Introduction

As time passes by changes occur. There have been many changes here in America. The country went from being controlled by Great Britain to becoming an independent country forced to rule on its own. Changes also happened to the world as time went on. The atmosphere has always been there and so has the world. As a result of human interaction, the world is in a state of emergency. The world has changed, but not for the better but for the worse. In the world there are millions of environments. These environments have animals or people or both. Animals interact with each other, and people can be interconnected with their environment. These environments are what make up the world but without the improvement of how humans act there is no chance that these environments can manage to stay the same. This blog shows how animals act in their environment, how people can be interconnected to their environment, and that change is needed to keep the world the same.

The blog has many ideas about humans, animals and why it is important to fix the environment. Cheetahs and gazelles both live in the same place. They are the two fastest land animals, respectively, in the world. The cheetah hunts the gazelle, but is not always successful. If the environment were to change, what would happen to this relationship? No one knows the answer, and this is part of the reason why the environment needs protected. Also, a little bit of a different perspective is a person who is interconnected with a place. For example, Gregory Cox, an Iraq War Veteran is interconnected with his hometown of Carmichaels. His personality is the same as the as the personality of Carmichaels. Both situations may not last because of the change in the environment. The photo essay shows that there must be reuse, recycling, and restoring in order for the world to maintain its shape and form. This blog shows how all these ideas are connected and how there must be change.

The world has its problems, but with some help by humans, the world is not in danger. However, if humans do not act now, then it may be too late to save the planet that they inhabit and the things that make their world so beautiful. The cheetah and the gazelle may be lost, people may no longer be connected to their environment, and worst of all, the world could never be the same. So read on and see what is going on in the world.

Cheetah vs. Gazelle

Cheetahs and Gazelles

The wild animals are vast and various in number. They all have some kind of relationship to animals because they all breathe, eat and sleep just like humans do. Both humans and animals have instinct, but these animal friends may not have the reasoning that humans have. Cheetahs and Gazelles are both animals that are found in the savannahs and the warm climates of parts of Africa and other parts of the world. As most know, the cheetah prey upon the gazelle creating the predator-prey relationship that most people think of. These animals just like every other animal have instinct. One question remains is there any reasoning in the actions of both of these animals. Yes they both have reasoning in their heads. Gazelles realize that they must be agile, fast and alert in the wild. The cheetahs realized that the gazelles became faster and more alert, so the cheetah now realizes in order to catch a gazelle, they must be “hiding in the grass when hunting”(Liwkh) around gazelles. Cheetahs and Gazelles use both instinct and reasoning in their wildlife relationship of hunting the other one, hiding from each other and adapting to the other one’s actions.

When in the wild savannahs of Africa, cheetahs use their instinct when choosing what animal to hunt. The cheetah’s favorite meal is the gazelle. As mostly everyone knows the cheetah is the fastest land animal on the planet, but not everyone knows that the gazelle is the second fastest land animal in the world. Even though the cheetah is faster than any animal, they choose to take on the second fastest animal, the gazelle, which is able to escape the cheetah many times without much of an issue. If cheetahs could think of what animal to feed upon, they would like to choose the gazelle, but they would also know that the gazelle is a quite formidable foe. Even though the discovery channel may show the gazelle getting caught and killed by the cheetah all the time, it is not even close to being like that. The gazelle actually has the cheetah’s number. In the savannahs of Africa, where the cheetahs hunt, “there are many gazelles, so gazelles are a common prey of cheetahs”(TKD Tutor). The gazelle is a common animal, so that is why the cheetah hunts the gazelle, but if the cheetahs had reasoning, they would choose to chase a much easier animal like the hyena. It is instinct to chase the common animal because that is how a certain species can survive. Their instinct is to hunt the most common animal so that is why the cheetah hunts the gazelle. The cheetah acts strictly based upon instinct when they choose to hunt. So it is easy to say that the cheetah acts upon instinct rather than the belief that they act based upon reasoning.

The gazelle uses their instinct rather than reasoning. The gazelle is often the prey of cheetahs. Yes, both the cheetah and the gazelle live in the same habitat, but they feed on different things. Gazelles eat plants, herbs and seeds while cheetahs eat meat. Why does the gazelle go to the drier parts of the savannah and not stay in the grassy parts where the cheetahs do not go as much? It is because they have little reasoning, so they use their instinct to base all of their decisions. In the African savannahs, it is common that there are fires that burn a lot of the plants, so “when the tiny new green shoots of grass begin to grow in areas that have been burnt”(African Wildlife Foundation) gazelles travel there so that their young can eat the grass. These drier parts of the savannah are where the cheetahs like to hunt. These areas where the grass shoots sprout are the favorite feeding grounds for the gazelles, so is it instinct that or reasoning that the gazelle chooses to eat in the drier parts of the savannah. It is instinct because if they realized that the cheetahs live and hunt there, then they would not go to those places and choose to eat in the moderately warm areas where the cheetah does not live. If the gazelles realized that the cheetah lived in the dry, sunny areas of the savannah, then they would not go to those parts as much as they do now. It is this reason that makes it seem hard to believe that the gazelle uses reasoning, or even that the cheetah uses instinct. If the gazelle could realize that the cheetah hunts in the drier areas, then they could possibly have some reasoning, but they do not realize that the cheetah hunts in the drier parts of the savannah, so it is hard to believe that the gazelle could have reasoning because it does not realize that it could eat plants and seeds in the softer ground areas where the cheetah does not go. The gazelle does not realize that they are at a disadvantage in certain areas, so the gazelle uses instinct rather than reasoning.

There are however reasons to believe that the gazelle and cheetah use reasoning. The gazelle must know that it is not as fast as the cheetah, but somehow “they easily escape the cheetahs”(TKD Tutor). This is because the gazelle is able to make many zigzag-like moves without slowing down, while the cheetah is unable to make these quick changes in direction as well as the gazelle can. The gazelle realizes that it is slower than the cheetah, but it also knows that the cheetah is unable to make quick, swift moves like the gazelle can. Also, the cheetah can only run full speed for a couple hundred yards at most, so all the gazelle has to do is run in zigzags for a little bit to slow the cheetah, so that they gazelle may get away or even kill the cheetah itself. The gazelle now has a reason for going to the habitat of the cheetah because they may realize that they can beat the cheetah. If they use this knowledge, then yes the gazelle uses reasoning. While the gazelle uses reasoning, the existing question is does the cheetah use reasoning? Yes, it does because the cheetah has learned to hide in the grass where the gazelles live. The cheetah realizes that its speed is useless in the open savannah because they cannot make the same swift moves that gazelle can. So to use their speed to their advantage, they learned to hide in the deeper grass so that they can jump out and pounce onto the defenseless gazelle whenever they walk by the cheetah. So the cheetah can use reasoning because it realizes that it must be sly when it hunts the gazelle. If these two animals are able to adapt to each other’s advantages and disadvantages, then they must be able to have reasoning and intelligence because it takes intelligence and reasoning to make adaptations to their everyday routines. So it is possible that the cheetah and gazelle use reasoning in their decisions.

Both the cheetah and the gazelle use instinct and that is a fact, as well as the idea of reasoning. The cheetah learned to be sly and the gazelle learned to hold off the cheetah for a minute so that it can tire the cheetah and escape. So the reasoning factor is real and the reasoning factor is real as well. Everyone knows that the instinct of the animal is real, but not everyone believes that reason could be a factor in the choices of a small-brained animal. Both instinct and reasoning are a factor in both cheetahs and gazelles. The cheetah and gazelle predator-prey relationship is based both upon the instinct and reason factors.


Work Cited
“Cheetah versus Gazelle.” 2000. Cheetah versus Gazelle. 23 Mar. 2009.

Liwkh. “Wildlifes in Masai Mara.” 10 Mar. 2004. Crowded in watching a cheetah hunting. 26 Mar 2009. http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1124472377047542657YKnbrF>.
“Thomson’s Gazelle.” 18 Dec. 2008. African Wildlife Foundation. 26 Mar. 2009.

Deer Valley

A sunset at Deer Valley

Beauty is a term that is used to define many people and animals, but one area that beauty is not heard of that often is when talking about an environment. Beauty is the sum of qualities that create a sense of pleasure, but beauty can be so much more than that. Beauty is the feeling of home, interest in something, wild, nature and the environment that has been untouched by the death grip of mankind. The environment that each person lives in is what that person believes that nature is. Nature is more than the environment that every person lives in each day. It is more than the city life of downtown Pittsburgh, the calm quiet nights of the suburbs and the Washington & Jefferson campus. Nature is every part of the world from the vast heat of the Sahara to the bitter cold of the South Pole. Everyone has his or her own favorite place or part of nature. One place that is very beautiful is Deer Valley, Pennsylvania. This is a part of nature that has not been destroyed by human interference, and it is the same now as it was several years ago. Deer Valley is a campground where girl scouts, boy scouts and schools take trips to so that they can see the wild nature of Deer Valley. Mount Davis, the highest peak in Pennsylvania is a wondrous sight where one can seem connected to heaven. Also, the wild animals that are around the campgrounds are very beautiful especially all the wild uncommon animal species that Deer Valley has make Deer Valley one of the most beautiful places there is. Through the idea of beauty and the eyes of kids, the beauty of the landscape and the wild uncommon animal species, Deer Valley has remained one of the most beautiful parts of nature.

The beauty of Deer Valley became present through the eyes of children who experienced Deer Valley. Personal experiences through school have proven that even though sometimes there were 6 or 7 miles walked a day, the experience is one of a kind. Every year Boyce Middle School takes the 6th grade students to Deer Valley to show them the environment. Even 11 and 12 year old kids who complained the whole time about all the walking said that they loved the trip. Many kids thought that this was an awesome trip, like Michael Landsman who said, ”the Deer Valley trip was my favorite part of our schooling.” On the Deer Valley trip, there were so many things to do including owl pellet hunting, scavenger hunts, time in a spot of nature, and animal spotting. All the activities were fun, but those were not the reason why the Deer Valley trip was so much fun. It was the fact that we were able to be one-on-one with nature a lot of the time. Also there were no outside influences on the place, so it seemed to some kids that Deer Valley was not even in the U.S. This made it seem like we were learning something completely different, and we were right because Deer Valley’s unique experience was one of a kind and it was all because of the unique beauty that Deer Valley possesses. We learned the entire time, even at night, but we didn’t complain because it was so much fun. We were shocked by all the natural beauty that there is in Deer Valley. The lake, all the trees, Mount Davis, and the most exciting part, the endangered animals all lead to the beauty. These factors all make up beauty to most people, but if kids can realize that part of nature is beautiful, then that is all the reason that is needed to say that Deer Valley is beautiful. Kids are usually afraid of the outdoors, and do not like it, but not Deer Valley. It was a new point of view to us. The experience of Deer Valley is one of a kind, it is one that changes the views about nature, and can make even kids start to care for the environment. It is not the fact that we were away from school that kids thought Deer Valley was beautiful, but the fact that it is beautiful made them still remember the experience and use it as part of graduation speeches. It is through kids’ eyes that Deer Valley has been shown to be a beautiful piece of nature.

The landscape and the environment make up the beauty of Deer Valley. The natural landscape of Deer Valley consists of forests, Deer Valley Lake, Mount Davis, and a bunch of farming fields. The forests are not like the ones that are near residential areas, they are much more beautiful. There are all kinds of little insects crawling all over even though that might not make it beautiful, but it makes it natural and that is part of the beauty as well. The forests are natural, nothing that humans have done has affected these forests. The leaves fall and no one picks them up and it looks so pretty and so much different than the image that is shown on the Discovery Channel. The Discovery Channel does not capture the real image of the landscape. When walking on the leaves, every step taken sinks down into the ground a little bit, and it makes it seem like walking on a trampoline except without the bounce. The trees are tall and look similar to that image that someone gets when they are reading a book and read about the most beautiful forest there is. The only difference is that Deer Valley is real. It is not just like every other image that everyone puts in his or her heads of nature. Deer Valley is much more beautiful than that. Also, Deer Valley has Mount Davis. Mount Davis is the highest peak in Pennsylvania, and at the top of Mount Davis, the is a little tower which people can go up and look out into the sky. This is one of the most beautiful sights there is. When looking out, anyone can see parts of Ohio, West Virginia and obviously Pennsylvania. It is so beautiful. It feels like being on top of the world because there is nothing in sight as tall as Mount Davis. Mount Davis might be the most beautiful part of Deer Valley because it is part of the natural landscape and it makes people realize that there is something out there larger than them. They realize that this mountain brings out the beauty of other places. Looking from the viewing tower, the sight is so amazing that it is hard to describe what it is like. Furthermore, Deer Valley Lake is a beautiful sight. There are so many fish and the water is so clear that the bottom of the lake can be seen. The smaller fish jump out of the water and can be caught with a fish net, but it is a rule that the fish must be thrown right back into the water. The lake is so beautiful with everything surrounding it. The forests and the mountain make the surrounding beautiful. The entire landscape and environment of Deer Valley is so beautiful and Mount Davis, the forest and Deer Valley Lake make that beauty so great.

The true beauty of Deer Valley is in the wild uncommon animals. When walking around Deer Valley there are the usual animals. There are deer, birds, bugs and other critters, but there is one unique thing about Deer Valley. That unique thing is that there are several uncommon animals that live in the surrounding areas such as grouse and ospreys both of which are not very common in western Pennsylvania. These are not the only uncommon animals, but overall the animals make Deer Valley a unique place. The osprey are like eagles except they hunt mostly fish and with Deer Valley Lake these birds swoop down and snatch hold of an innocent fish swimming in the water. This is truly one of the most amazing things that can be seen. This bird is so beautiful in everything that it does and it is a feature of Deer Valley that attributes to the beauty. It is really amazing to see this bird’s actions. One second it will be flying around gracefully then it will see a fish jump out of the water and it will come down and grab it out of the air. It is a truly amazing sight to see and it helps contribute to the beauty that is Deer Valley. Also the grouse, which is the state bird of Pennsylvania, is another bird that makes the beauty of Deer Valley. When in the forest the grouse may not be easily seen right away, but when it is startled it jumps and makes a quick bolt into the sky. It uses the trees as its cover, and hides behind the broken down trees. Then all of a sudden it will just fly into the air. It is really neat to see this wild bird that is not very common. Both of these birds make up part of the beauty of Deer Valley. It is in their unusual and uncommon behavior and actions that these two animals make them so beautiful and they can contribute more to beauty than a lot of other features of Deer Valley.

Deer Valley is a place where there are many beautiful things like the landscape, Mount Davis, the grouse and the osprey can make up the beauty of the entire environment. It is because these factors stated above that define beauty. If they define Beauty, and these factors are all part of Deer Valley, then that make Deer Valley beautiful. Deer Valley has remained one of the most beautiful places in Pennsylvania because of everything that comes to make it a whole. This is an environment that has changed the views of many kids. Deer Valley is way more than anyone can imagine if all they have seen is the city, suburb or the rural regions. The beauty of Deer Valley is what makes it the place it is, and it will stay beautiful for a long time.

Photo Essay

Thompson Hall: This is a building on the Washington and Jefferson Campus where the Registrar’s office, Business office and the Academic Affairs office are located. It has served several purposes throughout the years such as the library. It is a huge example of reusing in our environment.



Recycling cans: These boxes in Marshall Hall are not ordinary boxes rather they are used as recycling dispensers. Students place paper, aluminum and plastics into the proper box and from there they are recycled.



The New Mac Computer: The new Mac computer has gone green. Apple has integrated recycled materials into their new laptops. These new laptops are used by some of the student at Washington & Jefferson College. This goes into the whole idea of recycling and reusing.

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The sidewalks and steps: There are several sidewalks, steps and concrete areas that have been rebuilt in order to make it more safe for students and faculty to walk around campus and to live safely.



A dish from the commons: There is a new look to dining at Washington & Jefferson College and it is that there are no trays. There is a new idea of recycling and that is recycling and reusing water. Washington & Jefferson College has started to conserve their water and to waste as little as they can. This is a new way of recycling and a new idea to the whole recycling concept.



The dominion Neighborhood: In this neighborhood there is a pool. The pool has a wooden deck, which was recently replaced. The wood that was used was bought with the idea that the owners were buying recycled wood.



Pennsylvania American Water: The regions largest water provider has its own ways of making use out of recycled material. The company placed please recycle on the side of their water bottles. Also, they make sure that they recycle and reuse in the work place whether it be labor or in the office.



The roads: The roads are anything but restored here in Washington. The roads have potholes and are eaten up by the salt. The city has yet to fix up the streets, which shows how certain things must be restored in order for them to last for many more years.



Toyota Camry hybrid: The Toyota Camry has become part of Toyota’s hybrid line up. This car is a green car, which is showing the world the commitment to restoring the earth to a more environmental healthy state.



Lacrosse sticks: The plastic part of lacrosse sticks has recently been changed to include recycled plastic material. There is no change to the strength of the stick, but there is a better use for the environment.


There is a modern idea that in order for it to be a “green” world, everyone in the world must recycle, reuse and restore the environments we live in. The photos that have been taken show the ideas that each person must realize so that the world can be kept nice and beautiful. Most of the pictures have to deal with reusing recycled materials and reusing things so that there is nothing wasted. Thompson Hall is an example of a building that has been reused, and shows examples of the recycling that has been shown in the pictures. Thompson hall has served several purposes such as the Washington & Jefferson College library years ago. It is in this idea that shows how Thompson Hall is a building that exhibits the values of reusing and recycling. Thompson Hall is a building found on the Washington & Jefferson College campus that exhibits the attributes of reusing and recycling that is shown in the pictures that were taken.

Thompson Hall is a building that has served several purposes in the past due to the change in what departments were located inside it. Thompson Hall was built in 1903 and opened in 1905 but at that time was not known as Thompson Hall rather it was the Thompson Memorial Library. When Thompson Hall opened up, it had various paintings on the wall and had mosaic tile floors put in by hand. Also, it was used as the library for Washington & Jefferson College so all the books from all around the campus were brought to Thompson Memorial Library, which was the first actual library that at the college. Also, there were meeting rooms so that the Board of Trustees could hold meetings. Since then, the building has changed purposes. This is where the whole idea of reusing comes into play. The U. Grant Miller Library was built recently causing Thompson to lose its purpose as the library. The modern purpose of Thompson Hall is for the offices of the Registrar, the Business office and the Academic Affairs office. This idea of reusing the building for useful purposes shows how it relates to the reusing of materials for a useful purpose. Reusing materials, for decks, and lacrosse sticks, are just like reusing buildings except they are used for different things. Reusing these materials is a very useful thing and it just makes sense because there is no need to waste anything especially in a world where there is a need to conserve. That is just like there is no need to waste materials, there is no need to waste a building. It makes sense that Thompson was turned into a building for the different offices. Reusing does not just mean reuse it once, but maybe many times. If Thompson were turned into dorms, then it would not last that long due to the erosion from student behaviors, so using it as a place for offices was smart, so that it can be used for years and years to come. That’s where the link between the pictures of reusing and the concept of reusing Thompson is made. The fact that both materials are reused for creating new products and reusing buildings for new things is essentially the same thing. They are both being reused in a way that it benefits the environment. Thompson Hall exhibits the value of reuse in the fact that it has served many different purposes.

Thompson Hall is a building that shows actions in trying to recycle and is a building that must be restored if it is going to last for many years. Thompson Hall has been around for a little more than a century and it shows no signs of weakness. In order for Thompson Hall to stay in its current form there must be restoration when the building is starting to fall apart. If there should be any problem with the foundation, then it should be restored right away and not later on when it is in even worse shape. The roads here in the City of Washington are a good example of what not to do when it comes to restoration. There are potholes, cracks, and deteriorated concrete and asphalt streets all over the town. When driving in a car on some of the roads it seems as though the car was on rumble strips that are found on highway ramps to warn cars to slow down. This is not what people want to see in a building especially when it’s a college building because it may sway people from coming to Washington & Jefferson. Even though Thompson Hall has yet to be compared to the deteriorated roads, it will most likely at some point in the future be at a point of harmful damage, unless there is restoration on the building prior to any harmful damage can occur. It is very important that if Thompson is a building that the college wants to keep for a long time that the school restores it when needed. Along with restoration comes recycling. Recycling may not seem like big deal to parts of the world, but in Thompson Hall there is huge deal of recycling. With the Business, Registrar and Academic Affairs Offices all located inside Thompson Hall comes a lot of paper. The offices of the building are in contact with thousands of pieces of paper a day. After these offices are done with the papers, the paper is placed into paper recycling bins that are then taken to a larger bin for all the paper that the school recycles so that all the paper can then be taken to a paper recycling facility. The idea that materials are recycled in schools may mean that they are then used for water bottles, decks, or even lacrosse sticks is huge because that is just like helping out the atmosphere with the green cars such as the Toyota Camry Hybrid car. The use of limiting garbage and waste is similar to not wasting gas on cars that get little gas mileage. Thompson Hall is helping in the recycling efforts. Thompson Hall is a building that is giving back to the environment and also is a building that if restored will last for many years.

Recycling, restoring, reusing are the three big R words when it comes to lasting forever in a stable healthy environment such as a building like Thompson Hall. Thompson Hall shows every one of those three words very strongly. Recycling is a key to reusing, and reusing and recycling are keys to restoring. With all those features, Thompson Hall could last for many more years. Thompson Hall recycles and reuses, but it has yet to need restoration, but it will most likely need it in the future. These pictures and Thompson Hall may be related after all. The pictures depict recycling, reusing and restoration just like Thompson is a factor in the three big R words.

Upper St. Clair

Upper St. Clair High School

Rich and spoiled are something that people always associate with kids from Upper St. Clair. Everyone who knows the region knows how Upper St. Clair has all the rich families and all the smart kids. It is true that we are all smart, but not all of us are the rich jerks that everyone seems to think we are. Upper St. Clair is a place that not many people will ever understand because there are a set of values and a code that everyone seems to live by. Upper St. Clair is a place of great success and a great place to live. To truly understand what Upper St. Clair is, one must see it through the eyes of someone who has lived there since he remembers. It is not the usual Pittsburgh suburban community, but one that values greatness, integrity and respect and that’s what gave Upper St. Clair the reputation that it has.

At a very young age, every student is taught very important values. It does help that all the students are placed into some of the best elementary schools in the country, based upon the number of Blue Ribbon Awards that each of the Upper St. Clair elementary school has. The Blue Ribbon Award is given to a school that exhibits excellence in the classroom, but also excellence for helping the community. Each school in Upper St. Clair has at least 2 Blue Ribbon Awards, showing how excellence is something all students strive for. Students are taught by day one to talk to other kids, learn about each other and to make friends and to not let anyone make anyone feel bad or hurt anyone. The students are taught to be the best they can be. It is not because of the parent’s money that everyone can get anywhere, but it has to be the students themselves that gets them to be where they want to be. They all are taught to treat everyone with respect and if we do that, then they will be treated with respect right back. They respect the rules that their parents, teachers, and school set in place for them. When they break those rules, they are not punished, but they are told that they have disappointed the school and their parents. It is there that they as Upper St. Clair students learn. They work hard to make their parents and our school proud. Over 25 students last year received scholarships for various things, like math competitions, reading, and many other things. More than half of each Upper St. Clair class is inducted into the National Honors Society. Everyone does their best to make their parents proud. It is the values that they are taught that make them who they are, and what makes Upper St. Clair the place of excellence.

Integrity is one of the most important aspects of Upper St. Clair. Upper St. Clair High School is known by most universities as one of the top high schools in the country. They have some of the best teachers, who make them work for their grades and teach them some of the hardest material that one can learn in high school. It is in the classroom that they as students thrive. They show up each day and are challenged to do better and better. That is what makes them who they are. Often people think that kids in Upper St. Clair have their parents pay the school to give their kids better grades, but that does not happen. The 2008 class of Upper St. Clair has proven every year that they were the best. Since the start of the Pennsylvania State Scholastic Assessment test, they have ranked number one every year that the test was administered according to the Business Times Magazine. They had a 100 percent proficiency in Math and 99 percent in Reading and 98 percent in writing. They have worked hard to earn the top ranking in the state assessment for public high schools. They take pride in the fact that they work very hard in a very tough high school to be the very intelligent students. They do not let anyone tell them that they got somewhere because their parents paid their way through something. They are proud to be from Upper St. Clair because nowhere else is just like it.

Academics are something Upper St. Clair has always excelled, but being well- rounded is what is what makes Upper St. Clair what it is. All students take pride in the fact that they are a very intelligent class of people, but they also take pride in everything that they do. They have shown excellence in academics, but athletics is something else that they take pride in. They are one of the smallest schools in the league, yet prove each year in most sports to be a powerhouse. The Upper St. Clair football team won the state championship in 2006, a western Pennsylvania lacrosse championship in 2005, as well as championships in tennis, girl’s basketball and boy’s golf. Everyone tries to prove that they are not just academically strong, but strong on the playing field as well. Also, they work in the summers for their parents, so that they can see what the real world is like and to see why they must do our best, so that we can have the nice lifestyle that they currently live. They work hard on everything that they do, no matter what it is. This is what helps them to be the well-rounded students that they are. It is their strong work ethic that makes Upper Str. Clair the place that it is. Every student works hard to be a well-rounded individual.

Respect, pride, integrity and excellence, are all words that describe Upper St. Clair. These words define the community in which I grew up. Upper St. Clair is a place where the students shape the outside view of the community. The only defining aspect that adults have on the view is their wealth, but the students are the ones that make the image of Upper St. Clair what it really should be. No one notices how hard we work. It is in the hand of the students, to show the excellence that is Upper St. Clair.

Gregory Cox and Carmichaels

Specialist Gregory A. Cox

When thinking of Carmichaels, one thing comes to mind. That thing is my cousin Gregory Cox. The main reason may be because he was killed in Iraq, but also because when thinking of Carmichaels, he is the first thing that comes to mind. It seems like he just fits everything about the little town. Greg was not the usual little kid. Actually he was anything but little. At 9 years of age he was already 5 and half feet tall and over 140 pounds. He grew up very close to the church. He was a very religious person who was one of the nicest people anyone could know. He was a very important person to many people of Carmichaels. Everyone knew who he was and everyone was very supportive of him. This little town was a perfect fit for him. The town was a caring, religious and proud town just like Greg. It is the fact that both Greg and Carmichaels are very caring, religious and proud, and this show how Greg and the town seem intertwined.

Greg was a very caring person who lived in a town that was just as caring, which made the two go hand in hand. Greg was a person who did everything for the benefit of others, and could care less for his own self. When he graduated from high school just before September 11 happened, he thought about going to college, but realized that if he went to college that it would be very hard for his parents to come up with enough money for his sister to go to school in a couple years. He did not think once about himself, but instead thought about helping his sister. Although college may have been the best thing to do, Greg decided that he would join the army. He knew that if he would fight for a couple years that the U.S. Army would pay for college. Unfortunately for him he joined just a month before the September 11 attacks happened, and was shipped out for Iraq about a year later. He was stationed over there for 2 years before he was killed. Greg risked his life just so his sister could have the chance of going to college. This shows how unselfish he was and how caring he was. His hometown of Carmichaels never forgot who he was. When he was laid out, there were more than a thousand people outside the family who came to see him. These people had such a great respect for him. Every year since 2004 the year that he was killed, there has been a fundraiser in Carmichaels for soldiers who were wounded in Iraq. They have raised a lot of money for wounded soldiers who have been brought home. Carmichaels is a small town but has proven to have a huge heart. That is why Gregory Cox and Carmichaels seem to be intertwined because both have such big hearts.

Greg was a very religious person who lived in a town that believed just as much as he did. Ever since Greg was a little boy, he would go to church every week. He also went to a catholic school for all of his schooling, which had some of an influence on going to church every week. At the earliest possible age, he became an altar server. This is how everyone began to know Greg. He would be the altar server every week till the end of high school. Everyone began to love the kid who they all knew was a very religious and kind-hearted person. The town consisted of mostly Roman Catholics, and most of the people went to church at least once a week. Religion was a big part in the town as well as in Greg’s life, but it was not till about 10 years ago that everyone had such a huge belief in religion. The main source of income in Carmichaels is in coal mining. It was 10 to 12 years ago that the coal miners in Carmichaels thought that the mine was running out. This would mean that a majority of the males in Carmichaels would be out of jobs. The people looked to the church as a way to help find comfort and a new way to earn money. Greg’s father worked in the mine at the time and needed a way to earn money just like everyone else. Greg thought of a way that he knew would help everyone. He proposed that there be a special mass every Wednesday to ask God for help. The people of Carmichaels backed up his idea and they started holding special masses every Wednesday. After about 2 months people were getting very worried and started to have doubts. They had no need to worry because the miners found a new source of coal and its still in work today. Both Greg and the community connected during these times, and it just shows how both Greg and the community are two things that go hand in hand.

SPC Gregory A. Cox and the town of Carmichaels both are two things to be proud about. Greg is a person that is looked up to by a lot of people and is the best role model that can be imagined. He has every quality that most people would love to have in a person. He was a smart, caring, nice, kind and a very loving person. He was known by everyone and they all knew the kind of person he is. There was not one person who would have said that he was a bad kid because the community and Greg were like one person. Carmichaels also had no reason to be anything but proud of itself. The town raised a lot of money to help wounded soldiers and still raises money for soldiers. Not many towns connect on the same level that Carmichaels does. Everyone gets along and everyone would help out each other in a time of need. Carmichaels is a town that anybody would be proud to live in. Both Greg and Carmichaels are two things to be very proud of. Greg will forever live in the hearts of many people just as will Carmichaels. Greg will be known as the kind, caring and loving kid who was unfortunately killed in Iraq. Many families will know Carmichaels as the town that helped their wounded soldier. These reasons would make a lot of people proud to either know Greg or live in Carmichaels. Both Greg and Carmichaels are things to be proud of and Greg is from Carmichaels, and is part of the reason why Carmichaels is to be proud, so it just makes sense that they are intertwined.

SPC Gregory A. Cox will be the man known to very few people as a soldier and a hero, but he will be known for his caring, love of religion and for his kindness by many more people. Carmichaels will be just another small town, but for some soldiers it will be the place that gave them a new beginning, but for many people it is home and a place for those people to be proud of. It just makes sense that Greg is from Carmichaels because the two just seem to be the same. It seems like Greg’s life and the history of Carmichaels go hand and hand because Greg’s life on earth seemed to be very much intertwined. There are a lot of places that intertwine with its residents, but Greg is the epitome of a place and a person intertwining.

Pollution

Polllution caused by mankind.


Pollution is, “Physical impurity or contamination; (now) esp. the presence in or introduction into the environment (esp. as a result of human activity) of harmful or poisonous substances, or excessive levels of light, noise, organic waste, etc”(Oxford English dictionary). Pollution to most people involves the environment. The environment is everything surrounding where a person lives. People say that pollution is what is causing the phenomenon of global warming. Pollution is seen as being harmful, and it is bad and harmful to the environment, but one has to be careful of how he uses pollution. When someone says that the world is heating up because of pollution, everyone agrees, but does everyone know what the real meaning of Pollution is. Pollution may be harmful to the environment, but is not the cause of global warming. The main cause of pollution is the burning of fossil fuels and through human actions and activities, pollution is harmful to the environment.

The environment of the world is in bad shape and that may be caused by pollution. The world is not the way it was 200 years ago. The current condition of the earth may have permanent consequences. Humans and their activities cause pollution to have the effect it does on the environment. Humans being so intelligent about pollution still have a profound contribution to the amount of pollution there is. The human population has been increasing for a long time, and “As the world population increases rapidly, there is an increasing demand for food, materials and energy. The activities that produce these products tend to pollute the environment”(ThinkQuest). The human population is increasing at a very fast rate. With more and more people, there is a greater need for food, clothing, houses and power. The process of creating more homes, food, and more power, causes the pollution that destroys the environment. These activities are the pollution that everyone talks about. The activities of humans and their actions are what cause pollution and they are harmful to the environment.

Fossil fuels are the main sources of energy today, and the burning of these fuels cause pollution and harm to the environment. Fossil fuels are energy sources that include coal, petroleum and natural gas. Humans use petroleum in cars in form of oil, gas, and lubricants throughout the car. Coal is used to make electricity for all the homes in the U.S. and is burned off into the air. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide gas into the air and “Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the major pollutants in the atmosphere”(Socha 1). The burning of coal during the process of creating electricity and the release of carbon dioxide while driving are some of the main reasons why there is pollution. When they are used up, they release carbon dioxide into the air and carbon dioxide is one of the most common pollutants in the air. Fossil fuels are a major contributor to the pollution of the earth. They harm the environment in a tremendous amount. The burning of fossil fuels is one of the most common ways in which the world is polluted.

Although pollution is harmful to the environment, it is not the cause of global warming. So one of the main causes to pollution is carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Also, the world is heating up and it is predicted that pollution is the cause. It has been thought for a while that carbon dioxide has harmful effects to the atmosphere, but “CO2 does not cause catastrophic disasters – actually it would be beneficial to our environment and economy”(Dessler and Parson 3). Carbon dioxide has always been thought as bad to the environmentalists, but this green house gas is not the cause of global warming. Pollution has no effect on the warming of the earth. About a millennium ago, the world was warmer than it is now, and it is possible because the surface temperature of the earth can change for any reason. The term global warming is not true, but to use the word pollution in the same sentence as global warming just does not work. Pollution is harmful to the environment, but is not the cause of global warming.

Pollution, a word that many people do not understand because of its wide range and ambiguous topics. Pollution is harmful to the environment, but not to the earth as a whole. Pollution is caused by the release of carbon dioxide and by the burning of fossil fuels. Pollution is misused at times. Many people relate pollution to the belief in global warming, but these words should not be related. Pollution is a word that should be carefully used.

Works Cited
Dessler, Andrew and Parson, Edward. The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
“Introduction to Pollution.” 2001. How do humans contribute to pollution? 9 Feb.
2009 .
Oxford University Press. “Oxford English Dictionary.” 2008. Pollution. 9 Feb. 2009
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