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OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, WE HAVE CLEARLY SEEN AN EROSION OF ETHICAL VALUES

Hello Saturday,

Today is July 4th, it’s a celebration that I have remembered as far as my early years. It’s a holiday that you have lots of fun and you don't have to exchange any gifts. I remember either we would just go to the beach and watch fireworks or go on a picnic. It was always fun. I never thought of the real meaning until I got in middle school.

Liberty is the great parent of science and of virtue; and a nation will be great in both always in proportion as it is free. Thomas Jefferson

HAPPY JULY 🎉 FOURTH

For to be free is not merely to cast of ones chains, but to live in away that respects and enhancers the freedom of others.

With everything going on with our statues being torn down I was debating on writing on July 4th, however; it is a day that Dan and I have shared together for over 38 years and there are so many fabulous memories that I chose to not forget.

Regardless of what others may say, this day on July 4, 1776, the 13 colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States.

Conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776.

In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

Several years ago, one summer when our daughter Danielle was picking out a college for fashion, we visited the Liberty Bell and the building where the original Independents was signed. Dan loves history, that is one reason why when we moved back to the states, we chose the Virginia area. We are hoping that the opportunity will arise to see some history soon.

Discussions of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence resulted in some minor changes, but the spirit of the document was unchanged. The process of revision continued through all of July 3 and into the late afternoon of July 4, when the Declaration was officially adopted. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two -- Pennsylvania and South Carolina -- voted No, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained.

John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock's signed his name "with a great flourish" so England's "King George can read that without spectacles!"

One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, One Nation evermore! Oliver Wendell Holmes

When we celebrate this holiday, lets focus on the causes of land pollution and the disastrous effects of land pollution. As I blog about the first cause of deforestation and soil erosion, think about why we became independent.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. John F. Kennedy

Soil erosion and degradation means wearing off of the topsoil by natural forces of wind and water. It is a naturally occurring continuous process. It may be an extremely slow process that may go unnoticed or it sometimes may occur at an alarming rate. Reduced crop production and lower surface water quality reflect soil erosion. In the last 150 years, almost half of the topsoil has been lost.

While erosion is a natural process; human activities are speeding up the process by 10-40 percent globally. Deforestation, intensive agricultural practices, urban sprawl and climate change are among the common factors that are accelerating soil erosion.

The soil is considered a non-renewable resource, while technically it is a renewable resource. Because it takes many years to form a centimeter of soil, this makes it almost irreplaceable. The soil is a complex mixture, covering most of the land surface ranging from few centimeters to several meters deep. The soil is always changing as water comes and goes. Water, the wind, and gravity move in an out of the soil particles. Even though the soil changes occur, the composition of soil layers remain almost the same in a human lifetime. This is also making our foods less rich in vitamins, which effects our health.

In the big factory of perfecting human souls, the earth was kind of a tumbler. The sale as the kind people use to polish rocks. All souls come here to rub the sharp edges off each other. This isn't suffering. It's erosion. -- Chuck Palahniuk

There are many causes of soil erosion and degradation and now I’m going to bring up the most common human activities that increase soil erosion.

The first one is deforestation. In undisturbed forests, the soil is protected by layers of humus and leaf litter. These layers absorb the impact of raindrops and form a protective mat over the soil. Deforestation can increase erosion rates due to exposure of mineral soil and removal of humus and litter layers. Removal of vegetation cover, which binds the soil together, causes more soil available for surface runoff.

The second one is overgrazing. Conversion of the natural ecosystem to pastures does not cause any damage to the land initially. But when it is practiced for many years it can adversely affect the soil causing high erosion rates and loss of topsoil and nutrients. It also reduces land cover which enables wind and water erosion and land compaction. This change makes it difficult for the plants to grow and water penetration becomes difficult which harms soil microbes, as a result, severe land erosion occurs.

AT LEAST ONE LAUGH 😂

Good morning Saturday 🌞 Happy July 4️⃣th🇺🇸 We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accomplished by at least one laugh. 😂

The third one is agricultural practices. Unsustainable agricultural practices are the biggest contributor to increasing the soil erosion rates globally. Tillage practice on agricultural lands breaks the soil up into smaller particles is the primary factor.

Soil becomes more and more available for transfer by wind erosion by mechanized agricultural equipment and deep ploughing. Other factors affecting soil quality are mono-cropping (growing only one crop year after year on the same land), usage of pesticides and fertilizers that kill beneficial microbes which bind the soil particles, and surface irrigation (the irrigation practice in which water is applied on the soil surface by gravity).

The fourth one is roads and urbanization. Urbanization severely affects the erosion process. Land denudation by removing vegetation cover, changing drainage patterns, soil compaction during construction and then covering the land by impermeable layers of concrete or asphalt, all of them contribute to increased surface runoff and increased wind speeds.

Nothing guarantees more the erosion of character than getting something for nothing-- Dennis Prager

You ask what effects soil erosion? One effect is polluted and clogged waterways. Soil that is eroded from the land with fertilizers and pesticides washed off into rivers, streams, and other waterways. These in turn forms sediments in the waters and damage the quality of marine and freshwater and threatens the life that depends on them.

Another effect is arable land destroyed. Arable land means a land which is capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops. Many practices used in sowing and ploughing of crops can cause loss of topsoil and make agriculture difficult.

The third effects are increased flooding. Erosion caused by deforestation can initiate increased flood rates. Land which is converted into a pasture or crop field from forests or another natural landscape is less able to absorb water, which makes floods more common.

How can we prevent and remediate of soil erosion and degradation? Well, the most effective method to prevent erosion is to increase the vegetation cover on soil, thus preventing wind and water erosion. Leaving un ploughed land strips between ploughed ones, known as strip cropping, also help reduce erosion. By making sure that the soil is rich in humus, that is, plants are always growing on the soil, avoiding overgrazing, conserving wetlands, rotating crops, practicing minimum or no-tillage, soil conservation can be ensured. Using mixed-cropping instead of mono-cropping is also considered significant measure reducing erosion.