Christmas at the White House In the 19th Century

Christmas at the White House In the 19th Century Christmas celebrations at the White House have fascinated the public for decades. And especially since the 1960s, when Jacqueline Kennedy had the presidents house decorated based on the theme of The Nutcracker, First Ladies have supervised elaborate transformations for the holiday season. In the 1800s things were quite different. That isnt entirely surprising. In the early decades of the 19th century Americans viewed Christmas as a religious holiday to be celebrated in a modest manner with family members. And the high point of the holiday social season at the White House would have taken place on New Years Day. Tradition throughout the 1800s was that the president hosted an open house on the first day of each year. He would patiently stand for hours, and people who had waited on a long line stretching out to Pennsylvania Avenue would file in to shake the presidents hand and wish him Happy New Year.   Despite the apparent lack of Christmas celebrations at the White House in the early 1800s, a number of  legends of White House Christmases circulated a century later. After Christmas had become a widely celebrated and very public holiday, newspapers in the early 1900s routinely published articles presenting some highly questionable history. In these creative versions, Christmas traditions which hadnt been observed until decades later were sometimes ascribed to early presidents. For instance, an article in the Evening Star, a Washington, D.C. newspaper, published on December 16, 1906, related how Thomas Jeffersons daughter Martha decorated the White House with Christmas trees. That seems unlikely. There are reports of Christmas trees appearing in America in the late 1700s in specific regions. But the custom of Christmas trees did not become common in America until decades later. The same article also claimed that the family of Ulysses S. Grant family celebrated with elaborate Christmas trees in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Yet the White House Historical Society claims the first White House Christmas tree appeared fairly late in the century, in 1889. Its easy to see that many stories of early Christmases in the White House are either greatly exaggerated or simply untrue. In part, thats because an essentially private holiday celebrated with family members would naturally have gone unreported. And the absence of reliable information led to the creation of comfortable yet  fake history. An apparent need to exaggerate the history of Christmas in the White House may have been motivated in part by something often overlooked today. For much of its early history, the White House was a residence seemingly cursed with a number of tragedies. A number of presidents were in mourning throughout part of their time in office, including Abraham Lincoln, whose son Willie died in the White House in 1862. Andrew Jacksons wife Rachel died just days before Christmas in 1828, a month after he was elected president. Jackson traveled to Washington and took up residence in the Presidents House, as it was known at the time, as a grieving  widower. Two 19th century presidents died in office before celebrating a Christmas (William Henry Harrison and James Garfield), while one died after celebrating only one Christmas (Zachary Taylor). Two wives of 19th century presidents died while their husbands were in office.Letitia Tyler, the wife of John Tyler, suffered a stroke and later died in the White House on September 10, 1842. And Caroline Scott Harrison, wife of Benjamin Harrison, died of tuberculosis in the White House on October 25, 1892. It could seem that the story of Christmas in the first century of the White House is simply too depressing to think about. Yet, one of those who would be touched by tragedy in the White House was, a few years previously, the unlikely hero who emerged late in the 1800s to make Christmas a major celebration in the big mansion on Pennsylvania Avenue. People today tend to only remember Benjamin Harrison because he holds a unique place in presidential trivia. His single term in office came between the two non-consecutive terms of Grover Cleveland. Harrison holds another distinction. He was the president credited with having the first White House Christmas tree, installed during his first Christmas in the White House, in 1889. He was not just enthusiastic about Christmas. Harrison seemed eager to let the public know he was celebrating it in grand style. Benjamin Harrisons Lavish Christmas Benjamin Harrison was not known for celebrations. He was generally considered to have a fairly bland personality. He was quiet and scholarly, and after serving as president he wrote a textbook on government. Voters knew that he taught Sunday school. His reputation was not for frivolity, so it seems odd that he would be known for having the first White House Christmas tree. He took office in March 1889, at a time when most Americans had adapted to the idea of Christmas as a celebratory holiday symbolized by Santa Claus and Christmas trees. So its possible that Harrisons Christmas cheer was simply a matter of timing. It is also conceivable that Harrison took a great interest in Christmas because of his own family history. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, was elected president when Benjamin was seven years old. And, the elder Harrison served the shortest term of any president. A cold he caught, probably while delivering his inaugural address, turned into pneumonia. William Henry Harrison died in the White House on April 4, 1841, only a month after taking office. His grandson never got to enjoy a Christmas in the White House as a child. Perhaps thats why Harrison made an effort to have elaborate Christmas celebrations in the White House focused on the amusement of his own grandchildren. Harrisons grandfather, though born on a Virginia plantation, had campaigned in 1840 by aligning himself with common folk with the Log Cabin and Hard Cider campaign. His grandson, taking office at the height of the Gilded Age, had no embarrassment about showcasing an affluent lifestyle in the White House . The newspaper accounts of the Harrison family Christmas in 1889 are packed full of details which must have been willingly passed along for public consumption. A story on the front page of the New York Times on Christmas Day 1889 began by noting that many presents intended for the presidents grandchildren had been stowed away in a White House bedroom. The article also mentioned the wonderful Christmas tree, which is to dazzle the eyes of the White House babies... The tree was described as a foxtail hemock, 8 or 9 feet tall, liberally decked with glittering glass balls and pendants, while from the topmost branch to the edge of the square table on which the tree stands it is showered over with countless strands of gold tinsel. To add to the brilliant effect, the end of every branch is capped with four-sided lanterns of various colors and finished with a long point of shining glass filled with quicksilver. The New York Times article also described a lavish array of toys President Harrison would be giving to his grandson on Christmas morning: Among the many things which the President has purchased for his favorite grandchild is a mechanical toy an engine which, on being wound up, puffs and snorts at a terrific rate as it speeds over the floor, carrying behind a train of cars. There there is a sled, a drum, guns, horns without number, tiny blackboards on miniature easels, with crayons of every hue and color for the baby fingers, a hook-and-ladder apparatus which would send a thrill of delight to the heart of any little boy in creation, and a long slim box containing parlor croquet. The article also noted that the presidents young granddaughter would be receiving a number of gifts, including jumping jacks with cap and bells, a tiny piano, rocking chairs, all manner of furry coated animals, and bits of jewelry, and last, but by no means least, at the base of the tree is to stand a real Santa Claus, three feet high, laden with toys, dolls, and stockings filled with bonbons. The article concluded with a florid description of how the tree would be lit late on Christmas Day:   In the evening, between 4 and 5 oclock, the tree is to be lighted, that the children may view it in its full glory, when they will be joined by several little friends, who will add their quota to the joyous clatter and din incident to Christmas. The first White House Christmas tree to be decorated with electric lights appeared in December 1894, during the second term of Grover Cleveland. According to the White House Historical Association, the tree lit with electric bulbs was placed in the second floor library and was enjoyed by Clevelands two young daughters. A small front-page item in the New York Times on Christmas Eve 1894 seemed to refer to that tree when it stated, A gorgeous Christmas tree will be lighted at twilight with vari-colored electric lamps. The way Christmas was celebrated in the White House at the end of the 19th century was vastly different than when the century began. First White House Christmas The first president to live in the Presidents House was John Adams. He arrived to take up residence on November 1, 1800, in the final year of his single term as president. The building was still unfinished, and when his wife, Abigail Adams, arrived weeks later, she found herself living in a mansion that was partly a construction site. The first residents of the White House were almost immediately plunged into mourning. On November 30, 1800, their son Charles Adams, who had suffered from alcoholism for years, died of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 30. Bad news continued for John Adams as he learned in early December that his attempt to gain a second term as president had been thwarted. On Christmas Eve 1800 a Washington, D.C., newspaper, the National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser, published a front-page article showing that two candidates, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, would surely place ahead of Adams. The election of 1800 was eventually decided by balloting in the House of Representatives when Jefferson and Burr became locked in a tie in the electoral college. Despite this cascade of bad news, it is believed that John and Abigail Adams held a small Christmas celebration for a four-year-old granddaughter. And other children of official Washington may have been invited. A week later, Adams began the tradition of holding an open house on New Years Day. That practice continued well into the 20th century.

Learn How to Make a Chinese Toast

Learn How to Make a Chinese Toast Whether you’re ringing in Chinese New Year with a bottle of champagne, making a toast at a wedding, or casually drinking ç™ ½Ã©â€¦â€™ (bijiÇ”, a popular type of Chinese alcohol) with your friends, knowing a few Chinese toasts to say will always liven the mood. Here is a beginners guide to short Chinese toasts and other Chinese drinking culture tips. What to Say ä ¹ ¾Ã¦  ¯Ã‚  (GÄ nbÄ“i), literally translating into dry your cup, essentially means cheers. This phrase can either be  a very casual toast or sometimes this toast is an indication for each person to empty the glass in one gulp. If it is the latter case, this only applies to men ​during the first round of drinks at the beginning of the night, and women are only expected to take a sip. éš ¨Ã¦â€ž Ã‚  (Suà ­yà ¬) literally translates to at random or arbitrarily. But with regards to giving a toast, it also means cheers. This toast indicates you want each person to drink as he or she wishes. è  ¬Ã¥ £ ½Ã§â€ž ¡Ã§â€"†Â  (Wn shà ²u wà º jiÄ ng) is a toast used to wish for longevity and health. What to Do Now that you know what to say, how do you actually give a toast? When giving a toast in Chinese, raise your glass as you give the toast. Depending on where you are, your fellow drinkers will either raise their glasses and then drink, clink glasses and then drink, or tap the bottom of the glasses against the table and then drink. If you are giving a toast with a table full of people, it is not expected that anyone clink glasses. But there will be times when you find yourself clinking glasses with an individual. If that person is your superior, it is customary that you touch the rim of your glass below the rim of their glass. To exaggerate that you acknowledge this persons higher status, touch the rim of your glass to the bottom of their glass. This custom is especially important when it comes to business meetings. Who Makes the Toast? The host of the party or meeting will be the first to make the toast. It is considered rude if anyone besides the host makes the first toast. The host will also give the last toast to indicate that the event is coming to an end.   Now that you know how to give a Chinese toast, drink up and enjoy socializing!

Discuss the activity in the laboratory that are designed to assure Assignment

Discuss the activity in the laboratory that are designed to assure Quality (Collection of specimen - Reporting ) - Assignment Example It is also important to collect the specimen with sterile instruments while preventing the specimen from coming into contact with any disinfectants (Stokes & Ridgeway 1980, p10). These precautions prevent the specimen from becoming contaminated while avoiding killing off any pathogens in the specimen. Lastly, there are specific procedures to be followed depending on the type of specimen being collected. Proper collection of specimens ensures that laboratory testing is accurate and safe. Once a specimen reaches the laboratory, thorough records must be kept for quality assurance and accuracy. It is especially important that care "should be taken to prevent reporting results on the wrong specimen and transposing digits in reporting quantitative data" (Kumari & Bhatia 2003, p160). The records must be detailed enough to determine any possible sources of error during testing. Keeping detailed and accurate records is essential for quality

Preventing Ventilator Associated Pneumonia in the Intensive Care Unit Research Paper

Preventing Ventilator Associated Pneumonia in the Intensive Care Unit - Research Paper Example From this perspective, I want to find various methods of preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia in the ICU patients. Huang, S. J., Huang, H. J., Yu, S. F., Chen, J. H., Huang, H. Y., Cheng, P. C., ... & Lu, M. C. (2015). The implement of bundle care improves the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in ICU. Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, 48(2), S153. The above journal discusses a research carried out in a medical center in central Taiwan. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia after implementation of VAP bundles. Before the introduction of VAP bundles the prevalence rate was 2.5% in 2013 where a respirator was utilized in 49.9% of the patients hospitalized in the 20-bed Medical Centre. The incidence rate reduced from 2.5% in 2013 to 1.0% in Q3 of 2014, after the application of VAP bundle care. Laird, P. (2015). Preventing ventilator-related injury in the ICU. Retrieved May 22, 2015, from http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/sp-3.15.1b/ovidweb.cgi?QS2=434f4e1a73d37e8ca9c2ed569e2a6bcb0f412b007c9b7e54280dcd11f81c8b88c241ed21141302487cfd3d58d1402427e90395d588a7c5c119687037986016f981c651e712f27d984010f4812b662d4aee3eb831 This resource talks about a mechanical ventilation technique that is utilized in the ICU. It is a treatment for patients suffering from respiratory failure. Nevertheless, the method has various complications and risks related to its use. It is, therefore, recommended that patients using this type of therapy should be monitored daily. Monitoring daily is paramount to establish preparedness to perform early extubation and safeguard against possible fatal ventilator-associated problems. The document suggests that using ‘VAP-bundle’ may minimize the infection rate. It talks about a 5-element Institute

Heat of Combustion Essay Example for Free

Heat of Combustion Essay Mapua Institute of Technology School of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry Physical Chemistry I Experiment No. 6 Heat of Combustion Alain John Cantaa, Jefunnie Matahumb, Marife Comprac, Nino Adrian Rodelasa, a b Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Mapua Institute of Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering and Chemistry, Mapua Institute of Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering c Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Mapua Institute of Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Heat of combustion Calorimeter Aromaticity Relative energies Heat of formation Date submitted: March 02, 2013 ABSTRACT The heat of combustion, ? H, can be measured through a bomb calorimeter. It is the energy released as heat when a compound undergoes complete combustion with oxygen under standard conditions. The chemical reaction is typically a hydrocarbon reacting with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, water and heat. It may be expressed with the quantities: energy/mole of fuel (kJ/mol), energy/mass of fuel, energy/volume of fuel. The heat of combustion is conventionally measured with a bomb calorimeter. It may also be calculated as the difference between the heat of formation of the products and reactants. The experiment aimed to determine the heat of combustion of some hydrocarbons namely, benzoic acid, naphthalene, and sucrose and to be familiarized with calibration of bomb calorimeter. Parr 6200 Bomb Calorimeter, a device that measures heat of combustions of different compounds, and the Parr 6510 water handling system were used. The samples used were benzoic acid, naphthalene and sucrose. The results of the experiment showed that naphthalene has the highest heat of combustion followed by benzoic acid and sucrose, respectively. The analysis of the molecular structure of the samples found that increasing aromaticity of compounds yield to a higher enthalpy of combustion. Discussion of the relative energies of the bonds broken in combustion had contributed to the overall concept of the experiment. In general, the heat of combustion of a certain compound can be measured in a typical bomb calorimeter and aromaticity is directly proportional to the heat of combustion of a particular compound. . Introduction Combustion is the chemical term for a process known more commonly as burning. It is one of the earliest chemical changes noted by humans, due at least in part to the dramatic effects it has on materials. 1The mechanism by which combustion takes place is well understood and is more correctly defined as a form of oxidation. This oxidation occurs so rapidly that noticeable 1 Charles E. Smith heat and light are produced. In general, the term oxidation refers to any chemical reaction in which a substance reacts with oxygen. For example, when iron is exposed to air, it combines with oxygen in the air. That form of oxidation is known as rust. Combustion differs from rust in that the oxidation occurs much more rapidly, giving off heat in the process. The first law of thermodynamics is the application of the conservation of energy principle to heat and thermodynamic process where the change in internal energy is equal to the difference in heat added and work done by the system. When a chemical reaction occurs in an open container most of the energy gained or lost is in the form of heat. Calorimetry is the study of the measure of heat of both physical and chemical reaction. In a constant-volume calorimeter, the heat measured, qv is simply the internal energy of the system for no expansion work is done at constant volume. A calorimeter is the device used for the process of calorimetry. 3 There are many kinds of calorimeters namely the bomb calorimeter, the calvet-type calorimeter, the isothermal calorimeter, the differential scanning calorimeter and the constant-pressure calorimter. Calorimeters can measure heat changes and as well as heat constants such as heat of formation and heat of combustion. Heat of combustion or Hc is the energy released when one mole of a compound is reacted with oxygen, forming carbon dioxide and water as end products. Theoretically, the heat of combustion can be calculated using the heat of formation of the products and reactants or using the bond enthalpies bonds formed and broken. One of the most widely used calorimeters today, is the bomb calorimeter. 4 A bomb calorimeter is a type of constant volume device which makes the system isolated from the surroundings. It is an excellent device in measuring heat of chemical processes including the heat of combustion. The bomb calorimeter is used to completely burn substances to produce water and CO2 in an excess of oxygen. The heat of combustion released is absorbed by the calorimeter vessel in which the bomb is immersed, and results in a temperature increase ? T. The temperature measuring device in the bomb calorimeter, measures the heat change in the water. The bomb calorimeter uses the following equation to measure heat changes. Q? ?t * e m [1] where Q is the energy involved, ? t is the change in temperature of the system, e is the energy equivalent of the calorimeter, and m is the mass of the sample. In this type, the heat measured for the sample burned at constant volume, qv is the change in internal energy of the substance from its initial to final states. 1The enthalpy change, (the heat of combustion for this process) is related to the internal energy, by the equation below. 2 3 Physical Chemistry 4th edition Atkins Physical Chemistry 8th edition 4 Principles of Chemical Engineering. 7th Edition Page 2 of 11 The enthalpy of combustion can be calculated from the temperature rise, which results when the combustion reaction occurs under adiabatic conditions in a calorimeter. It is important that the reaction in the calorimeter take place rapidly and completely. The objectives of the experiment were to setup and use a bomb calorimeter as well as to obtain the value of the heat of combustion of some hydrocarbons namely, benzoic acid, naphthalene, and sucrose using the bomb calorimeter. and electric heater and has a precision electronic thermometer. Temperatures are measured with a high precision electronic thermometer using a specially designed thermistor sensor sealed in a stainless steel probe which is fixed in the calorimeter cover. Measurements are taken with 0. 0001o resolution over a 20oC to 40oC working range, with all readings shown in Celsius. It has a semi-automatic system for charging the bomb with oxygen. Oxygen from a commercial cylinder is connected to a microprocessor controlled solenoid installed in the calorimeter. In filling the bomb, the filling hose connector slips onto the bomb inlet valve. The filling proceeds automatically at a controlled rate to a pre-set pressure. 5 2. Materials and Methods 2. 1 Equipments used The equipments used were Parr 6200 Bomb Calorimeter and Parr 6510 Water Handling System.

Equal Rights for ALL Americans Essay -- Gay Marriage, argumentative, p

Marriage has always been a sacred agreement between a man and woman. However, as times have changed, our ideas involving marriage are forced to change with the times. Our country has developed throughout the years to enforce the belief that all Americans should be granted equal rights no matter what their skin color or cultural background. Granting gays the right to marry would simply be giving all people equal rights in the issue of marriage. When it comes to the issue of gay marriage, Americans have many different views. Research shows that the majority of Americans oppose gay marriage, but when it comes to deciding who should make the laws, Americans are split in half (Bayles 6). 48% of Americans said that the federal government should make the laws and 46% say it should be left to the states (6). This information shows that the majority of Americans have strong opinions about the issue, but don’t know of any way to solve the issue (6). The controversy of gay marriage is seen even in groups who support strong marriages. Author Karen Peterson uses her article to address the issue of how gay marriage sits with the â€Å"marriage movement,† the coalition of professionals dedicated to strengthening marriages (7). This movement has successfully included pro-marriage initiatives across America and formed new high school courses on relationships (Peterson 7). Peterson finds that the â€Å"marriage movement† has many different views within itself and struggles with the question of â€Å"How can one be a proponent of marriage in general but oppose marriages between gays† (7). David Blankenhorn who is the founder of the Institute for American Values and an important member of the coalition, says that they ... ...g gay marriage is simply the next step that is necessary to support the growth and change of America’s people. Works Cited Bayles, Fred, and Andrea Stone. â€Å"Gay-marriages foes try to stop ‘activist courts.’† USA Today 25 Feb. 2014: 06a. Bennett, William. â€Å"Leave Marriage Alone.† Newsweek 3 June 1996: 27. Breslau, Karen, Brad Stone, Debra Rosenberg and Tamara Lipper. â€Å"Outlaw Vows.† Newsweek 1 Mar. 2004: 40. â€Å"Broken marriages, not gay nuptials, pose risk to kids.† USA Today 23 Feb. 2014: 18a. Peterson, Karen S. â€Å"On gays, ‘marriage movement’ is on both sides of the aisle.† USA Today 4 Aug. 2014: 07d. Dlugacz, Judy. â€Å"Same-sex marriage: Time to end the bigotry† CNBC Web 30 April 2015. http://www.cnbc.com/id/102624368 Taylor, Chris. â€Å"I Do: No You Don’t.† Time 1 Mar. 2009: 3c. â€Å"USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll.† USA Today 24 Feb. 2014: 06d.

Pragmatism and the Environment Essay

The environment is at stake. The world we live in is a state of slow death—that the world is dying everyday just as the human body loses body cells every minute. Every natural resource of the world is continually abused without thought of the consequences. In a way, human beings are that of a virus, a systemic biological specie that consumes an abundant and relatively beneficial part, destroys it, moves on to another area, and leaves the consumed, worthless, and decimated. However, human experience teaches us that we cannot always deny the natural law because as intelligible beings capable of understanding, we have the natural ability to adapt to any environment given and finding ways and means to survive. As such, the development of the human race is not possible if not for our natural inclination of adaptability, protection of species, and survival. In the essay Pragmatism and Environmental Thought by Kelly Parker (1996), she mentions â€Å"what we must not try to do is not to master the natural world, but to cultivate meaningful lives within various environments. † This coincides with the natural law of adaptability, in which human beings need not defy standards as defined by nature but to harness it and provide necessary means of survival. Pragmatic Knowledge and Environmental Issues Pragmatism heavily relies on factual understanding rather than the complete belief in the innate ideas of the human mind. William James, John Dewey, Charles Pierce, among other founders of American pragmatism during the start of the century, argued that there are no innate beliefs in which knowledge is based. This means that knowledge is not innately transposed upon the human mind. Rather, experience confirms this â€Å"baseless† knowledge through factual and concrete understanding—that an ideology is only accepted as true if it is to be found practical in application. Human experience is then the basis of such practicality and its truthfulness is defined through practical solutions. The environment is not detached from the pragmatist or any other being. The environment is part of the experience, that there is a symbiotic relationship between the two biological systems as well as other life systems. Parker (1996) emphasized this point in her essay: â€Å"environment, in the most basic sense, is the field where experience occurs, where my life and the lives of others arise and take place† (p. 29). Every circle must have definite bounds in which it interacts and from that interaction is where experience revolves. Through these experiences, there have been developments in the field concerning the environment, especially on ethics. The development of environmental ethics is based on the pragmatic movement. More specifically, the interaction between the two different world views of nature leads to the eventual development of these ethics. These ethics later become moral standards for people until they become a â€Å"norm† of living for most. Based from these practical experiences, these social norms transform into methods of newer forms of social responsibility and enhance environmental awareness such as new laws and legislations concerning the environment, grassroots activism, among others. The Ethical/Global Problem As inferred by the pragmatic view, pragmatism’s role with the environment is more on application rather than theorization. In a more general perspective, human beings have the natural tendency to abuse their surrounding and not to take into account their own actions against different ecological systems around them. This coincides with the debate on moral pluralism and anthropocentrism. Moral pluralism specifies â€Å"no single moral principle or over-arching theory of what is right can be appropriately applied in all ethically problematic solutions† (Parker, 1996, p. 31). There is no ultimate and essential set of moral laws governing every scenario of moral problems. Because of the subjectivity of experience, it cannot be applied to any moral problem because of the lack of objectivity. In relation to environmental cases, there are different moral standards (i. e. , culture, geographical location) that must be taken into account in order for a set of moral/environmental laws to be applied. These different subjective inquiries on what should be protected, allowed, or banned come into a moral dilemma—whether it would be practical or not. Moral pluralism is also related to the problem of anthropocentrism—the prioritization of values for human beings. Human life is placed on greater importance rather than other outside factors. In her article, Parker (1996) further explains this line of reasoning: Again, this is not to say that human whim is the measure of all things, only that humans are in fact the measurers. This must be a factor in all our deliberation in all environmental issues. We can and should speak on other’s behalf when appropriate, but we cannot speak from their experience (p. 2). The essay proposes that we create standards and laws by speaking for ourselves and for the things that we want to protect based on our own experiences and judgment. For instance, the advocates of endangered species or an ecological subsystem represent their â€Å"party† to other human being. It is through the advocates that these creatures are represented in the debate over human need. The Global Challenge With the looming threat of global warming, greenhouse gas, and other ecological concerns, what we should do is concentrate more on proper action and proper representation of all the numerous aspects of the environment. We have already identified several problems that cause environmental distress recently and from these problems, there should be a formulation of steps to quickly counteract these issues. If left ignored or continually debated upon without any concrete formulas of implementation, these problems will continue to grow until they become uncontrollable. The proper need of identifying these problems will help in creating different strategies as well as formulating legal actions that will help protect and preserve environmental issues. The factual and general perspective is the world is dying and it continues to deteriorate as the number of human population increases. The matter of proper action comes into play through the environmental advocacies all around the world that supports of revitalizing planet earth. However, there remains the fact that human beings generally view the environment as something that can be planted, created, destroyed, and recreated again. This cycle implies that even with human intervention, the natural law of nature will still take its place. Society, especially today, should learn to adapt and live harmoniously with the environment in order to create a symbiotic relationship between the two. We also have to address the apathy of humans towards its environment. We should remove from the human mindset that the ecological system that we live in is not infinite and it will soon vanish if we are to let our actions not reflected upon. By examining our actions, we may come to a realization that everything that we do may affect the environment in ways that we might not even know. Removing this unconscious reinforcement may well be one of the keys in solving our environmental problem. The depletion of our natural resources, the unnatural effects of greenhouses gases and the growing number of human population are just a few of many environmental issues that should be given importance. Although these problems are already experiencing drastic developments for the last six years, we already have the initiative and the technology to somehow lessen its steady increase and may eventually, although not essentially eradicate, balance the gap between human state of living and the environment. Living with an ecological system, we must learn how to balance our actions and lifestyles in order to build a beneficial relationship. In this way, everybody wins. Reference Parker, K. (1996) Pragmatism and Environmental Thought. In A. Light & E. Katz (Eds. ) Environmental Pragmatism. London and New York: Routledge (21-37).