As part of The People Speak competition, Kerr High School hosted a debate over migrant rights. The following videos allow all visitors to view the opposing sides within this in a standard Public Forum style clash. We hope you will enjoy it.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
The wolves of Yellowstone were wiped out because ranchers hunted the wolves and felt as though they were dangerous. Between 1850 and 1900, an estimated 2 million wolves were shot, trapped, and poisoned by ranchers, hunters, and government employees. The idea was toe make the West and Great Plains safe for livestock and for big-game animals prized by hunters. The reintroduction of wolves was a success because in 2005, the park had 118 gray wolves that had been brought from Canada. The rancher’s main concern was that it hurt livestock and killed too many big-game animals. Their arguments are valid because they did hunt their animals, but their existence is necessary to control other populations. Elk gathered around streams less which helped with plant growth, stabilized stream banks, and lowered the water temperature for trout. They also cut coyote populations which helped the growth of smaller animals and also provided more food for eagles and hawks. In order to make both sides happy, the park should be fenced off or the ranchers can fence off their cattle to protect them from wolves so they can continue their habitat without harming the livestock. I think the human intervention is necessary because it was human intervention in the first place that caused the wolves to be endangered and it’s their duty and obligation to bring them back toYellowstonepark. We can see that each species, regardless of the dangers they might posess to one group, can be an integral part of our biodiversity and environment in the long run.
-Nicholas Chan
When going to a party, having a night out, or having a relaxing night in, the environmental probably would be the last thing on your relaxed mind. The thing is, there are so many things that can be done that not only helps out the environmental, but it helps out your wallet also.
-Tiffany Thai
Have you heard of adopt a sibling? what about adopt a pet? YOU HAVE TO HAVE HEARD of adopt a street! Okay so maybe these programs have nothing to do with each other, but their goals are pretty much the same. You take something , and you make it your responsibilitiy to make it better! That’s exactly what the Adopt-A-Beach program is. Every year, students, volunteers, and just regular people go out to the beach and do their best to clean it up! Kids miss school days to have a day on the beach with their peers making the beach a better place. This year, the emphasis was on Texas. It was stated that this spring’s event with take place at sites up and down the Texas coast. Anyone needing to make arrangements to stay near the coast during the event will be happy to know several hotels are offering special Adopt-A-Beach rates. The Texas GLO encourages anyone interested in the coast or environmental issues to participate. However, they do recommend volunteers take a few common sense safety precautions. Anyone interested in going above and beyond the normal volunteer duties, is also welcome to apply to be aBeach Guardian and help nurture a stretch of beach year around.If you are interested in this or any other programs similar to this, talk to your city and orgainze your own beach “Adoption” program!
-Tiffany Thai
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a new form of nuclear reactor that shows promise. It uses fusion energy instead of the status quo uranium. The reactor produces more energy through plasma physics and is a lot safer than uranium reactors. The Chernobyl accident, excess toxic nuclear waste, and uranium mining health effects are all 
negative aspects that come from the current reactors. The Chernobyl nuclear meltdown killed many lives. The excess toxic waste is hurting the environment and the government is forced to dump it all in the Yucca Mountain which might be fatal because it is said to leak. Uranium mining also hurts the lives of Native Americans because they’re forced to work in these dark dusty mine shafts where toxic uranium if filling up in their lungs—causing lung cancer. The ITER reactor is currently used by the French and is developing in India. The program is the cornerstone to powerful international relations and is key to science diplomacy. If the United States is to retain its power hegemonic status, then science diplomacy needs to be kept alive with the ITER reactor. The major setback is its current funding and development. Congress appropriated money and funds to the project, but its just not enough to support the project. The cost-benefit analysis needs to be implemented to understand and use the promising reactor in the near future. The recent disaster in Japan with the Daiichi nuclear power plant shows the uncertainty of the nuclear renaissance. The radiation leaks and toxic wastes proves more of a reason why nuclear energy should be perfected with better reactors to restore faith in investors.
-Nicholas Chan
Earth day was a few weeks ago. What did you guys do for it? I know I took pride in the hourly get out and play thing, and a lot of other stuff. What about you people who want to do more than just simply recycling and turning off a light, what did you guys do? What about animal relief? Well, Apparently, there is this program called “Keep Manatee Beautiful” Yes this is talking about the beach, but it’s also the beach where a lot of Manatee come to rest. We need to keep these beaches clean so the Manatees have a home! Apparently this past year, The haul last year totaled 48,833 pounds of trash and 17,864 pounds of recyclables. In all, volunteers cleaned up 264 miles of roads and 223 miles of shore. They also scrubbed 75 graffiti sites and planted trees and flowering shrubs.The annual attention to all that debris pays dividends, with volunteers hauling in less and less from some locations. It has gotten some attention as media has taken interest in it also! Apparently, it’s gotten the whole community working to stay clean as people are becoming much more aware of cleaning up after themselves and if they see trash. It’s a great day to save the Sea Cows guys.
-Tiffany Thai
Coal, a fossil fuel, emits foul and harmful gasses into our atmosphere, and with a lack of political support for clean coal, a new alternative is here, biochar. Biochar is a newfound way of trapping carbon with so called “green coal”. Biomass waste we would never think of using, such as peanut shells actually release carbon when it decomposes. However, by burning the remains in a process known as pyrolysis, what’s left over is biochar or green coal. South American societies began this process and dug back this green coal in the ground in order to lock in carbon instead of allowing it to widen the hole in the ozone layer. If this process is applied efficiently and effectively, scientists agree that billion of tons of carbons could be sequestered in soil instead of being released into our atmosphere. Carbon sequestration can be an effective approach to runaway global warming. This new green coal is proved to be more effective than nature’s natural approach to the problem. While trees or plants lock in the carbon for only 15-20 years, biochar could possibly lock in carbon for possibly 100 years. Along with its obvious benefits, the nutrients brought back into the soil could also spur the industrial agriculture sector, signifying a thumbs up from not only farmers, but those attempting to combat climate
change.
-Nicholas Chan
Biofuels have been proven to be cost effective and efficient since 1973. It is estimated that biomass produces 146 billion metric tons a year. Many new alternatives are emerging across the country and hemp is a potential. Hemp has the potential to be the number one biomass producer on Earth. 77% of the plant contains cellulose and cellulosic ethanol is the term referring to types of energy that we are familiar with. Cubing the plant can condense the bulk which reduces the cost and the amount of land used in the pyrolosis reactor which makes the fuel.
Hemp has promising potential because it is drought resistant making it easier to grow in dry regions across the country and is the only resource capable of functioning as an independent energy source. Although this seems like a great idea, there’s an underlying problem, it was outlawed in the United States in 1938. It is said that marijuana and hemp are of the same category, so the government made them illegal, but scientifically speaking you would need to smoke a 60ft pole of hemp just to get high. American farmers are now encouraged to apply for a license to cultivate hemp, but the Department of Agriculture rarely gives them out discouraging farmers.
The United States spends so much money on petroleum and coal exports that we are now feeling the effects of it in our economy. If the government were to legalize hemp, then the crop would provide us with a clean energy source, easier ways of producing cotton, a reduction on oil, and a better outlook on our future. To outlaw something with such great potential is completely absurd and its many uses can change the face of the green America.
-Nicholas Chan
Humpback whales are some of the biggest and intriguing animals of the ocean. From their size to their look to their grace and their friendship with each other and with other creatures, it’s hard to hate these beautiful whales. That is, if you aren’t one of the poor creatures that get sucked into their mouth. But that’s a different story. One of the coolest things about these whales that have been studied for decades are their means of communication. Whales make pulse moaning sounds that are able to travel over 4000 accross the sea to other whales. Apparently, ”The level and rate of change is unparalleled in any other nonhuman animal, and thus involves culturally driven change at a vast scale.” This is where the idea of whale music derives from. Since 1998 until present day, scientists have been recording the sounds of whales for research. These sounds seem a lot like songs as they are heard by now not only the whale population but by our scientific population also. It takes about two years for a song to cross the Pacific, most likely transported either by small groups of wandering minstrels, or by whales in neighboring groups that hear the new songs as they swim together. The songs move eastward because the largest humpback populations live farther west, giving them more cultural sway over their less populous cousins to the east. The question is why do they have these songs in the first place? Well same reason why humans do we believe, because it makes them cool. 
-Tiffany Thai
The United States makes up 40% of China’s imports and unfortunately, these two major industrialized countries lack new alternatives to even simple problems such as the transportation of goods. Large cargo ships emit fossil fuels just as any other form of transportation such as a car or a heavy metal locomotive, however the newest innovations prove how hydrogen based cargo ships can make drastic changes in society. Some consider the global shipping industry as an emission juggernaut, but hydrogen-hybrid boats can easily switch over to a zero-emissions glide into the oceans. The first design was actually created and based off of a British Waterways vessel and is powered by stored hydrogen. Unlike normal hydrogen based vehicles, the cargo ships actually store the hydrogen-lithium-hydride power safely to avoid dangerous accidents because there is no need to carry high pressured gasses on board. Another positive benefit is that the weight of the heavy hydrogen is no longer a problem on smooth sailing waterways. With all of this taken into consideration, the ships that carry our precious goods can easily be powered by the water that they’re gliding across on the ocean.
-Nicholas Chan
