"Self-Analysis Post"

Throughout my journey as a first time blogger, I see how I have grown so much from only knowing that the rainforests are pretty, and that they would be gone soon, to knowing all the resources of the rainforests, and all of the implications deforestation brings. For example, I did not know that many indigenous tribes were being destroyed, or that orangutans are becoming extinct because of deforestation.I have learned that it is crucial to be unbiased and to consider all sides of the issue. At first, I was ignorant to the fact of how much rainforests contribute to the economies of many small countries, such as Malaysia, with the selling of tropical hardwoods, and cultivation of the number one fruit crop, palm oil. At first, the only solution I knew of, or thought best, was to completely stop deforestation. However, now that I see the world is reliant upon the rainforests in its living, and deforested state, that is probably not the best or simplest solution. I've learned that methods such as afforestation, or growing bamboo in place of the hardwood trees, is a more probable solution, with advantages to both sides.

"Class Links"

In order to become completely knowledgeable on an issue and to develop an educated opinion on it, one must self-inform through more than this blog alone. Three of my classmates have really informational blogs that aren't necessarily about deforestation, but the topics are all connected mainly through a cause and effect relationship.
The first blog I highly recommend is at http://heatinitup.blogspot.com. This blog is about global warming and its effects on the world and environment. As I previously discussed, deforestation adds to global warming, so it is crucial to have a good understanding on what global warming is and what all the causes and effects are, in order to understand why this is such a bad thing.
The second blog that is worthwhile is at http://vilese11.blogspot.com. This blog focuses on the fact that even though the church and state are supposed to be completely separate, the government still plays a huge role in matters of religion. It shows how involved the government is in every aspect of our life. It is largely because of the government's role in the economies of countries that deforestation occurs at such a devastating rate.

The last blog is at http://benefitsofscr.blogspot.com. This is a blog supporting stem cell research. This has nothing to do with deforestation, but it shows a project that the government has invested in, that has only positive outcomes. My blog is very much anti-government involvement, but this one shows the opposite view point and supports it very well. I want to emphasize the fact that I am unbiased in that I acknowledge the fact that the government is doing things to try to help the world as well.

Fun links on deforestation!

Here are some links to deforestation and its affect on global warming and the environment:
http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000385/index.html
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0907.htm
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/tropical-deforestation.html

Here are some very informational sites about indigenous people of the rainforests:
http://ran.org/fileadmin/materials/education/factsheets/RAN_IndigenousPeoples.pdf
http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/s-Indigenous%20People

This site includes pictures of the rainforests highlighting the beauty of them, and also pictures of deforestation at work:
http://www.rainforests.net/pictures.htm

This site discusses the biodiversity of the rainforests such as the many different species of animals and plants:
http://www.srl.caltech.edu/personnel/krubal/rainforest/Edit560s6/www/plants.html

This site lists and describes in a concise way all of the important roles of the rainforests:
http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/good_wood/the_imp.htm

This site present the other side of the binary issue and reasons for deforestation:
http://www.wrm.org.uy/deforestation/index.html

This site provides possible solutions to the problem of deforestation:
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/forests/solutions-to-deforestation