. These species do not depend on a uniform mode of living. Some of them need to survive on fixed temperature. If the natural habitat causes a dynamic impact by climate change, species which can’t adapt to the warmer water will die.

Industrial activities, furthermore, pour an amount of harmful and acidic chemicals into the ocean. These toxic substances can’t be resolved by ecosystem, so they will settle on the underwater environment forever. These damaging ingredients not only can kill creatures, but also pollute the ocean to diminish the quality of water for people. The problem will run riot over all aquatic resources. For example, the oil pollution often makes a dent on marine ecology, because the chemical ingredients can’t be dissolved by any methods. It will continually stay on the surface of the ocean.

Finally, coral reefs play a significant role in the circle of marine ecology. They provide an abundance of nutrition and resources to support thousands or more of coral-feeding species. For example, the coral reefs are a chain to stimulate a cycle of ecology. Small coral-eating fishes can absorb nutrients from them to grow up. Later, bigger predators eat those small fishes. Then, when some of organisms die, they will be dissolved or broken up as nutrition for coral reefs. With the cycle of ecology, coral reefs lay an essential foundation for aquatic creatures.

With the regular conditions, coral reefs must tsurvive on fixed temperature. With the humans’ activities, these natural organisms will be bleached by chemical substances. With the chain of the ecosystem, coral reefs as a key to circle the natural environment. Some experts point out that parts of coral reefs can survive in warmer water, but the global warming will continually rise in the future. Therefore, these natural treasures are actually affected by those man-made factors.

Reference

Loft, K. (2008, April 21). Coral Crisis: Global warming, trawling, pollutants threaten the world’s coral population. Journalnow.com. Retrieved May 20, 2008, from http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/apr/21/coral-crisis-global warming-trawling-pollutants-th/

Thursday, May 1, 2008

YouTube Phenomenon-Research paper

Abstract
The topic of this paper is the YouTube phenomenon. Following this popularity, it has become an instant tool to showcase homemade videos by Internet. It argues that some countries should forbid the popular video-sharing website around the world. There are three factors for this argument. The first reason is that YouTube directly impacts some countries’ traditional culture. Furthermore, it is a helper to spread the violent videos. Finally, YouTube will become a safe haven for infringers.

YouTube is “a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. It was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees. In October 2006, Google Inc. announced that it had reached a deal to acquire the company for US$1.65 billion in Google stock” (Wikipedia, 2005, para.1). Users can not only watch videos on the site, but also embed homemade videos to share over the world. It has quickly grown as the world’s largest sharing website on the Internet. With the popular phenomenon, YouTube corporation has already been translated into 18 versions to locate in different countries. “According to Nielsen NetRatings, the site serves almost 13 million users a month and serves up to 50 million videos each day” (Fisher, 2006, para.1). How does YouTube make a stir over the world? The answer is the video sharing stage onthe Internet. Due to the advance of technology in the 21st century, digital industries are paving a rapid way to channel all countries into a village globe. In the well-developed period, registered users can not only watch videos on YouTube, but also embed homemade videos to share over the world. With the popularity around the world, YouTube is also building an instant vessel to provide influential effects on the Internet. Following the powerful resources, meanwhile, it opens the disadvantages that cause a far-reaching cultural impact, becomes a helper to express the violent behavior, and infringes on copyright.

First of all, YouTube impacts some countries’ traditional culture. In “Governments target internet-phenomenon YouTube” the author states that since it was launched in 2005, the website has already been forbidden by a number of countries, among them China, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Burma and Brazil (2008). Those countries, which maintain traditional culture or have communist governments, resist the freedom of speech that destroys that principle. Because YouTube contains various messages, it directly impacts the traditional concept, undermines the foundation of culture, and distorts people’s thought. China, for example, is a typical communist government which controls their citizens by banning critical theories to maintain the traditional authority. If YouTube rapidly launches these videos which have a strong religious belief, they will not receive the multicultural concept. Because the traditional culture is accumulated over a long period, it stands for a country’s typical characteristics in their lives. With the culture effect, moreover, YouTube brings social interaction in every way. According to Sterling (2006), when a viewer browses YouTube unconsciously they are in a social interaction environment. It will cause a connection to affect people’s behaviors even if it is just a video. Because YouTube has already become an interaction website, users are easy liable to these free contents. Members will reflect the true social activities on YouTube and showcase their opinions. They post videos, view videos, comment on videos and share videos with this power. They are bringing a type of social interaction to change other people’s habits. This is why some governments ban the website, due to the huge infectious force. How does YouTube solve the cultural problem? Following the governments’ policies to reduce the critical and religious contents, it seems the best way to bridge the gap between government and culture. Moreover, building more educational information to cultivate their spirituality is another channel to open a new chapter in marketing around the world.

Secondly, violent videos hit YouTube. Because there is not considerable verification in the uploading processes, users can easily embed their homemade records on the website. Due to the unsafe management, this disadvantage is boiling to the surface of the globe. With the global popularity, registered users can freely post crime video clips to share on the website. And the influence runs riot across every country. It is acting as an advertising program to support the negative actions. For example, according to E. Wyatt (2006), some U.S. army soldiers posted war videos on YouTube that were related to the process of attacking Iraq, then it caused a huge stir around the world. Following this matter, YouTube became the helper to interrupt the peace of world. Besides, there are still many hurtful matters saturating the Internet that extend a number of serious effects to bruise all people, especially children. According to Charkes (2007), four high school students were charged by the Ossining N.Y. police last month, because police relied on a vital piece of evidence from YouTube, in which video images of a crime were posted by one of the teenagers after he used the camera on his cell phone to record an attack. Additionally, teenagers easily imitate and discuss these dangerous contents on campus. “ ‘People like to talk about who got beat up’, said Hogan High School 12th-grader Angelina Bee, expressing concerns about the use of camera cell phones on campus. ‘They say, Oh, did you see the video?’ ” (Burchyns, 2008, para.8). This matter reflects the fact that students have already distorted their concept by YouTube, because they think it is a fun and pervasive phenomenon to share violent behaviors. To solve these violent problems, therefore, the responsibilities start with parents setting up reasonable rules concerning what their children can and can’t do online. It is a foundation of social education by parents to build the first protection. YouTube, also, must strengthen the procedures for embedding contents and set serious policies with laws to shrink the number of criminal videos. When YouTube is led on the most popular website, it will be equipped with the important responsibility to overcome the harmful effects, to set a good example, and to provide an educational environment. If YouTube can not arrive at the standard, it must be closed.

The last element is that YouTube will become a safe haven for infringers. If people do not recognize this problem, it will diminish the innovation in society. Following the advance of technology, users who upload unauthorized materials on the website are easily unaware of the rightholders’ permission. Many of the videos posted to YouTube are posted without the permission of copyright owners. YouTube has always argued that it is not guilty of copyright infringement as long as it takes the videos down when notified of their existence. To prevent future troubles, “YouTube and Google have signed up a number of major copyright owners in recent weeks to agreements permitting usage of their material on the YouTube site. YouTube has signed usage deals with record labels Warner, Universal and Sony/BMG, as well as promotional deals with television network NBC” (Bailey, 2007, para.9). Moreover, according to Bailey (2007), Google notes that video identification is the next step in a long list of content policies. They have provided copyright owners so that they can more easily identify their content and manage it. Then, YouTube takes a few steps and precautions to educate users who embed any infringing contents on its website. Although it has already made a deal with the main entertaining companies, it is still easy for users to embed sharing video clips, which means they can not make sure they did not post infringing works on their blog or site. To resolve the problem of this unauthorized behavior, the best way is to upload materials from official channels, to showcase their own homemade videos, and offer some commentary or criticism that relates to it. “Many major rightholders, including CBS, have official YouTube channels that allow embedding” (Bailey, 2007, para.7). Besides these methods, YouTube can consider adjusting their policies to follow Microsoft. One reason Microsoft is more copyright-friendly than YouTube, is that it makes nearly all of its revenue not from online advertising but by selling copyrighted software. YouTube doesn't, so this has caused some commercial conflicts with other competitors.

Opponents of restricting videos on YouTube claim that it is unfair to ban the website in some countries, because it restricts people from deriving a gallery of multicultural knowledge from the site and losing the wonderful stage to show their ideas. In contrast, the argument does not illustrate the obvious purpose of governments to protect their citizens. When people absorb plentiful knowledge from YouTube, it still contains much pornography to pollute children’s spirituality. For example, according to Burchyns (2008), there was a high school student who imitated a video on YouTube and participated in sexual abuse with his classmate. Moreover, to express their thought does not always have positive effects, because those contents may include critical words to bruise a country’s reputation. According to Pollard (2006), a university student made a series of funny videos that related to beliefs of religion in Mexico, so it made a dent in his country’s reputation. This matter is not only a personal behavior, but also a national affliction. With these factors, YouTube still includes some influencing effects to navigate the world. To forbid the website is probably the effective way to escape these troubles.

In conclusion, with the multicultural impact, YouTube rapidly undermines the foundation of traditional culture and thought. It is directly to impact some countries’ beliefs. In some communist countries, also, one is not allowed the freedom of speech to destroy their policies. With the violent factor, YouTube has become instantly accessible to announce violent behavior and pollute children’s spirituality. People are liable to use these hurtful videos to imitate from them. With the copyright, it has slowly shrunk people’s efforts. The website will be a safe harbor to protect infringers, because it is easy to embed homemade videos that do not have a serious process before uploading them on YouTube. Those users who do not get the permission from copyright holders are the central factor to cause lawsuits in a competitive business. Following these influent ingredients, YouTube must be forbidden in the world.

References

Bailey, J. (2007, July 9). Copyright Risk in Embedding YouTube Clips. Blog Herald. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from http://www.blogherald.com/2007/07/09/the-copyright-risk-of-embedding- youtube-clips

Burchyns, T. (2008, February 4). Recordings of high school fights leave administrators wondering what to do. Code707. Retrieved April 26, 2008, from http://code707.com/2008/02/youtube-showcases-student-violence

Charkes, J. S. (2008, March 9).YouTube Posting Leads to Arrests in an Assault. The New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/09tubewe.html

Fisher, K. (2006, July 16). YouTube and the copyright cops: safe…for now? Ars Technica, LLC. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/200060716-7273.html

Governments target internet-phenomenon YouTube (2008, March 11). BBC news. Retrieved March 20, 2008, from Lexis Nexis.

Jardin, X. (2008, March 16). Tibet: China blocks YouTube, protests spread, bloggers react. Boingboing. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/16/tibet-china-blocks-y.html

Lohmann, F. (2007, October 15). YouTube’s Copyright Filter: New Hurdle for Fair Use? Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2007/10/youtubes-copyright-filter-new-hurdle-for-fair-use

Pollard, G. (2006, October 27). YouTube Shows School Violence Videos. BNN. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from http://www.bloggernews.net/11104

Social impact of YouTube (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki Social_impact_of_YouTube

Sterling, G. (2006). YouTube Video Usage Facts. Search Engine Journal. Retrieved April 25, 2007, from http://www.searchenginejournal.com/youtube-video-usage-facts/3754

YouTube (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 03, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Tube

Wyatt, E. (2006, October 6). Anti-U.S. Attack Videos Spread on Web. The New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/06/technology/06tube.html

Monday, April 28, 2008

The advantages of Wikipedia

“Wikipedia is an encyclopedia compiled by the voluntary contributions of hundreds of writers and editors. Anyone can write an article and post it to the Wikipedia; anyone else can come along later and edit the article. It is a kind of open, voluntary, work in progress. As such, it is the most up-to-date encyclopedia you will find” (Lengel, 2006, para.6). With these functions, I agree that Wikipedia is a good stage to create an educational system, to broaden people’s horizon of knowledge, and to provide a studying method.

The first reason to leap on the stage is the educational system. Students will not only study in school, but also absorb knowledge on Wikipedia. School can not provide various expertise of fields, so the site is another social school to fulfill students’ curiosity. Also, it is a world library to provide plenty of resources. For example, when people graduated from school, they can continually advance their education in their professional province. And they can share their knowledge, discuss their opinions, and practice their abilities on the website. “Seven percent of all Internet users now visit the site every day” (Martin, 2008, para.13). Due to the statistics, it has become a social library that builds an educational system for everyone around the world.

With the educational system, people can also broaden their horizon of comprehension. “Literacy in modern society means nor only being able to read a variety of information formats; it means being able to participate in their creation, with Wikipedia serving as the marquee example” (Parry, 2008, para.9). It is a world stage to provide a variety of materials; users can open a new learning chapter to discover different cultural knowledge and aspects. For example, if people do not understand some cultural background or they need more definitions about their research, to explore on the website is the best choice.

The last factor is a new studying method. According to David Parry (2008), the website has enlarged into an abundant resources for basic information on scientific subjects, and people can search for any knowledge from there. Also, it can record the debate and discourse, when users write an article and post it to the Wikipedia. For instance, it has become a interactive activity that continually encourages people to research their expertise or supplement common knowledge. Then, the central advantage is that people can learn what they need by themselves.

To learn knowledge from the Wikipedia is a convenient and useful way. It is an educational website to boost people’s knowledge, to share their efforts, and to encourage study. Although some experts think that it is not professional and correct, I still agree that it channels all resources around the world into a sharing vessel. It is a global library that provides various knowledge of fields.

References

Lengel, J. (2006, February 7). Teaching with Technology. Authority. Retrieved on April 23, 2008, from http://www.powertolearn.com/articles/teaching_with_technology/article.shtml

Martin, N. (2008, January 21). Wikipedia clamps down on unreliable editors. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved on April 23, 2008, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/man.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/20/wiki20.xml

Parry, D. (2008, February 11). Wikipedia and the new curriculum. Science Process. Retrieved on April 23, 2008, from http://scienceprocess.org/2008/02/wikipedia-and-the-new-curriculum