Water

Water.
It is essential for all forms of life. We need it to live. 70% of the human body is water and 80% of our brain! In fact, humans can only go without water for about a week before the body would shut down and die. 71% of the earth's surface is covered by water. Saltwater makes up about 97% of the earth's water. Leaving only a small percentage of the earth's water that's suitable for human consumption (drinking).

1 billion people around the world do not have access to clean drinking water. 1 BILLION. That's 1/6 of the earth's population. You know what the number one killer is worldwide? UNSAFE DRINKING WATER. It's hard to believe living here in Portland, where we can turn on the faucet anytime and clean water comes out, but it is a reality. Every day 14,000 people die because they don't have safe, clean drinking water. Every day. Lack of clean drinking water is responsible for 80% of all sickness in the world.

1 child dies every fifteen seconds from lack of clean drinking water.

What can be done about this? Drilling water wells is one of the most common and practical solutions to the problem. Wells cost anywhere from $5000-$50,000 to construct (build). There are also costs to maintain the well, so that it continues to work properly. However, 1 well can provide clean drinking water to thousands of people each day. There are many organizations that collect money in order to drill wells in places where they are needed. In fact, you can go to the website water.cc and give money to help with this problem. As little as $1 can provide clean, safe drinking water to one person for one year.

Check out this idea for helping solve the water crisis (problem) around the world. It's called the H20 Challenge. Would you like to be a part of it?

What do you think about this? How does it make you feel? What are some other things we take for granted living in the United States (other than clean drinking water)? Leave a comment and let me know.

Inventions - Creating Something New

There are many new inventions being invented each and every year. Even when we think that we have everything we need people are still coming up with more. When the iPod first came out everyone thought it was so great, but now we just see it as normal. In a few years the iPhone will be old news too and something else more advanced will have come along.

Despite the fact that some inventions are created just to make life more convenient (easy) for us, there are some that are doing more than that. Many inventions are helping conserve our environment by reducing pollution and the amount of energy that we use. There are cars that don't run on gas, paper that can be used over and over again, and bags that use the sun's energy (solar energy) to charge our mp3 players and cell phones.

Take a look over the pictures and descriptions (click on any of the pictures to make them larger - so that you can read the details about them) of some of these new inventions and then leave a comment about which one is your favorite and why. You could also say which invention you think is most practical (realistic) and which one is waaaaay out there (not going to happen - too crazy). Which are the most helpful for conserving the environment and which ones just make our lives easier.

Smart Cars - Will they take off in the United States?

Smart cars have been available in Canada for a number of years. They are now available in the United States, but will they become a big seller or will people still gravitate to buying hybrid Toyota's and Honda's. The Smart car, which is made by Mercedes, runs on gas. It is not a hybrid, which is when a vehicle runs on gas and electricity. The Smart car can go 40 miles on each gallon of gas and costs around $12,000 to buy new.

Follow this link and read the article about Smart Cars. What do you think? Will they be a big hit in the United States? Do you think it's good for people to buy cars that use less gas? What kind of vehicle does your family have? Does it use a lot of gas or not too much?

How I came to be a teacher?

Did you know that I wanted to be a dentist when I was in high school? Really, I did. It's in my high school yearbook as the career that I was interested in pursuing. 2007 was the 10 year reunion of my graduation from high school and if I had been able to go back to Winkler, Manitoba (the place I used to live) all my old classmates would've expected me to be a dentist. Instead I have traveled the world as an English teacher, living in China and the Philippines, as well as spending time in Thailand and Singapore.

How did I come to be a teacher instead of a dentist? After high school I decided to go to a Bible college for one year. Well one year turned into three and sometime during those three years I became interested in teaching English. Upon graduating (after three years) I went to China to teach with a team of people. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Teaching in China was an awesome experience. After returning from China I went back to school to get my Master of Arts degree because I felt I needed more education in order to be the best teacher I could. That took two more years of full-time school.

A couple years ago my wife and I lived in the Philippines for a year and once again had a great experience overseas. For the last two years I have been teaching high school ELL at Gresham and Barlow high school. I definitely feel like teaching is the career for me, but it took some time and wasn't the one I thought I would be doing when I was in high school.

What about you? What kind of career are you interested in at this point? Why are you interested in that career? Do you already have skills or experience that will help you with that career?