curing the infection

I'd like to consider myself a somewhat serious student. I go to class, get good grades, and am involved in extra curricular activities. Despite my enthusiasm for the pursuit of higher education, I cannot help but find myself in a spring slump. Each day I find it increasingly harder to resist the urge to throw on my polka dotted bikini and skip class to lay out in the sun with my friends. Forcing myself to concentrate on assignments in my dorm room has proved impossible, and my body refuses to travel the well worn path to the library to seek silence. I am afraid that upon registering for my senior year I inadvertently signed up for a strong, stubborn case of senioritis.

Last Wednesday was one of the hardest days I have had in the longest time, academically speaking that is. I walked into my PRM 470 class completely unprepared to deliver an interpretive talk on hiking areas in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. After a painfully embarrassing presentation made by myself and two other group members (also suffering from either spring slump or senioritis) I went home and cried. Literally. I am not usually the type of student to come to class unprepared, to hand in my homework incomplete, or forget due dates. The lack of preparation for this semi-important assignment put my academic goals back in perspective. I am now finding it somewhat easier to do my readings and study, if for no other reason than feeling absolutely terrible about my self-esteem and character for two days after the showcasing of my lack of preparation.

Let my sad, embarrassing story serve as a warning. Don't let the sunshine beam down on your face and make you too high. We've got just under seven weeks until finals, and in that time I will do my best to find the cure to put the spring into my step on my way to class, rather than slumping poolside with other juniors suffering from pre-mature senioritis.

Fantastic Attitudes Despite Furloughs

I am amazed at the attitudes of the staff and faculty at Arizona State University. With the institution facing over $88 million in budget cuts enrollment is being capped, programs are being eliminated or combined with others, in addition to staff and faculty taking furloughs. Despite this our professors have student’s best interest at heart. It made me feel warm inside to pick up the State Press on February 12th and read the opening headline "Some ASU Faculty Choose Less Pay in Lieu of Furlough".

Other great examples are right here in the School of Community Resources and Development. I just finished meeting with one of my favorite professors from last semester, Dr. Megha Budruk. Despite facing furloughs, she is continually encouraging me to explore research opportunities and has me aiming for goals I would have never thought possible. It is because of these dedicated individuals that Arizona State can truly offer quality in their programs, while being one of the largest universities in the country.

I encourage students to take the same attitude when faced with the negative factors of the current economic crisis. Now is the time to value your education and soak up the ambiance of these resilient professors. With even more budget cuts and tuition increases in the mix, these opportunities may prove to be farther and few between.

paper crowns and broken hearts

When I’m having a bad day I like to come home and put on a little Joshua Radin (he’s amazing-check him out) and if my roomies aren’t home I put on the cardboard tiara I kept from New Year’s and daydream about better days. I let myself get lost in thought about wonderful things. Lately I try to imagine myself grown up. Every time I peek in on my future self she’s doing something different. One day she is a gypsy in a field of flowers dancing to the music in her head. Another day she is in the middle of Rockefeller Center ice-skating underneath the giant sparkly Christmas tree. Today she is doing the exact same thing I am. Except her tiara is especially glittery and Mr. Radin is serenading her from the bottom floor of her third story apartment. I can’t quite see them, but I’d like to think she has stars in her eyes. For I believe that if they are indeed starry she has found happiness; in herself, in her family, in those who surround her.
Love has proven to be quite a sticky word. Not just the word itself, but all of the situations that come with the vague definition. I often wonder if such a delicate bond between two people is meant to last the test of time, or if it is simply like the glow of a firefly caught in a mason jar slowly fading into the night. I constantly worry about the opportunities missed because they presented themselves to a blind eye, but not as much as the opportunities passed up because of selfishness or confusion.
I fantasize about being brave. Riding in on the white horse of humility and slaying the dragon of pride, I will burst through the gate of uncertainty and kiss my prince passionately, offering my heart and undying love at his feet. But this is just another daydream. Instead I will sit in the melody of Joshua in my paper crown pretending that I am the one who needs to be rescued.

The Guy Knows What He's Talking About

Cronon's point of view is a unique one. Proposing that the idea of Wilderness is an American invention and is in fact existing not to preserve nature but to serve the elite is interesting. He argues "The removal of Indians to create an “uninhabited wilderness”—uninhabited as never before in the human history of the place—reminds us just how invented, just how constructed, the American wilderness really is." When you think about it Cronon brings up a valid point. I personally feel that I am not in Nature unless I am on a mountain top, in a national forest, or secluded from the industrial world. This reinforces his arguement of Wilderness being an American construct.
Cronon brings up another point, "By imagining that our true home is in the wilderness, we forgive ourselves the homes we actually inhabit." This is a great example of how we as a culture look negatively on our industrialized ways of living, and romanticize rural lifestyles. The American population looks over the Nature we have in our own backyard and focuses too much on the over-commercialized "Wilderness" we know today as our national parks and protected areas.

Civil Disobedience and Land Ethics

Earth First! a radical environmental group was originally founded with the intent of protecting the environment from destruction of wildlife habititats. The group participated in public stunts of protest like organizing a tree sitting. Many of the early protests were peaceful and did not cause harm or damage to anyone or anything. The group attracted members with an anarchist political background and soon evolved into the Earth First! group many are familiar with today. Some who were uncomfortable being associated with having this political view left the Earth First! group and started different organizations. Soon after, Earth First! began participating in sabatoge.

Personally, I can see myself being a founder of this organization. When I say that I refer to the group who had the original intent of protecting wildlife through peaceful means. While I am aware that it is civil disobedience the way the group was going about it was harmless to the environment and humans. Now that Earth First! is involved with sabatoge and eco-terrorism I would not identify with the group. I feel that participating in a peaceful demonstration is acceptable. Causing damage to private property, whether it be a piece of equipment or an actual business location, is inappropriate. Our country was founded on freedom and I feel that everyone has the right to express their feelings, however you lose that right when you can only express it in violent, harmful ways.

In high school I was always the first one to stand up for what I believed in no matter how menial the matter seemed. Now that I am older and more mature I understand that I cannot be an advocate for everything so I must dedicate my time and energy to what I feel is most important. As long as demonstrations or protests for the cause were peaceful and did not harm or damage people or property I would have no problem participating in them.

Favorite Places Downtown

Growing up in Phoenix and attending high school downtown, I already had a few favorite places in the area. In high school I loved going to the Burton Barr Central Library and taking the elevator to the fifth floor. Right smack in the middle between the bookshelves are study tables. I loved to sit at one and stare out the life sized glass windows at the Downtown cityscape. Part of the Phoenix skyline is visible and it is absolutely breath taking. On days I felt like journaling or thinking, one could find me there.

Attending ASU's Downtown campus has changed that a bit. The farther I get into my major the more appreciation I have for nature and being outside in general. This is absolutely wonderful for me, since it happens to be cooling off. Increasingly I am finding myself wanting to be outside. I cannot wait for the new civic space to be finished. The area will provide students with shade structures, open areas to recreate in, and ultimately link ASU with the surrounding community.

Check out more about the space at:
http://www.asu.edu/tour/downtown/civic.html

This seems to be the ideal place for students and working professionals. A sanctuary in the middle of the city. Getting away without going away.

Until then you can find me in the library...

Preservation and Conservation both work towards a common goal, but approach it very differently. For instance, preservation opposes utilitarian uses or preserved nature. This biocentric view is heavily influenced by transcendentalism. John Muir is often associated as the figure head of the Preservation Movement. Conservation was guided mostly by the politically powerful Gifford Pinchot. With the anthropocentric views of the Conservationists, many natural resource industries such as ranching, mining, timber, and water companies were aligning themselves with this group.

Both preservation and progressive conservation views are demonstrated when it comes to the Pantanal Wetlands in South America. These wetlands have been drained and used for agriculture in the past, but now experts believe that this has caused heavy floods in the rainy seasons, and a lack of water during the dry ones. Currently the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology is conducting research to confirm the importance of these wetlands.

I believe that the remaining wetlands should be preserved. The land should not be used for additional agriculture, especially if heavy flooding and droughts are linked to the lack of wetlands in the area. Ultimately, I feel some of the land will be preserved, but only after extensive research and heavy backing from private or nonprofit preservation groups.

For more information and the whole story check out:http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/37797