READING #6 - Moving Ecoagriculture into the Mainstream

Honestly, I think it is crazy that 70% of the world's water consumption is used for agriculture. I mean I can understand why, but it is just such a large percent it is kind of mind blowing. I also think it is crazy that by year 2025 our agricultural need will increase by nearly 50%, these numbers astonish me. I think it hits home more so when things are put into a number perspective.

READING #5 - Charting a New Path to Eliminating Hunger

I feel that there are many aspects of agriculture that are overburdened, for example, fishing, farming, and soil nutrition consumption. I believe in order to save our future we must do as mentioned and conserve our land as much as possible. It seems that when something does well in an area it is over fished, over planted, or over harvested in general. For example, Hawaii is over planted with pineapples, that creates much of the land cover on Oahu.  All and all I think we do what we need to in order to be able to sustain a certain level of need, but I think be over use what works well in some aspects.

Reading #4 - School Reflections

After watching the videos there are a few important factors I would like to reflect on. First of all, I feel Richard Louv has a great point that he made, school system educators do not spend enough time outside of the four walls of a class room in most cases.  I have been to school where we had recess, we spent time outside for classes, we explored our surroundings, and then, I have had classes where we sit inside of a class room with white walls and typically blue carpet. They are coming out with all of these psychiatric labels for  children and teens but look, who would not be stir crazy spending almost 8 hours trapped in a boring room listening to someone speak or watching old tutorial videos? I think it is extremely important to get outside and for teachers to push you to explore and to see what is really surrounding you. Today, not all parents sent their children to play outside on nice days, all to many of them remain inside playing with their games or their toys. These things are great when it is a rainy or cold day, but when it is perfect weather, children need to be outside. This is what I did when I was growing up. I was always outside chasing lizards, picking flowers, climbing trees, and today that is why I can name so many native animal and plant species, because it interested me and I was forced into it. I think nature is one of the best forms of entertainment.

The next issue I want to touch on is something I mentioned, psychiatric labeling, but I would like to get a bit more in depth with this. Although I feel there are times that people do deserve this label, it should not negatively impact them in live. I feel like children that were labeled with any of these psychiatric labels are treated differently within both family and school settings. Although in school they may need different teaching techniques and more attention to deal with their learning and behavioral differences I think school should be able to better provide this. 

Reading #3 - John Dewey

I think John Dewey was a very wise man. I agree with his notions that we all impact our own learning experiences because of our home and how we spend our time out of the classrooms. One of our biggest learning tools is our peer group, and the knowledge of previous generations. I think no matter how technologically advance we become as a culture we must always take a break to enjoy our surroundings and realize there is more than games and television to fill our times. I think regardless we must always incorporate different philosophies and pastimes.

Personal Jornal - Time spent outside...

So, yesterday I came home from errands and spent sometime outside in the beautiful weather... I washed my car over the grass so I was not purely wasting water while washing my car... After that I took care of my outside chores, including pulling weeds from my veggie garden, and tending to my chickens.
I spend time outside everyday.
Last night I sat outside looking at the beautiful sky and kept hearing these weird animal noises, come to find out it was a bobcat in heat, so later on I was letting my dogs out and guess who was on my fence checking out my chickens.... Ms Bobcat. Ha, how interesting it is living in a rural area.

Anyways, to reflect on what I appreciate.... I truly love living here. I think it is amazing that I can sit outside on any given night and just listen to the native wildlife. The typical animals I hear are bobcats, foxes and coyotes. The stars are absolutely beautiful here. I love it at night... There is so much to appreciate. We have a great variety of life here...

Neighborhood Field Trip - The sights of Lois Court, plus my home.

I figured since this was a field trip and I live in a Small neighborhood in the country I would include my home, animals, and plants in this little blog.
While walking through I firstly noticed that people need to have more self respect for their homes. I hate sloppy yards with trash, weeds, and messes, but that is besides the point. Me and my pups love to go on walks around the neighborhood, they love to animal watch and I just enjoy the walk. Cricket especially loves watching birds, Bandit is more interested in people and who might possibly pet him. So as we walk and notice things, I realized one of my neighbors put in a pond, I am curious how this will effect our snakes in the area, especially water moccasins.

The ten questions I came up with are:
1. Before our neighborhood was built it was all family farm land, why when builders create subdivisions do they trash the rich soil and bring in sand?
2. Since there is "wet lands" behind my across the street neighbors home, how come the only thing I see growing is tall grass (over seven feet tall).
3. Therefore, what constitutes it as wetlands?
4. What kind of animals are in my immediate area, I know there are many hybrids, for example wolf-coyote, are they my only "dangers".
5. I have this strange spider at my house, it looks like a small tarantula, he is furry but the size of a nickel, I noticed he eats other spiders, what is he?

6. What are these nasty yellow flowering weeds that smell like turnips and why does everyone have them in their yard? (picture will come later)
7. How many inches are rain are needed to properly sustain life here, for example maintain creek levels for fish and animals, maintain vegetative growth for food and beauty, and keep shade?
8 . Where does the skink that frequents my garden reside daily?
9. Why is poison ivy so difficult to kill?
10. How do yard chemicals effect our high water table?

**Pictures**

Babies! Bandit and Cricket

 My neighborhood is on the left

 My Street and Crooked Mail box :(

 Favorite plants, green flowering helenborous (Lenten Rose)

 Patio Peach!

 Salamander

 My perfect white rose from my garden

 Pommegrante Flowers

 Mine.... Mine....... Mine... 

 Angel loves shoes, what girl doesn't?

 Dippy, meet, Chicken

 Big Ziva, hunting. 

 Baby Ziva

 My Discus Tank

 During our Tornadoes last month

 ME!

 Goodbye, for a little while. Me and my Husband

 Front Garden

 Peony

 Bandit and Cricket

 Chick, Chick, Chickens!

 My husband's pup, Bandit

 Bandit and Cricket in our "shade garden"

 Home Sweet Home, How I love you snow. 

 Neighbors tress and fences in our snow

The old 1800's home behind my property

 Our main road snow covered...

Reading #2 - Quality

I am actually glad that this week's quiz covered key terms. I feel bad for admitting this, but I honestly was not sure what a few things really meant, for example, colloquium was a new one on me. I guess because I never really had the desire to know what it meant I never took the time to look it up. This class seems to touch base on ecological issues as well as sociological issues. It should be an interesting mesh.

Reading #1 - Orientation

I am already a outdoors person, I enjoy our environment and love spending time admiring it. I guess the biggest thing I stand to gain from this class is a new perspective which anyone can give. So far the class seems like a pain (but don't all Gordon Rule classes) but it seems like it will be an overall good experience.

Welcome, Attempt two...

So.... I am still hoping my original blog returns, but after all the problems blogspot had this week my blog was completely lost and now says it does not exist. Lovely huh....
Well, my name is Jennifer Via, I am a transfer student to FGCU and I plan to graduate in Spring 2012 with my Bachelors of Science as a Legal Professional. I am currently living in Richlands, North Carolina outside of the Marine Corps base where my husband is stationed, although, he is currently deployed overseas. I love the outdoors, especially to capture it in photography. Sadly, I lost almost all of my pictures from the past year when my laptop crashed, I have started taking new ones so hopefully I will have some great new photos of wonderful sites although I do not travel much without my husband. We have a mini zoo as I call it.... Currently we have two dogs (Bandit and Cricket), two cats (Angel and Dippy), seven chickens (unnamed), one chameleon (Ziva), and three fish tanks (too many fish to name).
I plan on posting pictures soon, hopefully tomorrow...