sustainability fair

At our school we went to a sustainability fair where we learned a few things about the excess waste/energy used. The first booth I went to talked about the Kapu systems that the Hawaiians used to use. They were laws designed to conserve food and to make sure they weren't using/killing thing unnecessarily. They had a certain number of animal they could hunt and some seasons they weren't allowed to hunt at all (to give the animals a chance to create more offspring.) We don't have these laws anymore but we now have many extinct animals because of pollution, overhunting, and destruction of natural habitats.

We also learned ways to help out, for example we could make a huge difference just by emailing a site. By emailing and telling them what our opinion is, we can actually help pass new laws or oppurtunities to help the world.


I don't know, I didn't remember everything, I was pretty stoked when I got that starbucks cup :) Instead of using disposable cups we got a cool cup that we can use instead. It's reusable and we can get our drinks at the cafeteria for only 50 cents if we use it. Chya boo.

the last chapter.

So the last chapter was pretty interesting. I must say that I was quite shocked when I read that she didn't really speak when she was younger. Also, the whole thing about the mother "cutting the tongue" was really strange to me. Is that a metaphor/"tradition" they use often in China? I don't know, but I was a little confused about that.

Maxine used to be very quiet and would paint her paintings thick layers of black. I thought that maybe she did this because she was reserved and she felt safe with the darkness. She turned to it for protection [this isn't supposed to be racist] like she did when she turned to the black students when she was getting picked on.

I also thought it was strange how she picked on the girl who didn't speak. At first I figured that she would be able to understand how it felt, but she REALLY hated the silence. But before she found sanctuary in it... I don't get it, maybe she hated herself being so timid and weak so she hates the girl for being it too. It's all confusing. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?