Category Archives: Uncategorized

Civic Issues:

For my civic issues blogs, I chose to discuss sustainability because I am very passionate about this topic. I think that the Earth is truly our most precious resource. Too many people live their everyday lives without even noticing the effects humans have on the planet. It is almost scary to think that some individuals don’t realize that we depend on the earth for literally everything we need, and if it is damaged beyond repair, the human race will cease to exist. It is therefore hugely important for us to stop the actions that harm our planet and instead work to live more cohesively with the natural elements of Planet Earth.

Sustainable Living

A “Green” Diet

Go Green for Spring!

Vegetarianism

Passion Blog:

Meerkat Madness

I chose to write about Meerkats mostly because I think they’re such a cool animal.  I remember watching Meerkat Manor on PBS when I was younger, and I was always so amazed at how smart and cooperative the little critters were.

A Word to the Wise

Owls have, for centuries, represented wisdom. The majestic creatures are found worldwide, and their brilliance is something I have always admired.

Proud as a Peacock

“Peacock” is actually not a breed of animal – the word only describes male Peafowl. Females look completely different from the common image of the bird, but the male’s vibrant array of colors is what give’s it so much attention. I always love a bit of drama, so it’s no surprise that this bird is one of my favorite!

You Think I’m Cute?! Get Otter Here!

As I wrote my passion blogs, I realized my love of animals may in fact be due to the amount of children’s shows with animal characters. Otters were HUGELY present in one of my favorite children’s shows, PB&J Otter. The real-life otters are just as cool as the pack of cartoon otters who lived on a boat.

Lovable Lions

Who doesn’t get chills watching a lion with a huge mane let out a roar? I know I do. Plus, female lions pretty much rule everything in the wild, and I can’t think of anything better than Female Domination.

The Tortoise

When I was little, I went snorkeling in the open waters near Turks and Caicos, and I was instantly calmed when I saw a huge Sea Turtle smiling at me. Ever since, I’ve been in love with all things turtles. And, as one of the longest living animals (some up to 150 years) it’s pretty cool to realize that tortoises will probably see way more decades than most humans.

This I Believe – Dogs

This weeks animal is one that I hold near and dear to my heart. I don’t really know why, but I love giraffes. They are definitely one of my personal favorite animals, and if they aren’t one of yours, they will be soon!

A giraffe typically lives for about 15-20 years, and they only naturally inhabit portions of southern Africa, in savannah regions. Giraffes have always been intriguing because of their unique body build. In fact, they were originally described as a cross between a camel and a leopard (their species name is actually Camelopardalis). Their spots are also a unique feature of the giraffe. No two giraffes have the same spots, and for this reason, the spots have been likened to a human fingerprint.

Apart from the spots, giraffes are BIG. They are certainly hard to ignore in any setting, with their six foot necks and six foot legs. Even at birth, a giraffe can be as tall as six feet and weigh up to 150 pounds (which explains the giraffe’s 14-month gestation period). At maturity, the neck of a giraffe weighs about 600 pounds, which comes in handy for sparring in the giraffe’s natural environment – male giraffes will whip their necks against each other and as they age, calcium deposits develop to strengthen a giraffe’s head and neck.

Their height also helps them to reach young leaves on the top of trees, which is important in a savannah setting where ground foliage is limited. Giraffes eat about 75 pounds a day, so it’s important they have ample access to foliage. If you’ve never watch a giraffe chew, here’s a link! They eat for most of the day since it takes them so long to chew. Giraffes are ruminants (like cows), so they chew their food several different times before digesting it.

Giraffe’s only predators (besides human poachers) are lions and crocodiles, but they swiftly fight off enemies with strong kicks. Nevertheless, giraffes remain in large packs (their spots make it hard to separate one animal), taking turns looking out for one another.

Hopefully this has made you appreciate the giraffe in all of its glory!

http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/giraffe

These are the twelve blogs – the best of the best, the creme de la creme – that will make up my portfolio for the first semester. Yay!

Work In Progress:

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/09/11/world-wildlife-fund/

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/09/26/ron-paul-for-president/

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/10/10/revise-revise-revise/

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/11/07/ted/

Rhetoric and Civic Life:

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/09/26/a-proud-sponsor-of-moms/

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/10/10/shock-value/

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/10/17/kairos/

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/11/28/fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-rhetoric/

Passion:

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/09/11/a-passionate-hatred/

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/10/24/the-hardest-exercise-yet/

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/11/28/at-home-exercises/

https://sites.psu.edu/lgiralico/2012/12/05/the-class-ive-been-dreading/

I’m not really a multi-media project person. However, it seems that our project is coming along pretty well. We’ve conducted several interviews and have outlined the major points of both sides of the argument. Some of my group members are much more qualified with programs such as iMovie, so I think our presentation will be well put together while still capturing the audience’s attention.

I still feel pretty apprehensive about how the project will actually come together. Right now it feels like we have a million billion little pieces of a project that somehow have to fit together into one appealing, interesting presentation that still fully addresses many sides of an argument, while refraining from being biased toward any one side of the issue.

Thankfully, I am very pleased with the topic we decided to base our project off of. We aren’t having any trouble researching the issue or finding strong arguments and opinions of both sides of the controversy. Furthermore, the drinking age topic seems more and more prevalent to my peers the more we research it. There is a new law in place to help prevent underage drinking violations, yet there are still new cases every day of teenagers who are caught violating the law. I think it is interesting to examine the law itself and how important teenagers deem following the law to be.