Writing In & For Digital Environments

As we have all heard in the news as of late, the Islamic State has taken responsibility for a shooting near Dallas, Texas at a cartoon festival, which left both shooters dead.  The attack appears to be a home grown terror attack as the shooters obtained assault rifles and body armor.  This event is horrible and all, but how does this happen? Why do these terrorists keep walking unseen on our streets?

In fact, one of the shooters had a criminal history involving a terrorism-related investigation.  Also, the shooters both showed interest of the carnival on social media, which should usually raise a red flag to our government officials.

Via WesternSlope Now

These type of attacks are not even the tip of the iceberg.  ISIS claims to have 71 trained militants located throughout the United States.  If our government officials do not find a way to improve their surveillance, there will be another catastrophe in this country.  The FBI and other officials claim it is hard to keep up with all the activity of suspected “lone wolves”, but that cannot be the excuse anymore.  ISIS is here and they will act soon enough.

Where do these “lone wolves” come from?  They are recruited by ISIS and some of them actually travel to Syria and Iraq to be trained and are then sent back in order to carry out acts of terror.  These recruits are not confronted by ISIS in person, but ISIS communicates with them via social media.  I think we all know the capabilities of the ISIS social media programs by now, but ISIS is displaying a new wave of international terrorism in terms of spreading their influence.

Before filling out the information about my water footprint, I was expecting it to be off the charts because lets be honest, we always expect the worst for ourselves.  However, I could not have been more wrong.  It turns out that I use less water than the average American.  Lets see how this occurred. Be aware these numbers come from gallons/per day.

The first area covered was water used in my home and yard, but I consider this to be a little tainted.  According to the website I use sixty-three gallons of water a day in my home and the average American uses about one-hundred gallons.  Currently, I live in an on-campus apartment complex with three of my friends and we have access to a our own personal bathroom and a laundry room. We do have a kitchen, but due to our access to a separate cafeteria, we mainly consume food there so we do not have to clean many dishes.  Maybe a few here and there on the weekends. Also, we do not have a yard and do not have to water any plants, which I feel would have a major impact on my results.  With that said, if you asked me about water usage in ten years when I have a home of my own, these numbers would probably increase.

I was surprised to see my diet below average because since I am a student-athlete that plays football, I am constantly trying to stay healthy and in shape, especially during this current offseason with all of the training and such.  The average American uses about 1,056 gallons on their diet and I was placed slighting below at 1,015. I eat a lot of chicken and meat products with protein so I do not see how I can be below average.  And when I say a lot, I mean basically every meal. Maybe I am slacking….

Being below average in the transportation and energy aspect was even more shocking than the diet aspect.  The average American uses about 700 gallons of water during transportation and the use of energy.  I was placed at 560 gallons.  Why am I surprised? I am a student on a relatively small campus and town and I literally drive everywhere.  The cafeteria, class, library, etc.  You name it, I am driving.  Also, I do a lot of driving visiting friends at other schools, traveling home, going to sporting events (Philadelphia), and other necessary travels.  Not only do I drive, but I also fly a lot.  My sister lives in Chicago so I probably go to visit her at least four times a year.  Not to mention, I am going to Cancun in a week for spring break…

The “stuff” aspect of the chart is referring to clothes, toilet paper, paper in general, etc.  The American average in this part of the chart 232 gallons and I placed at 212.  This aspect was not surprising to me because I am the type of person that simply uses the “stuff” I already have.  I do not go shopping often, only when I have to, and I would not say I abuse paper and such by using too much.  I would say this aspect is pretty accurate.

When adding my numbers up, you would find that I use about 1,850 gallons compared to the American average of 2,088.  Like I said already, if you check in with me in the future, I firmly believe my numbers will increase.  I think me being in college right now limits me in certain aspects.  However, why in the world am I telling you about the amount of water I use?  I am telling you this because we need to appreciate our resources and stop taking them for granted.  A vast amount of people living all over the Middle East struggle to get even a third of what my numbers came out to be.  Turn off your sinks when you brush your teeth, take less than ten minute showers (I am guilty), etc.  Overall, just be appreciative about the easy lives we are capable of living.  Our lives seen like a struggle at times, but we should learn to appreciate the little things that make our lives so much easier, but also learn to not abuse them.

If you are interested in finding your water footprint, follow the link:

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/water-footprint-calculator

or

http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=cal/WaterFootprintCalculator

How will the United States react?  That is the number one question people of the international community ask themselves every time an issue arises around the world.  Yes, we as Americans have our own problems here is the United States, but at this point in history, we have accepted a role of coming to the aid of those in need throughout the international community.  This role has proposed the question of what politics are considered “local” now?

The United States has taken an activist role in the international community.  This means that we are committed to creating a social change on the international level.  This can be done by effecting international social norms, politics, economics, etc.  For example, our nation building campaign in Iraq after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime.

As I turn on the news or read an article online about issues going on around the globe, I find it amusing that I always immediately think of how the United States will react because like it or not, we will somehow find a way to get involved in whatever it is.  We love to play peacemaker and love spreading how great democracy is, but then again, the United States has been expected to.  A vast amount of American citizens see other forms of governing against international norms.  In other words, issues that arise in other countries often become our problem as well.

How does conflict in foreign countries affect the United States?  Well, it can affect us in a number of ways.  Our modern-day international community is connected in so many ways that conflict in foreign countries can put pressure on our foreign alliances, trade, etc.

Every citizen has influences in their life that creates their political beliefs.

Here is a link to a graph of what has formed my political identity:

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/4584560-political-identity