Today was a lot easier on our feet and a lot more
opinionated. I enjoy having open discussions on topics that are very
controversial. It is hard to choose whether you are intrinsic or extrinsic to
the topic of biodiversity. As I was reading the article I thought I was a
little bit of both; I believe that everything has value and a right to life but
I also believe that we should look at species in terms of its use for humans. Now,
I don’t think you can actually have both opinions. You can’t believe that
everything has a right to life when you are willing to wipe a species off the
earth in order for economic prosperity. With figuring this out, I have
concluded that I have no idea where I stand in terms of my opinion for
biodiversity. To what extent are we going to allow our people to live in
poverty and not tear down an environment to save one particular species? These
are very hard decisions to make. By the end of our discussion my head was
pounding and I’ve heard enough of saving the environment. But, these issues
will rise again and our generation will have to make crucial decisions. Do we
want to look at long term effects of a hundred years or do we want to look at
how it will help us in the next twenty? I have no idea. I think these types of
topics result in fast decisions because it’s hard to think of the chain effect
it is going to have everywhere else. There is almost no possible way to use just
an earths worth of resources while having the technology we have now. Then I think
to myself, well if there’s no possible way, what’s the point in trying? I guess
that’s why I’m not going into this field.
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| Caterpillar under the microscope |
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| Leaf under the microscope |
I was a little sad when I couldn’t find living things under
the microscope in the specimens collected at Peebles Island. Beforehand, I was
almost sure I was going to be grossed out by the moving things in the muddy water.
What I found funny was that the caterpillars, who were collected in zip lock
bags and stored in the freezer for two weeks, were still alive. Those things
are soldiers. What I also found funny was that Rose is always making fun of me
for being scared of things when she wouldn’t even touch the caterpillar
herself. Oh, Rose. The picture to the top left is the caterpillar under a
microscope. You can clearly see the long hairs it has coming out of its body.
These hairs protect it and also allows the caterpillar to sense its
surroundings. I wasn’t able to see under the microscope of other students but
from what I’ve heard, they didn’t see any living things as well.
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| Chandelier inside the Hart-Cluett house |
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| Parlor inside the Hart-Cluett house |
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| Colonial clothing displayed inside the RCHS |
The tour we had today should have been the first tour we
ever did in this program. The exercises the woman had us do really changed my
thought on viewing artifacts and furniture. She allowed us to make sense of it
on our own terms, then brought us back together in order to add more to our
thoughts. You lose the context of things because they were made long ago, and
we have to connect these things together in order to determine how it was used.
Things as simple as a container for baking powder has a lot more to it than
just the shape. The color scheme, font, and title all reflect on how people are
going to view this item. With the baking powder can I had, it was bright red
and yellow to attract a person’s eye in the supermarket. There are many
different ways we can look at an object of history, and I am sure now I will
look and analyze more carefully. What I really enjoyed was the fact that we
were allowed to walk around the house before we had an actual tour. This way,
we can see things on our own and ask questions later. It was different from
many other tours, as we were welcomed to express what we liked and didn’t like.
I personally love the interior design of the house. What I found interesting
that I didn’t know was that the mirrors were used to reflect light instead of
actually looking at your reflection, although that was a benefit of having them
as well. The house I lived in as a child in Brooklyn was similar to the interior
of this house, but a bit less extravagant. What my house did have were lots of
mirrors. The entire bathroom wall had mirrors and the master bedroom had a wall
of a mirror as well. I thought my dad was really conceited, he was, but also it
could have been used for the reflection of light since my father grew up in
that house when he was a child. If I ever have enough money to decorate my house
to my fancy, it would look very similar to the house we toured today. I wish I could
have elegant parties and a debutante, they seem fun. I’ve always liked dressing
up and going to parties, ever since I was a little girl. My mom told me a story
once that for Halloween I wanted to be a bride so bad. So my mom bought me a “bridal”
dress, and after that Halloween, I never took that dress off. I would pretend
to dance and have tea by myself. I wish today's society could bring back the style of the
1890’s.
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