A collection of poems

One with the sea
by, Jessica Chang
The waves come crashing down on shore,
the melodic whispers in tune,
the majestic waves and color of discrete,
the serenity and the awe of the moment,
the verily moment we listen and watch,
is the moment I really became one with the sea.

The only known place
by, Jessica Chang
Looking outside of their known place,
the outlines of societal structures,
filled with many pristine colors,
shapes and squares and drapes,
locomotive and automobiles travel by,
at the same distinct moment,
trees, bushes, hills are hidden away,
they are not as prime as they use to be,
they try to show themselves,
to fight their only known place,
but it's too late,
societal structures dominate their beauty,
forever they are hidden,
from their only known place

Anxious mice have a higher risk of cancer

Recent studies have found that anxious mice have a higher risk of getting cancer than calmer counterparts.  This study shows connections with potential human cancer treatments. Mice who are more anxious were more hesitant to search dangerous areas-these mice are more prone to skin cancers than calmer mice who would oppose the dangerous areas. LiveScience.com have found that damage stress does impose a connection to the immune system, in turn it can sometimes fight off these types of cancers. 
"It's bad enough that cancer diagnosis and treatment generates stress and anxiety, but this study shows that anxiety and stress can accelerate cancer progression, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle," study researcher Firdaus Dhabhar, a psychiatrist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, said in statement. 
"The goal is to ameliorate of eliminate the effects of anxiety and chronic stress, at least at the time of cancer diagnosis  and during treatment," Dhabher added. 


Stress plays a focused role in the immune system. Short-term stress can boost the immune system, research has found, the body acts as though it is ready for a fight. But when stress is chronic it can make the immune system suffer. 


In a way, this also effects the environment because it can decrease the mice population; which in turn can pose an effect towards the food chain system. Whenever there is a disruption in our food chain system, the ecosystem will respond negatively due to the 'out of order' response. 

Appreciate Life..

Just recently, so sudden one of my floormates Jessy died. He was a cool and funny guy. The problem is that it bothers me so much that Jessy is gone forever. In my current stage i would say i'm at the point where i'm constantly worrying about finding a job, earning money, and having a family. When my floormate died this tragic situation made me stop what i was doing and made me look into this situation more deeply. When your a young kid growing up you never take the time to think about death until it happens to one of your good friends. You can only learn from this type of situation and it forces you to appreciate life more. The more i think about this situation the more i realize he died for a reason. Whether it was suicide or an accident, he never had that strength inside him that kept him alive today. I know for a fact i have that strength and know that strength will take me far.

Sometimes i take the time to think whether he died intentionally or accidentally. I may never know and will never find out. In the end it is okay to mourn, feel guilt, and cry over this type of situation. We are only human beings.

Hetch Hechy.

Situated in the mountains of Yosemite Park, we come across a quiet, peaceful almost scenery surrounding what is known to be called Hetch Hetchy. Before we get started, Hetch Hetchy is one of San Francisco's main source of water. All the water we obtain from San Francisco comes from the reservoir in Yosemite Park. This reservoir is the cleanest source of water in SF, don't think twice about drinking the tap water from SF, because the tap water is clean and quite tasty. Since 1913, the city of San Francisco approved the o'shaughnessy dam which has been built with 300 feet of water. Unfortunately, this dam has factored to many environmental impact for the Yosemite Park. Within ten years Hetch Hetchy will be covered with large amounts of dry land and dead plants due to the dam. This issue has many surrounding debates on whether government should remove the dam or keep it there. If we take out the dam, we can restore Hetch Hetchy to it's original state. Taking the dam out will cost lots of money and San Francisco won't have a source of water. This debate is a huge case, especially in my environmental science class. Soo..this is my question..should we or should we not remove the dam from Hetch Hetchy? Or perhaps leave it for economic purposes? It's quite a compelling question, but i'll leave the debate up to you guys..

Ocean Dead Zones

I've heard of the ocean's dead zone many times in my life, but never knew that this problem was MAINLY linked to farming.

Since the 1960's oceans around the world have eerie areas that contain dead zones. Dead zones are when all living life is non-existant. They have been known to have a lack of oxygen & have tons of nitrogen from farm fertilizers to emission from cars and factories. They run from 45, 000 miles in the Gulf of Mexico to the Mississippi river. These dead zones have been known to be the size of Oregon!

Farming, cars, and factories have been creating this pollutant that is killing our oceans because it adds toxic chemicals into our waters. This pollutant is particularly dangerous to the marine life.

The dead zone has been known to effect reproduction in fish. Fish eggs are impossible to be born in this type of area due to a lack of oxygen. The dead zone has been killing millions of fishes lately, which in turn can lead to an uneven ecosystem and even potentially collapse it.

Crabs, plankton, clams & shellfish are highly affected due to oxygen depletion. They have been affecting the ecosystem's food chain; with the ecosystem in effect, it can destroy our marine life and oceans for good.

Some researches have suggested that in 10 years ocean dead zone's will increase immensely and we need proper care for it to end.
Some solutions we can help is to support crop biodiversity, which have been known to replace farm fertilizers with a more healthier crop that can help sustain farmlands.
Another solution is to buy organic! Organic food is made with natural ingredients that does not contain chemicals and fertilizers.

I  find the ocean dead zone fascinating because what we eat and drink may have a huge impact on the oceans. Part of the food and drinks that we consume come from farms and factories. For some time now, these two factors have been a leading disaster for the ocean dead zones.

This picture depicts the ocean's "dead zones." The light green color indicates the dead zones.

Goji Berries

Goji berries. I have to rant about this fruit because it provides so many health benefits; I have tried it and believe it does its good share of work. When i returned home from winter break the first thing my mom made for me was a goji berry hot tea. I have to admit i was a bit skeptical about this fruit because 1. i've never eaten this fruit before and 2. I never heard of goji berries. That doesn't seem right now does it? Although, i've come to realize this fruit contains high amounts of vitamin A. This fruit has been known to be eaten raw or steamed in water to make tea.

Goji berries is known to be found in China and the Himalayas. When consumed, it has been known to  help with numerous afflictions. For example, they have helped with diabetes, high blood pressure, fever, and age-ralted eye problems. Goji berries is contained with high amounts of antioxidants and vitamin A; they have been known to help with anti-aging problems. This fruit helps you sleep, provide dopamine, increase athletic performance and calmness.

I officially love Goji berries. You can get Goji berry fruits anywhere in a Chinese super market or your local grocery store. 

What i love to do with Goji berries is eat them my oatmeal or brew them in my tea. I admit both taste wonderful. Goji berries have helped with my health and i highly recommend them.

                                           This picture depicts a mound of dried Goji berries. 

Pacific Gyre Garbage Patch

Okay...so i did a project about this problem in my environmental ethics class and i have come to learn this is a HUGE problem in our society. The Pacific Gyre is a bit disturbing. Fishes, turtles, seagulls, dolphins, and many more have been living in this disgusting environment. It's just disturbing to think about animals living in a pool of garbage everyday.

The Pacific Gyre Garbage Patch (which is the size of Texas) is a vortex of our garbage that has been put out in the middle of the ocean because we have no where else to put them. This garbage patch is affecting our marine life, oceans, and health. This mainly affects our health because we eat those fishes that have consumed the garbage that they mistakenly assume as food. In the end we are affected because we consume the fishes with plastic in it. Most of those plastics contain toxins that can kill us. These toxins include key chemicals like bishenol A (BPB) and phthalates, which have been linked to affect our development. According to Times Magazine, "Obesity, diabetes, autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder — could have chemical connections with plastic." 


Some solutions to this problem are foundations that have promoted people to help clean out our oceans. Also, asking questions & getting involved with this problem can raise concerns and help us find solutions. Learning to recycle and throw garbage in the correct section (ect. compost, recycle) can help the environment a lot.  

This picture indicates how long the  Pacific Gyre has been around due to the turtle's shell. It takes approx. 10-20 years for the turtle to fully develop into it's shell. 

Below you can find a link to the garbage patch.

Pacific Gyre Garbage & Map