Cayla.

     A huge problem affecting the world is the increase of pollution. One major substance that many over look as a lead cause of pollution is cigarette butts. These butts are flicked to the ground by business men on their smoke breaks, people driving down the road, and someone just taking a stroll. I would like to discuss the major issues with how these butts are affecting the environment. My standpoint is that people should not been throwing these little butts to the ground because of all the chemicals they initially hold. Not only do they contain a lot of hazardous substances that seep into our streets and water systems but they are also non-biodegradable unlike most believe. 

     The idea of this essay is in hopes that people will realize that what they are doing is very dangerous. It may be just a stub here and one there but if everyone smoked a pack a day and threw those out into the streets the numbers add up. People have misconceptions that what they are throwing away is not the poisonous part but the chemicals are still in there. These butts do not only cover the streets, but they flow through the rivers and they lay for some animal to pick apart.

      The data on this topic is unbelievable. For instance, an article in the Tribune Review states, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported people smoked about 360 billion cigarettes last year. That meant about 135 million pounds of butts were discarded”. 132 million butts? A ridiculous amount of litter so small that no one can even tell. I have found a lot of organizations and articles of ways the community has been trying to clean up and stop this type of pollution. Pittsburgh itself has been doing a lot for the environment as well.

             For my argumentative essay I went on to the Post Gazette’s website to see what is actually going on locally. I am not one for the news or events going on in town or national. I do not know why but it is something that I have no interest for. My life is hectic enough, I do not need to be reading or hearing about everything else that is depressing in society, especially when it’s not it is just the same things repeated over and over. The first thing on the site that caught my eye was about the snow road cleaning problems Pittsburgh has been having. I have heard and witness a lot of these problems. What really strikes me is the city receiving approximately 2 feet of snow and the entire city shut down. I am originally an hour and a half north east in a valley and we get snow like this every year so it was unbelievable for me to see the reaction of the city. Later, I found out that the reason was because in most of the areas around, streets were not being clean. 

                Second option for this paper is on the reports of the gang violence in Pittsburgh. Supposedly, there are two big gangs in the North Side area and on Wednesday, 26 people all together were arrested. This is interesting because you hear of gangs but actually reading about them getting caught and arrested is a little disturbing. I would like to write my essay on this because of the thrill of knowing and researching gangs but then again there would be a lot of research, maybe some violence.

                Another option is about the littering in Pittsburgh. The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program reports that 33% of the pollution nationwide is from cigarette butts and Pittsburgh is trying to change that. This is a topic that interests me because I hate being around smoke and people that smoke; so to see butts all over the streets and no that they are going into the sewers and polluting more than just the air around us, disgusts me.  I am not sure, but I have a feeling that this may be my topic of choice. I have found a few other sites where there is information but not quite sure how much there is.

     “What in the world is that little girl doing”, I wondered to myself. I staggered over to the brunette that was lying on the ground, twisting her body in oddly shaped angles with a new Nikon D60 camera in her scrawny hands. I cleared my throat in case she didn’t hear the sound of my feet drag right up beside her and said,”Excuse me young lady”. As she turned her head, her large dark brown eyes stared into my own. She gave me a shy smile and in a low, somewhat nervous voice replied, “Oh hello”. I wasn’t fooled for a minute.  I see kids like this every day. They act all innocent and shy but when you least expect it BAM, they pull a fast one over on you and the next thing you know they are driving down the road in that same exact shiny new BMW that was parked in your drive way the night before. “In case you didn’t notice,” I grumbled, “this is my yard you are trampling over”.

     “I am so sorry! I was just taking pictures. You see, I am a photography student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and I…”

     Before she could finish, I interrupted, “I do not care where you’re from or why you’re doing it, get off my lawn!” She seemed frightened now. She could not be any older than 18 or 19 years old, quite naïve still and had a tall and slim body figure. I was at least three times her size, so I was not very surprised at how easy it would be to intimidate her. She did not run away as quickly as I thought. Instead, she took a couple quick glances from the subject she was scoping out and then back to me. I knew she was disappointed, but it wasn’t the first time I had ruined a day for someone. She slowly turned her body and kicked the gravel with her worn out dirty boots. I watched as she lollygagged down the bumpy road, when suddenly she stopped. She had noticed a few houses down something else that had caught her attention. As she twirled around, I could see the shine in her eyes that had dulled when I first dampened her idea. I guess she wasn’t the type, who would have given up and let a mean old grouch like me, kill her happy spirit.

            When starting this assignment I thought it was going to be quite a challenge for me to decide where to go and do an interview at and more importantly what the angle would be that would make my piece different than all the others. First of all, I knew I didn’t want to go somewhere that most people would go to, like the Southside. There are many shops over there and probably some with great history behind them but it is an idea the same as most. My first idea was to go to the new restaurant over in Market Square, Bella Sera. Bella Sera is a classic yet casual Italian restaurant the opened up for business in November 2009. I thought this would be a good topic because it is something new to the area and many not may know about it. But after doing some research, I read articles about the restaurants food choices, how the restaurant became about, and the owner, himself, history. I kept thinking how I could get a different angle from this place that others have not? But trying to think of an angle was the hardest part when writing about something like a restaurant. So I then knew maybe this wouldn’t be the best topic.  With all the weather interruptions this weekend it was hard to travel about and find some place that many haven’t heard of, kind of like a secret place with a lot of mystery, which is what I would really have liked to do it on. So I had to settle for a place that I know will work.

                Even though I had originally decided to not go to the Southside, while walking over there one day I did find a nice store with an interesting story. This store is eco-friendly and everything they sell there is recycled and made organically.  I asked the lady about the store, The E House, and she said it only opened about 20 years ago and it was very hard for them to get started because during the 90’s the environmental movement was just beginning so starting off was a little rocky. Something different about this store is that it is surrounded by antique stores, diners, bars, and tattoo places that have been settled there for many years. It is completely out of its environment and I think that is what interests me the most about it.

     Deep within the huge city boarders, are large buildings that disappear into the dark cloudy sky. On a day like today a casual walk between these skyscrapers can feel like there is a wind chill lower than that of Alaska’s air. While out strolling in the city, I tread down the broken sidewalks. The snow had solidified on parts of the cement leaving spots of ice for unprepared slipping. I passed an area that showed to be the only sign of Mother Nature’s touch left in this concrete and industrial society. The area was filled with workers from nearby business’s sitting outside drinking steaming hot coffee or smoking a cigarette on their thirty minute breaks and college students rushing to make it in time for their next creative class. But I passed all of this excitement and continued my journey through the noisy streets. The traffic was clustered and horns were blaring. Reminds one of after a sporting event where all the depressed and feisty fans are trying to get out all at the same time. Their blood risen from the intense last period of the neck-in-neck game that finally leads to a 4-3 defeat of their favorite team.  I squeezed between the silver BMW and the red Jeep Wrangler and crossed to other side of the dingy street. These streets lead me straight to a dirty underpass that was located near my destination.

     I was venturing to a dark, older building that just recently had modern updates. On the newer parts of the establishment are tinted windows that makes as a divider to the outside. There is a dismal atmosphere that makes the building always seem as if a gray cloud is hovering over it and at any given moment a lightning bolt will strike it at the very peak. This eerie tower reminds me of Dr. Frankenstein’s lab.  Inside houses numerous characters that can be considered fenders of the law. When walking past, the sounds from inside of weights clanking as they hit the bars and basketballs dribbling on the gym floor add to the creepiness of the place especially when heard in the darkness of the night.

     Before the big move into the city, I thought of Pittsburgh as a fast paced, always a good time type of city. I pictured people to be everywhere and college students always out to have fun. I never had anything to do back from where I used to live and I knew Pittsburgh had many universities like the Art Institute, Point Park, University of Pittsburgh, and Duquesne.  I would look online and see pictures of Pittsburgh at night with all its lights. Since I am a photography student, the photographs were what made my mind up. I love lights whether it is on buildings, in the sky from the stars, or on houses for Christmas.  To me you cannot find a better site than that of one with the reflection of the city lights in the river downtown.

     People I have known and talked to about Pittsburgh also influenced my ideas about the city.  A lot of my friends said that they loved being in Pittsburgh. They would tell me everything they would do and the fact that I was downtown I was in the middle of it all. There have also been many movies made in the Pittsburgh area that I have seen and liked. Some of the movies filmed are:  The Silence of the Lambs, Angels in the Outfield, Night of the Living Dead and Robocop.

     Along with just movies that are filmed in Pittsburgh, there is a lot of other entertainment in Pittsburgh. This city is known for its cultural district with all the theater’s and museums. But despite all of what is going on, Pittsburgh is not what I had expected. After being here for a couple of months the excitement of the busy streets went away, the beauty of the buildings wore off and now they are just blend in with one another. I do admit that at night if I go out and stand by the river I still get an enthusiasm for the city. For a split second I am happy to be here but then it all fades when I look at the place I am staying or hear the honking of a horn from the traffic filled streets.

     Johnstown, Pennsylvania, also known as “The Flood City” is the place I consider home.  I lived in Johnstown my entire life up until I moved to Pittsburgh for college. Johnstown used to be a thriving city because of its coal and steel mines.By the early 1980’s most of the steel mines had closed down. On May 31, 1889, Johnstown encountered one of the most well known floods that destroy thousands of homes and families. And to follow a few years later were two more floods which gave the city the name “Flood City”. Even with all its historically information and tourist attractions like our Incline Plane, which is considered the steepest in the world, Johnstown is still a poor and depressing area.  Not many people live in the area so it is hard to keep any kind of shops or entertainment in business. The closest public stores, movie theatres, and even my high school were a good twenty minutes away.  Growing up I was bored and only wanted to get out and go somewhere. I figured staying in Johnstown wouldn’t get me anywhere in life.  So when I decided to move to Pittsburgh I was extremely excited.

          I figured being downtown there would be plenty to do. I would never get bored because of all the commotion.  But within two months the excitement left. I realized after growing up in such a small town where it was a little more rural of an area, I did not like the city.  There was no grass, no stars, and no place to go to think in peace and quiet.  Do not get me wrong there are some good points of Pittsburgh. While shooting on the streets I have gotten plenty of business cards and meet some interesting people like a U.S House Representative. If I was home I would never have gotten to experience the things I have. But being here just makes me miss home a little more. I cannot say I would like to live back in Johnstown but I would definitely rather be there than here.  I come to terms that I am a country girl at heart and being in the city where it is loud and noisy just isn’t a place I can call home.