Run on sentences used to be a big problem for me. Its taken a while to break the habit, but it has happened. I would just get all these ideas flowing out of my mind at the same time, all competing for the same space in front of me.
What resulted was lots and lots of run on sentences that didn't have any breaks, commas, or periods. I learned my lesson when I got into the business of prepress production in a print shop. I was constantly reading and rereading other peoples work. This is one way to learn about some serious flaws in writing. It is always far easier to see someone else's flaws in writing than it is for me to see my own, so it didn't take long to realize why run on sentences needed to go. It seems to me that it was about 7 years ago that I did a bit of research on the exact structure of a run on sentence, what it has and what it doesn't have. With thisknowledge, I have set out to no longer make run on sentences. I'm sure I slip up once in a while, but I do what I can to prevent it.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Research Project ROUGH Draft #1
The overabundant use of nitrogen in commercial fertilizers and lack of concern for wastewater runoff concentrations of nitrogen are leading our nation into a desperate struggle to keep our summertime ocean ecosystems and shorelines alive. A chain reaction is taking place right under our noses, which is changing the way our rivers and oceans interact with one another and the biodiversity they can support.
Although they are not widely acknowledged or publicised in the United States, ocean dead zones present huge challenges for the future in agricultural practice and water management, because they are affecting our fisheries and the biodiversity of our coastal areas.
According to Barbara Juncosa, "dead zones are not new; they form seasonally in economically viral ecoystems worldwide, including the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay. Agricultural runoff sparks many of these die-offs; increased use of nitrogen fertilizers has doubled the number of lifeless pockets every decade since the 1960s, resulting in 405 dead zones now dotting coastlines globally" (1) One area of major concern in the United States is the Mississippi River Basin. Due to the fact that it drains nearly 40% of the entire United States and is in the center of the largest area of cropland in the nation puts it right inline for big ecological problems. The use of monoculture crop raising in this region is particularly bad, and fertilizers are the most abundant source of nutrients for crops from soybeans to corn. This area of the country is also a large producer of grains grown for domestic livestock feed and that production is aided with fertilizer as well. This relationship with the earth is having profound impacts.
Our relationship with nature has changed in the last 50 years in quite a drastic way in the United States. We have moved from a family farm producer society to a city dwelling mega farm production society. This has had many benefits and many costs as well. One of the major costs to the environment from this mega farming production system is the clearing of huge areas of land for raising crops and consequently the massive amount of water runoff that this cleared land produces. Major water runoff is a problem on its own, producing large quantities of topsoil erosion and runoff into waterways that become choked with sediment. More importantly though, this runoff oftentimes carries with it the chemicals and bi-products of our massive scale crop production. Fertilizers are used to enhance the viability of soil that has been farmed too much, or in soil that is of the wrong composition for specific target crops that a farmer is planting. These fertilizers are used in heavier concentrations in conjunction with the spring and summer growing seasons, which is the time of the largest mass of dead zones.
In the Mississippi River Basin in particular, Turner, Rabalais and Justic cite that the increased production of corn has come at the expense of cotton, the conservation reserve program, and soybean acreage, which is a crop more efficient in retaining nitrogen once applied. (2) Our addiction to cheap corn sweeteners and the rise of use of ethanol based bio-fuels has only spurred more growth in this sector of the agricultural industry.
The process by which high concentrations of nitrogen are turned into a dead zone is a cycle of boom and bust. When the large concentrations of nitrogen enter the warmer estuary waters of a delta or gulf and cause an algae bloom. The life cycle of these algae blooms includes sinking to the bottom of the body of water to decompose with the aid of bacteria. This process consumes oxygen though, and in the massive scale that is required for breaking down these super algae blooms, it is faster than it can be naturally replaced in the water, creating a dead zone. Booth and Campbell point out that the natural stratification of the Gulf, whereby lighter river water overlies heavier salt water, impedes overturn and oxygen recharge at depth. (3) These dead zones are called hypoxic zones which means low oxygen. When oxygen concentrations in a body of water reach down to 2 parts per million, an area is considered to be hypoxic. To sum up this idea as described by ScienceDaily dead zones are caused by farm fertilizers and other chemicals, and their runoff into rivers creating a large amount of plankton, which in turn depletes oxygen as it sinks down into the water. Without sufficient oxygen, marine life on and close to sediment dies. (4)
Effects from hypoxia on fisheries is huge, fish that are able to will leave an area will, but some get trapped and have mass die offs. Some other creatures like shellfish and crustaceans aren't able to move as quickly and can not move out of the hypoxic area in time and have die offs as well. This is pushing fisheries farther off shore and leaving large portions of ocean barren of life.
Solutions to this problem are needed, and fast. While there are no silver bullets that would knock out dead zones completely, industry will have to settle with some terms on fertilizer use eventually. The reintroduction of sustainable farming practices would be a good start for limiting nitrogen release and runoff into waterways. Conventional wisdom has led us astray in the type of agriculture that we have been practicing. As we become more and more dependant on fertilizers to keep up our production of crops like corn, we are destroying ecosystems that we cant even see. Replanting riparian ecosystems, or even just allowing them to regrow could make a huge impact on this problem by allowing the ground to absorb more of the runoff water that would be drained right away without it. I need to find some more solutions for this paragraph, which will require more research on the specifics of how to solve the problem, whereas most of my research has been based on identifying the problem.
In conclusion, ocean dead zones are an ecological nightmare that are slowing destroying our oceans ability to support life in certain areas. Without action, these dead zones will only increase in size and volume.
Works Cited
1.
Juncosa, Barbara. "Suffocating Seas." Scientific American 299.4 (Oct. 2008): 20-22. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK. 28 Oct. 2008
http://libapps.uaf.edu:2056/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=34236087&site=ehost-live
2.
Turner, R. Eugene, Rabalais, Nancy N., and Justic, Dubravko. "Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia: Alternate States and a Legacy" Environmental Science Technology, 10.1021/es071617k: 42, 7, 2323 - 2327,
http://libapps.uaf.edu:2196/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/2008/42/i07/html/es071617k.html
3.
Booth, M.S. and Campbell, C. "Spring Nitrate Flux in the Mississippi River Basin: A Landscape Model with Conservation Applications" Environmental Science Technology, 41, 15, 5410 - 5418, 2007, 10.1021/es070179e
http://libapps.uaf.edu:2196/cgi-bin/article.cgi/esthag/2007/41/i15/html/es070179e.html
4.
Texas A&M University. "Into The Dead Zone: Galveston Researcher Examines Loss Of Marine Life."
ScienceDaily 7 May 2004. 28 October 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Week 6: References
Although they are not widely acknowledged or publicised in the United States, ocean dead zones present huge challenges for the future in agricultural practice and water management.
Sources:
1.
MSNBC.com. 29 March 2004. MSNBC. 11 October 2008.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4624359/
This article has a great overview of the world epidemic of ocean dead zones. The focus of this article is quite broad, but it has some very useful information on what nations can do to help curb nitrogen emissions. The author(s) of this article are MSNBC staff and the credibility of that news agency is the credibility of this article. It cites the United Nations Yearbook report as well, which lends credibility.
2.
Microbial Life Education Resources. 06 October 2008. Microbial Life Education Resources. 12 October 2008
http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/
This article is more scientific, hypoxia is defined in this article.  Nitrogen and phosphorous runoff are cited as the main sources for hypoxia that creates some dead zones specifically in the Gulf of Mexico. This article gives lots of good factual information on where dead zones exist around the world, how large scale algal blooms lead to eutrophication and reduces benthic biomass and biodiversity. The author of this paper Monica Bruckner is a graduate student in the Department of Earth Sciences at Montana State University. The intended audience of this page is educators looking for information for their students.
3.
Juncosa, Barbara. "Suffocating Seas." Scientific American 299.4 (Oct. 2008): 20-22. Academic Search Premier.
EBSCO. University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK. 28 Oct. 2008
«http://libapps.uaf.edu:2056/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=34236087&site=ehost-live».
This scholarly article has quite a bit of information in it that details more about dead zones and the two different types of dead zones. The author has done her research and cites many sources throughout the article. The audience that this article is directed to is the thinking public that would be reading Scientific American. The topic is illuminated in this article by a combination of hard evidence of dead zones and some openendedness about the possibility of climate change having an effect on upwelling waters and hypoxia.
4.
NASA.  10 August 2004. NASA. 12 October 2008
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2004/0810deadzone.html
This webpage explains with images and text the effects of a dead zone. Specifically the Gulf of Mexico dead zone areas are focused on with this page, and the MODIS/Aqua images showing the difference in summertime blooms and wintertime blooms in the Gulf are helpful in seeing the effects. The author of this page is an employee of NASA who is relaying NASA's data on this subject on to the public. The audience of this article is the general public, learning about dead zones via NASA.
5.
Texas A&M University. "Into The Dead Zone: Galveston Researcher Examines Loss Of Marine Life."
ScienceDaily 7 May 2004. 28 October 2008
«http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2004/05/040507082408.htm».
This article has a large focus on scientific studies that were taking place at the time of the writing. These studies were investigating the levels of fertilizer in the bacteria found in the Gulf of Mexico dead zone. The author of this paper ScienceDaily, a research news organization which selects its articles from university researchers around the world. The audience of this article would be fellow researchers trying to find more information about dead zones, more specifically the Gulf of Mexico dead zone.
6.
Turner, R. Eugene, Rabalais, Nancy N., and Justic, Dubravko. "Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia: Alternate States and a Legacy" Environmental Science Technology, 10.1021/es071617k: 42, 7, 2323 - 2327,
http://libapps.uaf.edu:2196/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/2008/42/i07/html/es071617k.html
This paper highlights a 20 year study in the Gulf of Mexico on the oxygen levels associated with the large hypoxic area. The conclusion that nutrient loading is responsible for the hypoxic area is noted. This article has a view to the future and how the problem will only get worse unless it the nutrient loading practices are corrected now.
7.
Simon D. Donner, "Surf or turf: A shift from feed to food cultivation could reduce nutrient flux to the Gulf of Mexico," Global Environmental Change Volume 17, Issue 1, , Uncertainty and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, February 2007, Pages 105-113.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VFV-4K8S5PS-3/2/7d453086ef39cde173db7a0e3c5f9999
This article shows a really interesting angle on the nitrogen runoff problem that is connected with hypoxia and dead zones. The authors theory which is shown in nitrogen a modeling system is that if farmers in the midwest United States moved away from feedlot crop production for meat animals and instead focused on human food crop production that nitrogen runoff and land use would drastically be reduced. This is mainly due to the efficiency of converting food into energy and how effectively we can do that by eating low on the food chain, vs feeding an animal to then eat ourselves, or eating high on the food chain.
8.
Donald A. Goolsby, William A. Battaglin, Brent T. Aulenbach, Richard P. Hooper, "Nitrogen flux and sources in the Mississippi River Basin", The Science of The Total Environment Volume 248, Issues 2-3, , 5 April 2000, Pages 75-86.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V78-4007P8H-3/2/a64175bc12e5105296dbf9624ea40a00)
This article has an in depth study of the origination and quantities of nitrate in the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Gulf of Mexico. The interconnectedness of the Mississippi Rivers high nitrate levels and the large algae blooms and subsequent dead zones is noted.  All of this data connects with the increased use of fertilizers in modern agriculture and the large scale farming that is done along the Mississippi River Basin which drains nearly 40% of the United States.
 
9.
Marc O. Ribaudo, Ralph Heimlich, Mark Peters, "Nitrogen sources and Gulf hypoxia: potential for environmental credit trading", Ecological Economics Volume 52, Issue 2, , 25 January 2005, Pages 159-168.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VDY-4F4NYGS-4/2/bf002c8e57aa923084baa7e5c6957617)
Covering the concept of credit trading and buying for agricultural release of nitrogen. This article goes into detail about the idea of creating a nitrogen release credit system for farmers, this system would significantly reduce the nitrogen release from farming, but would also significantly increase agricultural commodity price. This increased price for a domestic commodity would in turn spur an international rise in large scale farming thus spreading the dead zone problem wider. Interesting proposal and point of view from these authors.
10.
Eugenia J. Olguin, Gloria Sanchez, Gabriel Mercado, "Cleaner production and environmentally sound biotechnology for the prevention of upstream nutrient pollution in the Mexican coast of the Gulf of Mexico", Ocean & Coastal Management Volume 47, Issues 11-12, , Integrated Coastal Management in the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem, 2004, Pages 641-670.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VG5-4FGXXBJ-1/2/7951fd27509898fad9f9a1c44e2e2812)
This article shows the present state of the Mexico Gulf Coast nitrogen concentrations, but also proposes that a new strategy for pollution prevention is needed along the Mississippi River Basin in the United States. This solution would be using water reuse and recycling methods, reduction of water use generally and wastewater reclamation instead of runoff. All of these methods are proposed using cost effective biotechnologies like anaerobic digestion, Phycoremediation for nutrient removal from organic enriched wastewater and Phytoremediation for nutrient removal from wastewater.
11.
Martin C. Heller, Gregory A. Keoleian, "Assessing the sustainability of the US food system: a life cycle perspective", Agricultural Systems Volume 76, Issue 3, , June 2003, Pages 1007-1041.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T3W-45TY553-1/2/b4d2d9d406f874de143cc68447d3538b)
This article is about the flawed large scale agricultural practices of the central United States and possibilities of a stronger, and more sustainable food production system. There is a focus on the environmental impacts of the current pesticide and fertilizer laden methods that are largely practiced as a money saving solution for a tight margins farmer. The solutions this article proposes range from improved practices and use of land to organic production of crops. There is also mention of using agri-environmental benefits for farmers who were working to prevent negative impact of pollution runoff.
12.
Dubravko Justic, Nancy N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner, "Coupling between climate variability and coastal eutrophication: Evidence and outlook for the northern Gulf of Mexico", Journal of Sea Research Volume 54, Issue 1, , Contrasting Approaches to Understanding Eutrophication Effects on Phytoplankton, July 2005, Pages 25-35.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VHH-4G1WYFD-2/2/375015ee61a4b501a20a79255aa1cc31)
This article goes in depth about eutrophication and how it is created by algeal blooms which produce a low oxygen environment. This is shown to be an effect of improper agriculture practices, specifically fertilizer runoff.  Global warming is mentioned in this article as well and the outlook for a warmer earth and ocean dead zones is a dark and bad one. This article is directed towards a scientific community who already has background on this topic.
13.
C. Rabouille, D.J. Conley, M.H.Dai, W.-J. Cai, C.T.A. Chen, B. Lansard, R. Green, K. Yin, P.J. Harrison, M. Dagg, B. McKee, "Comparison of hypoxia among four river-dominated ocean margins: The Changjiang (Yangtze), Mississippi, Pearl, and Rhone rivers", Continental Shelf Research Volume 28, Issue 12, , Coastal Ecosystem Responses to Changing Nutrient Inputs from Large Temperate and Subtropical Rivers, 15 July 2008, Pages 1527-1537.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VBJ-4S21TS9-2/2/71fc7aefd2357b3d1cdd0db16eb32654)
This article details the similarities and differences of hypoxia in river systems. The study was done on 4 different rivers, including the Mississippi. this study shows how weather, wind and shelf depth can affect how long hypoxic periods can last, and how much they can affect. This article has some interesting facts about how wind and water temperature can affect the movement of water.
14.
Donald M. Anderson, Joann M. Burkholder, William P. Cochlan, Patricia M. Glibert, Christopher J. Gobler, Cynthia A. Heil, Raphael M. Kudela, Michael L. Parsons, J. E. Jack Rensel, David W. Townsend, Vera L. Trainer, Gabriel A. Vargo, "Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication: Examining linkages from selected coastal regions of the United States", Harmful AlgaeIn Press, Corrected Proof, , Available online 6 September 2008.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B73D7-4TCR1SK-1/2/bfdd8bb0f45b0eb971576e6796b06a70)
This article cites many sources of data on HABs or harmful algae blooms in different ecosystems around the United States. These HABs have been linked to organic processes and inorganic human made processes.
Overall, these algae blooms seem to be more man made and getting worse. This article was written for the scientific community and is almost getting outside of my understanding of scientific data.
15.
Booth, M.S. and Campbell, C. "Spring Nitrate Flux in the Mississippi River Basin: A Landscape Model with Conservation Applications" 
Environmental Science Technology,
41,
15,
5410 -
5418,
2007, 
10.1021/es070179e
http://libapps.uaf.edu:2196/cgi-bin/article.cgi/esthag/2007/41/i15/html/es070179e.html
This article examines the relationship between hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico from agricultural runoff in the Mississippi River Basin and the necessity for change in our agricultural practices. The largest runoff culprits were fertilizer runoff and animal waste runoff. Both of these sources can be controlled with a bit of effort. This paper suggests that Federal Government policy and farm spending would not be negatively impacted by some changes that would put an economic focus on cleaning up our water runoff.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Week 7: Reading Response to Visual Argument page 905 Question 3
Reading Response to Visual Argument page 905 Question 3.
The images included in "Sikhs: Proud to Be Americans." all seem to be quite well thought out. The main drawing image of the poster at first glance is the man in the center who is wearing a turban and has a large white beard. At first glance that is all you see, but upon further inspection you notice that under that turban is a small bit of the stars on blue background portion of the American flag. Along with that image you have a young boy waving two American flags and an older man waving a large flag. Across from these are two younger children, one praying and one with a hand over the heart seemingly saying the pledge of allegiance. When you look even closer you notice that there is a silhouette of the Statue of Liberty that is shadowing over the photos across the bottom, adding a subtle message all its own. The appeal of these images is that of patriotism and loyalty. These images show Sikhs being loyal to America and obviously patriotic. The flag waving images carry allot of weight in this way particularly. The repeated image of the Statue of Liberty across the bottom of the images serves as a reminder that we are all Americans and that the Statue of Liberty serves as a beacon of hope for all who come to America. It is an easy to recognize symbol of America that has an endearing effect with most Americans. The function of this visual argument is to allow Sikhs who live in America to present themselves as patriotic citizens of this nation. They may wear a different style of clothes or have a religion that is not widely known, but this poster is trying to show that they are normal citizens like everyone else. The audience for this poster is the average American who doesn't know any Sikhs or even know who or what they are, as well as for American Sikhs too. The appeal of a poster like this inside a group is large and can help someone to take more pride in what situation they have instead of hoping for something else.
The images included in "Sikhs: Proud to Be Americans." all seem to be quite well thought out. The main drawing image of the poster at first glance is the man in the center who is wearing a turban and has a large white beard. At first glance that is all you see, but upon further inspection you notice that under that turban is a small bit of the stars on blue background portion of the American flag. Along with that image you have a young boy waving two American flags and an older man waving a large flag. Across from these are two younger children, one praying and one with a hand over the heart seemingly saying the pledge of allegiance. When you look even closer you notice that there is a silhouette of the Statue of Liberty that is shadowing over the photos across the bottom, adding a subtle message all its own. The appeal of these images is that of patriotism and loyalty. These images show Sikhs being loyal to America and obviously patriotic. The flag waving images carry allot of weight in this way particularly. The repeated image of the Statue of Liberty across the bottom of the images serves as a reminder that we are all Americans and that the Statue of Liberty serves as a beacon of hope for all who come to America. It is an easy to recognize symbol of America that has an endearing effect with most Americans. The function of this visual argument is to allow Sikhs who live in America to present themselves as patriotic citizens of this nation. They may wear a different style of clothes or have a religion that is not widely known, but this poster is trying to show that they are normal citizens like everyone else. The audience for this poster is the average American who doesn't know any Sikhs or even know who or what they are, as well as for American Sikhs too. The appeal of a poster like this inside a group is large and can help someone to take more pride in what situation they have instead of hoping for something else.
Week 7: Reading Response for "Gay Asian American Male Seeks Home", question number 1.
Reading Response for "Gay Asian American Male Seeks Home", question number 1.
In this essay, Chong-Suk Han makes a few different arguments as to what sort of stereotypes and cultural ideas non Asian Americans have about Asian men and how those stereotypes hurt that culture. One of the cultural ideas that he points out is that of the western world having a sense that it is macho and brave in the world while the eastern world is more artful and subservient. This stereotype plays out in our roles in society and how we view one another every day. In his essay Han points out that this is compounded many times when it comes to gayAsians and how they are regarded in American society. The gay Asian-American that Han speaks of ends up without a real place to stand in his community. He is not claimed to be part of the larger Asian-American society which has its own stereotypically conservative ideas, nor is he particularly embraced into the gay community. He is seen more as an exotic stereotype than as a person on his own. This double marginalization that Han writes about leads these mean in his opinion to lead a much more dangerous lifestyle. The increased figures for unsafe sex between gay Asian-Americans, heattributes to a low self-esteem from these ideas. From the essay it seems like the average gay Asian-American man ends up right in the middle of it all, exotic to some people, shunned by other people and not really absorbed by any one group.
In this essay, Chong-Suk Han makes a few different arguments as to what sort of stereotypes and cultural ideas non Asian Americans have about Asian men and how those stereotypes hurt that culture. One of the cultural ideas that he points out is that of the western world having a sense that it is macho and brave in the world while the eastern world is more artful and subservient. This stereotype plays out in our roles in society and how we view one another every day. In his essay Han points out that this is compounded many times when it comes to gayAsians and how they are regarded in American society. The gay Asian-American that Han speaks of ends up without a real place to stand in his community. He is not claimed to be part of the larger Asian-American society which has its own stereotypically conservative ideas, nor is he particularly embraced into the gay community. He is seen more as an exotic stereotype than as a person on his own. This double marginalization that Han writes about leads these mean in his opinion to lead a much more dangerous lifestyle. The increased figures for unsafe sex between gay Asian-Americans, heattributes to a low self-esteem from these ideas. From the essay it seems like the average gay Asian-American man ends up right in the middle of it all, exotic to some people, shunned by other people and not really absorbed by any one group.
Week 7: Reading Response for "Why and When We Speak Spanish in Public", question number 1.
Reading Response for "Why and When We Speak Spanish in Public", question number 1.
The behavior that Marquez justifies in her piece about speaking a second, non-English language in public in America is just that. Speaking a second non-English language in public seems to bring out all sorts of mixed emotions in people all over the country. There seems to be a slight disconnect for most long time Americans from their own foreign roots a few generations back that leads to some of this. The argument that Marquez makes in defence of this is simple, it is a way of preserving cultural inheritance and showing respect for elders. She clearly states that she is not trying to Balkanize any of America, just simply proud to be culturally aware of her own native language which happens to be something other than English. The mixed emotions of some Americans seems to just be a misunderstanding of cultural values on a spoken language. Most Americans grew up speakingEnglish as their sole language and possibly couldn't imagine a world any different.
The fear that Marquez touches on about non Spanish speakers is one of someone talking about you without you knowing what they are saying. This is an insecurity for many people when they are around others who are speaking in a language they cannot understand. It is an understood fear that doesn't seem to have any sort of real solution. The author makes it clear that her reasoning for speakingSpanish with her family in public is one of cultural identity, comfort and respect for her elders. These all make good cases for reasons why peopleshouldn't be concerned if someone is speaking in another language around them and just appreciate that our country has so much diversity that you can hear many different languages being used in public all at the same time. Best of all, we have a unifying language thatsupersedes all of those which we can all mostly get by in, and that is English.
The behavior that Marquez justifies in her piece about speaking a second, non-English language in public in America is just that. Speaking a second non-English language in public seems to bring out all sorts of mixed emotions in people all over the country. There seems to be a slight disconnect for most long time Americans from their own foreign roots a few generations back that leads to some of this. The argument that Marquez makes in defence of this is simple, it is a way of preserving cultural inheritance and showing respect for elders. She clearly states that she is not trying to Balkanize any of America, just simply proud to be culturally aware of her own native language which happens to be something other than English. The mixed emotions of some Americans seems to just be a misunderstanding of cultural values on a spoken language. Most Americans grew up speakingEnglish as their sole language and possibly couldn't imagine a world any different.
The fear that Marquez touches on about non Spanish speakers is one of someone talking about you without you knowing what they are saying. This is an insecurity for many people when they are around others who are speaking in a language they cannot understand. It is an understood fear that doesn't seem to have any sort of real solution. The author makes it clear that her reasoning for speakingSpanish with her family in public is one of cultural identity, comfort and respect for her elders. These all make good cases for reasons why peopleshouldn't be concerned if someone is speaking in another language around them and just appreciate that our country has so much diversity that you can hear many different languages being used in public all at the same time. Best of all, we have a unifying language thatsupersedes all of those which we can all mostly get by in, and that is English.
Essay #2 FINAL DRAFT
Spread of local produce to major retailers
Although Farmers Markets and Community Supported Agriculture Cooperatives (CSAs) provide locally grown produce to local people, local produce should be available through major retailers in the Fairbanks area because a wider audience would be exposed to local produce, a stable and more reliable marketplace would be available to local producers, and a stronger sense of community would be felt by consumers.
The issue of locally grown produce availability has long been one of convenience. While Farmers Markets provide a great resource for farmers and communities alike, they are limited in their hours and availability. CSAs work solely on a buy in system where you pay for the produce you get long before the crops are ever bearing any produce which is a very committed relationship between consumer and producer that most people end up uncomfortable with. If locally grown and raised produce became available through local grocery stores, not only would the stability of the sales for local farmers increase, but the availability of consumers to find these products would increase and a more sustainable, less shipping reliant network of food production and distribution would be created. Grocery chains like Fred Meyers, Safeway and Wal-Mart have already established wide ranging hours of operation and attract and supply the large majority of produce buyers in Fairbanks. With this in mind, many more consumers could have access and exposure to local produce. The increased exposure aspect of this proposition alone represents a huge "time released" consumer base that would respond to a localized food system over repeated exposure to its superior quality and availability. The increased sustainability of this increased exposure of local produce is significant. Considering that almost all of the produce sold by our local grocery chains is imported into the state, it is apparent that there could be some significant reduction of fuel use and infrastructure in supplying these markets.
The most effective method of supplying local grocery chains with local produce would be a farmer owned co-op distributor that could negotiate prices on behalf of the member farmers with the retail outlets to manage thier supply of produce. Farmers could have scheduled drop off times for selected crops that they opt to grow for market as contracted between them and the co-op. From this point the co-op employees would minimally package and further distribute the goods on to their retail market. Co-op employees would be paid from a percentage of the wholesale price paid by the grocery chain. While this style of distribution adds a middleman between farmer and retail outlet that is not present with a Farmers Market, it opens up a much larger market with a much higher demand for goods. This increase in demand would offset the decrease in profitability from the sale and commission setup.
This proposals aim is to push local agriculture into the mainstream mindset and to further expose our dependence on shipping for our produce, there are some limitations however to how much supply local farms could support for the Fairbanks community. The Fairbanks area has not used local agriculture as a primary food source since the 1950's and many studies would need to be conducted in order to find how feasible a local infrastructure of farmers and distributor would be. Fairbanks short growing season and exceptionally cold winters would also be a point of interest in feasibility of such a plan. These factors will surely play a role in what crops can effectively be grown and what supplies could be reliably attained locally. This proposal would not completely divert shipping of produce away from Fairbanks by any means, but spread some local supply into the mix as available seasonally.
In closing, Fairbanks Farmers Market has been a very productive and profitable retail center for farmers to sell their goods to the public with ever increasing presence. If these same goods could be reasonably marketed to a wider portion of the local consumer base, with an even longer window of availability, the benefits to local consumers and local farmers could be enormous.
Although Farmers Markets and Community Supported Agriculture Cooperatives (CSAs) provide locally grown produce to local people, local produce should be available through major retailers in the Fairbanks area because a wider audience would be exposed to local produce, a stable and more reliable marketplace would be available to local producers, and a stronger sense of community would be felt by consumers.
The issue of locally grown produce availability has long been one of convenience. While Farmers Markets provide a great resource for farmers and communities alike, they are limited in their hours and availability. CSAs work solely on a buy in system where you pay for the produce you get long before the crops are ever bearing any produce which is a very committed relationship between consumer and producer that most people end up uncomfortable with. If locally grown and raised produce became available through local grocery stores, not only would the stability of the sales for local farmers increase, but the availability of consumers to find these products would increase and a more sustainable, less shipping reliant network of food production and distribution would be created. Grocery chains like Fred Meyers, Safeway and Wal-Mart have already established wide ranging hours of operation and attract and supply the large majority of produce buyers in Fairbanks. With this in mind, many more consumers could have access and exposure to local produce. The increased exposure aspect of this proposition alone represents a huge "time released" consumer base that would respond to a localized food system over repeated exposure to its superior quality and availability. The increased sustainability of this increased exposure of local produce is significant. Considering that almost all of the produce sold by our local grocery chains is imported into the state, it is apparent that there could be some significant reduction of fuel use and infrastructure in supplying these markets.
The most effective method of supplying local grocery chains with local produce would be a farmer owned co-op distributor that could negotiate prices on behalf of the member farmers with the retail outlets to manage thier supply of produce. Farmers could have scheduled drop off times for selected crops that they opt to grow for market as contracted between them and the co-op. From this point the co-op employees would minimally package and further distribute the goods on to their retail market. Co-op employees would be paid from a percentage of the wholesale price paid by the grocery chain. While this style of distribution adds a middleman between farmer and retail outlet that is not present with a Farmers Market, it opens up a much larger market with a much higher demand for goods. This increase in demand would offset the decrease in profitability from the sale and commission setup.
This proposals aim is to push local agriculture into the mainstream mindset and to further expose our dependence on shipping for our produce, there are some limitations however to how much supply local farms could support for the Fairbanks community. The Fairbanks area has not used local agriculture as a primary food source since the 1950's and many studies would need to be conducted in order to find how feasible a local infrastructure of farmers and distributor would be. Fairbanks short growing season and exceptionally cold winters would also be a point of interest in feasibility of such a plan. These factors will surely play a role in what crops can effectively be grown and what supplies could be reliably attained locally. This proposal would not completely divert shipping of produce away from Fairbanks by any means, but spread some local supply into the mix as available seasonally.
In closing, Fairbanks Farmers Market has been a very productive and profitable retail center for farmers to sell their goods to the public with ever increasing presence. If these same goods could be reasonably marketed to a wider portion of the local consumer base, with an even longer window of availability, the benefits to local consumers and local farmers could be enormous.
Response to Grammer Girl Episode #45
I don't remember ever learning anything about comma splices in any of my previous English classes, but now that I have read the "Grammer Girl" episode about them, I will be watching out. I am still in the dark a little bit about exactly how they work, but I need to look a little bit closer at some other examples to get a complete grasp on them. I still have a little bit of hesitation about when to use a semicolon, but learning about the comma splice makes me much more interested in learning more about ways to prevent them. I am sure that I have used comma splices in most of my writing up to this point, but with a little bit ofperseverance, and a little bit more reading, I think that I can master them.
For some reason it seems that my brain wants to create sentences that almost invariably have comma splices in them. Even right here I wanted to continue on to another idea with only a comma to separate the two. This may turn out to be a relearning situation for me and my writing style.
The chapter in "A Writer's Reference" seems to make a little bit more sense of the comma splice thing to me, but as I stated before, I still have some reading to do on the topic.
Did I use any comma splices in this paragraph? I hope not, but may have.
For some reason it seems that my brain wants to create sentences that almost invariably have comma splices in them. Even right here I wanted to continue on to another idea with only a comma to separate the two. This may turn out to be a relearning situation for me and my writing style.
The chapter in "A Writer's Reference" seems to make a little bit more sense of the comma splice thing to me, but as I stated before, I still have some reading to do on the topic.
Did I use any comma splices in this paragraph? I hope not, but may have.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Workshop of Flyingfiremans Proposal Rough Draft
Proposal Essay Workshop Questions
Thesis:
1. Restate the thesis in your own words. If the thesis is a question and not an assertion, make it an assertion. Make sure the words “although” and "because" are in it.
Although hiring Air Force trained firefighters may be a better short term solution for Clear Fire Department in finding employees, they would benefit from hiring out of the local community instead and training internally. This would lower turnover and increase a localized skill set specific to an arctic environment.
2. Does the thesis propose a solution to a problem stated in the introductory paragraph (it should!)? Is it at the end of the first paragraph?
Yes it does.
3. The thesis should follow this very basic formula: " X should do Y b/c of A, B, and C.” Does it?
Yes it does, but the third example doesn't make allot of sense until you read on into the paper.
Reasons:
List below the author's reasons for holding his or her position. Are they listed in the thesis, or in the body of the paper? They should be listed in the thesis, and expanded upon in the body of the paper.
1. Needing employees who aren't going to quit as soon as it gets chilly outside
2. Acquiring firefighters that are more prepared for fighting fires in the extreme interior winters
3. Provide a recruiting tool for surrounding volunteer fire stations.
Audience:
Who is the author's audience? It should be the Sun Star readers. Do they already agree with the author, or is the author writing to the opposition? How can you tell? Give specific examples.
I think that most readers would agree with the author, but a part of this is written to the state of Alaska regarding the rules and regulations. I think that the writer is writing to both agreers and disagreers.
Counterargument:
List the counterarguments (arguments of the author’s oppositions) used in the paper (there should be at least three). Does the author adequately address these arguments? Do you think there are other arguments that could be addressed? Do you see any logical fallacies?
Only found one counterargument.
1. Clear would be taking firefighters from other local fire departments.
I am not sure what other counterarguments you could use here though, this topic is pretty specific to firefighting and I don't know all that much about the internal workings of this. I think your proposal is mostly all positives as hiring out of the local community only makes sense here.
2.
3.
Title:
Does the paper have an interesting title? If not, help author come up with one.
I didn't see any title at all, but something like
Clear Fire Department, In Search of Good Firefighters
might be catchy.
Introduction:
Is there a catchy lead sentence? What is it? If there isn't one, what would you
The lead sentence is fine. I might use something where the statistics are buried a little deeper so that it doesn't look like its going to be a dry paper or something.
I liked it all overall though, and learned quite a bit about something I knew nothing about.
Thesis:
1. Restate the thesis in your own words. If the thesis is a question and not an assertion, make it an assertion. Make sure the words “although” and "because" are in it.
Although hiring Air Force trained firefighters may be a better short term solution for Clear Fire Department in finding employees, they would benefit from hiring out of the local community instead and training internally. This would lower turnover and increase a localized skill set specific to an arctic environment.
2. Does the thesis propose a solution to a problem stated in the introductory paragraph (it should!)? Is it at the end of the first paragraph?
Yes it does.
3. The thesis should follow this very basic formula: " X should do Y b/c of A, B, and C.” Does it?
Yes it does, but the third example doesn't make allot of sense until you read on into the paper.
Reasons:
List below the author's reasons for holding his or her position. Are they listed in the thesis, or in the body of the paper? They should be listed in the thesis, and expanded upon in the body of the paper.
1. Needing employees who aren't going to quit as soon as it gets chilly outside
2. Acquiring firefighters that are more prepared for fighting fires in the extreme interior winters
3. Provide a recruiting tool for surrounding volunteer fire stations.
Audience:
Who is the author's audience? It should be the Sun Star readers. Do they already agree with the author, or is the author writing to the opposition? How can you tell? Give specific examples.
I think that most readers would agree with the author, but a part of this is written to the state of Alaska regarding the rules and regulations. I think that the writer is writing to both agreers and disagreers.
Counterargument:
List the counterarguments (arguments of the author’s oppositions) used in the paper (there should be at least three). Does the author adequately address these arguments? Do you think there are other arguments that could be addressed? Do you see any logical fallacies?
Only found one counterargument.
1. Clear would be taking firefighters from other local fire departments.
I am not sure what other counterarguments you could use here though, this topic is pretty specific to firefighting and I don't know all that much about the internal workings of this. I think your proposal is mostly all positives as hiring out of the local community only makes sense here.
2.
3.
Title:
Does the paper have an interesting title? If not, help author come up with one.
I didn't see any title at all, but something like
Clear Fire Department, In Search of Good Firefighters
might be catchy.
Introduction:
Is there a catchy lead sentence? What is it? If there isn't one, what would you
The lead sentence is fine. I might use something where the statistics are buried a little deeper so that it doesn't look like its going to be a dry paper or something.
I liked it all overall though, and learned quite a bit about something I knew nothing about.
Week 6: Response to "What's a looter? In Storm's Aftermath, Pictures Kick Up a Different Kind of Tempest"
Response to "What's a looter? In Storm's Aftermath, Pictures Kick Up a Different Kind of Tempest"
Question #2
The controversy that surrounded the definitions underneath these two photos from Hurricane Katrina goes very deep into the American psyche and our perceptions of people and their actions. While this situation obviously turns out to be a reasonable difference in definition that was clearly laid out beforehand and adhered to, people have a distinct distrust and distaste for the media and take issue with seeminginconsistencies like this one. Race is a hot topic in American society today as well and the stark contrast of a black person and a white person who seem to be engaged in the same behaviour; looting, but labeled differently sparks up that topic. By seeing this photo without anyback story , one might be led to believe that if two people are doing the same thing, but one is black and the other white, they could be labeleddifferently , and treated differently because of it. This does happen, and while these photos seem to have an innocent back story that absolves them of any wrongdoing the photos and captions side by side highlight what many people think, that the media has some racisttendencies.
The fact is that these two photos are from different photographers, who work for different agencies who had allot on their plates at this time. They were writing their own captions and realistically probably didn't give this one too much thought. If this was one photographers work that was side by side with captions that differed so severely like this then it would become a whole different issue and topic.
Question #2
The controversy that surrounded the definitions underneath these two photos from Hurricane Katrina goes very deep into the American psyche and our perceptions of people and their actions. While this situation obviously turns out to be a reasonable difference in definition that was clearly laid out beforehand and adhered to, people have a distinct distrust and distaste for the media and take issue with seeminginconsistencies like this one. Race is a hot topic in American society today as well and the stark contrast of a black person and a white person who seem to be engaged in the same behaviour; looting, but labeled differently sparks up that topic. By seeing this photo without anyback story , one might be led to believe that if two people are doing the same thing, but one is black and the other white, they could be labeleddifferently , and treated differently because of it. This does happen, and while these photos seem to have an innocent back story that absolves them of any wrongdoing the photos and captions side by side highlight what many people think, that the media has some racisttendencies.
The fact is that these two photos are from different photographers, who work for different agencies who had allot on their plates at this time. They were writing their own captions and realistically probably didn't give this one too much thought. If this was one photographers work that was side by side with captions that differed so severely like this then it would become a whole different issue and topic.
Week 6: Visual Argument Responce #3
Visual Arguments Question 3
In what ways do the cartoons by Mike Thompson and Signe Wilkinson make similar arguments? How do the arguments differ?
The cartoons by Mike Thompson and Signe Wilkinson about Affirmative Action are similar in thier approach to the Affirmative Action issue. Each cartoon expresses some sort of a blame game played by people who are not included in the Affirmative Action boundaries. The cartoon by Mike Thompson shows a young man of color growing up in an inner city and the things that he might see in his youth, violence, drugs, gangs, poverty, racism and very poor schools and then makes the connection that Affirmative Action helped get this youth into college. There is an angry, overweight and yelling white lady in the corner who is exclaiming "Hey, why does he get all the breaks?" This image is humorous, but underneath it there are someinconsistencies . Not all minorities live with violence, drugs, gangs, poverty, racism or poor schools and not all white ladies or people for that matter are of the impression that minorities get "all the breaks." The cartoonimplies that Affirmative Action is a positive thing but that it is misunderstood.
In the cartoon from Signe Wilkinson, there is a "daughter of alum", a "son of a big donor", a "soccer player" a girl "raised in a different state" and a "minority". Next to the minority is a person called "didn't get in" who is yelling at the the minority saying "its all his fault."
This cartoon is making a similar point to the first one in saying that Affirmative Action is misunderstood and an easy target for someone trying to find a scapegoat.
These two arguments differ in their approach at showing who is impacted by Affirmative Action. The cartoon by Mike Thompson specifically shows an african-american youth and a white lady while the cartoon by Signe Wilkinson is outlines only and doesn't seem to be totally race specific with its "minority" label. Everyone else in the cartoon is white looking and it would be assumed in reading it that they are, but the "minority" is more non specific.
In what ways do the cartoons by Mike Thompson and Signe Wilkinson make similar arguments? How do the arguments differ?
The cartoons by Mike Thompson and Signe Wilkinson about Affirmative Action are similar in thier approach to the Affirmative Action issue. Each cartoon expresses some sort of a blame game played by people who are not included in the Affirmative Action boundaries. The cartoon by Mike Thompson shows a young man of color growing up in an inner city and the things that he might see in his youth, violence, drugs, gangs, poverty, racism and very poor schools and then makes the connection that Affirmative Action helped get this youth into college. There is an angry, overweight and yelling white lady in the corner who is exclaiming "Hey, why does he get all the breaks?" This image is humorous, but underneath it there are someinconsistencies . Not all minorities live with violence, drugs, gangs, poverty, racism or poor schools and not all white ladies or people for that matter are of the impression that minorities get "all the breaks." The cartoonimplies that Affirmative Action is a positive thing but that it is misunderstood.
In the cartoon from Signe Wilkinson, there is a "daughter of alum", a "son of a big donor", a "soccer player" a girl "raised in a different state" and a "minority". Next to the minority is a person called "didn't get in" who is yelling at the the minority saying "its all his fault."
This cartoon is making a similar point to the first one in saying that Affirmative Action is misunderstood and an easy target for someone trying to find a scapegoat.
These two arguments differ in their approach at showing who is impacted by Affirmative Action. The cartoon by Mike Thompson specifically shows an african-american youth and a white lady while the cartoon by Signe Wilkinson is outlines only and doesn't seem to be totally race specific with its "minority" label. Everyone else in the cartoon is white looking and it would be assumed in reading it that they are, but the "minority" is more non specific.
Week 6: Proposal Essay Draft 1
Spread of local produce to major retailers
Although Farmers Markets and Community Supported Agriculture Cooperatives (CSAs) provide locally grown produce to local people, local produce should be available through major retailers in the Fairbanks area because a wider audience would be exposed to local produce, a stable and more reliable marketplace would be available to local producers, and a stronger sense of community would be felt by consumers.
The issue of locally grown produce availability has long been one of convenience, while Farmers Markets provide a great resource for farmers and communities alike, they are limited in their hours and availability. CSAs work solely on a buy in system where you pay for the produce you get long before the crops are ever bearing as well which is a very commited relationship between consumer and producer that most people still are not comfortable with. If locally grown and raised produce became available through local grocery stores, not only would the stability of the sales for local farmers increase, but the availability of consumers to find these products would increase and a more sustainable, less shipping reliant network of food production and distribution would be created. Grocery chains like Fred Meyers, Safeway and Wal-Mart have already established wide ranging hours of operation and attract and supply the large majority of produce buyers in Fairbanks. With this in mind, many more consumers could have access to purchase, and increased exposure to local produce. The increased exposure aspect of this proposition alone represents a huge "time released" style of consumer base that over repeated exposure to a superior quality, locally grown variety of produce would choose to buy local. The increased sustainability of this increased exposure of local produce is significant. Considering that almost all of the produce sold by our local grocery chains is imported into the state, it isapparent that there could be some significant reduction of fuel use and infrastructure in supplying these markets.
The most effective method of supplying local grocery chains with local produce would be a farmer owned co-op distributor that could negotiate prices on behalf of the member farmers with the retail outlets and manage supplying them. Farmers could have scheduled drop off times for selected crops that they opt to grow for market as contracted between them and the co-op. From this point the co-op employees wouldminimally package and further distribute the goods on to their retail market. Co-op employees would be paid from a percentage of the wholesale price paid by the grocery chain. While this style of distribution adds a middleman between farmer and retail outlet that is not present with a Farmers Market, it opens up a much larger market with a much higher demand for goods. This increase in demand would offset the decrease in profitability from the sale and commission setup.
This proposals aim is to push local agriculture into the mainstream mindset and to further expose our dependence on shipping for our produce, there are some limitations however to how much supply local farms could support for the Fairbanks community. The Fairbanks area has not used local agriculture as a primary food source since the 1950's and many studies would need to be conducted in order to find howfeasible a local infrastructure of farmers and distributor would be. Fairbanks short growing season and exceptionally cold winters would also be a point of interest infeasibility of such a plan. These factors will surely play a role in what crops can effectively be grown and what supplies could be reliably attained locally. This would not completely divert shipping of produce away from Fairbanks by any means, just spread some local supply into the mix as available seasonally.
In closing, Fairbanks Farmers Market has been a very productive and profitable retail center for farmers to sell their goods to the public with ever increasing presence. If these same goods could be reasonably marketed to a wider portion of the local consumer base, with an even longer window of availability, the benefits to local consumers and local farmers could be enormous.
Although Farmers Markets and Community Supported Agriculture Cooperatives (CSAs) provide locally grown produce to local people, local produce should be available through major retailers in the Fairbanks area because a wider audience would be exposed to local produce, a stable and more reliable marketplace would be available to local producers, and a stronger sense of community would be felt by consumers.
The issue of locally grown produce availability has long been one of convenience, while Farmers Markets provide a great resource for farmers and communities alike, they are limited in their hours and availability. CSAs work solely on a buy in system where you pay for the produce you get long before the crops are ever bearing as well which is a very commited relationship between consumer and producer that most people still are not comfortable with. If locally grown and raised produce became available through local grocery stores, not only would the stability of the sales for local farmers increase, but the availability of consumers to find these products would increase and a more sustainable, less shipping reliant network of food production and distribution would be created. Grocery chains like Fred Meyers, Safeway and Wal-Mart have already established wide ranging hours of operation and attract and supply the large majority of produce buyers in Fairbanks. With this in mind, many more consumers could have access to purchase, and increased exposure to local produce. The increased exposure aspect of this proposition alone represents a huge "time released" style of consumer base that over repeated exposure to a superior quality, locally grown variety of produce would choose to buy local. The increased sustainability of this increased exposure of local produce is significant. Considering that almost all of the produce sold by our local grocery chains is imported into the state, it isapparent that there could be some significant reduction of fuel use and infrastructure in supplying these markets.
The most effective method of supplying local grocery chains with local produce would be a farmer owned co-op distributor that could negotiate prices on behalf of the member farmers with the retail outlets and manage supplying them. Farmers could have scheduled drop off times for selected crops that they opt to grow for market as contracted between them and the co-op. From this point the co-op employees wouldminimally package and further distribute the goods on to their retail market. Co-op employees would be paid from a percentage of the wholesale price paid by the grocery chain. While this style of distribution adds a middleman between farmer and retail outlet that is not present with a Farmers Market, it opens up a much larger market with a much higher demand for goods. This increase in demand would offset the decrease in profitability from the sale and commission setup.
This proposals aim is to push local agriculture into the mainstream mindset and to further expose our dependence on shipping for our produce, there are some limitations however to how much supply local farms could support for the Fairbanks community. The Fairbanks area has not used local agriculture as a primary food source since the 1950's and many studies would need to be conducted in order to find howfeasible a local infrastructure of farmers and distributor would be. Fairbanks short growing season and exceptionally cold winters would also be a point of interest infeasibility of such a plan. These factors will surely play a role in what crops can effectively be grown and what supplies could be reliably attained locally. This would not completely divert shipping of produce away from Fairbanks by any means, just spread some local supply into the mix as available seasonally.
In closing, Fairbanks Farmers Market has been a very productive and profitable retail center for farmers to sell their goods to the public with ever increasing presence. If these same goods could be reasonably marketed to a wider portion of the local consumer base, with an even longer window of availability, the benefits to local consumers and local farmers could be enormous.
Week 6, plagiarism excercise
After reading the document from Indiana University on plagiarism, I am surprised to learn that one must cite a resource for an idea even if words are rearranged when it is presented. I am sure that I knew this when I finished high school but that has been quite some time ago. I am very glad that I had the chance to read this document so that I will not be plagiarising anything in any of my papers. I completely understand what plagiarism is and even re-read the document to be absolutely sure I had a solid grasp on it. I will never plagiarise a source for any of my work, whats the point?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Research Paper Topic
The topic I have chosen to work on for my Research Paper for this semester is ocean dead zones. These dead zones are areas of nitrogen rich waters are created from waste nitrogen runoff from agriculture, sewage treatment and industrial waste that collects and enables massive algae blooms to occur that lower the oxygen level of waters so low that they cant support life (becomes hypoxic). The massive scale of this problem has recently become much more obvious to me as I read more and more articles about it. I am drawn to this topic because of personal interest, I have always had a keen interest in learning more about dead zones ever since I first read about them in early 2000. I have done a fair amount of my own reading on them, particularly the massive 6000 - 7000 sq. mile Gulf of Mexico dead zone that exists near the mouth of the Mississippi River, but have never had a reason like this to do more extensive research and get really in depth about with it. I think that this might be the right scenario for me to learn quite a bit more about this topic and hopefully find some hope in what people are doing to try to counteract its effects.
My stance on this issue is one of cautioned optimism, I feel like humans can coexist with nature in so many different ways, we just have to find a suitable way in this case. We need to figure out some sort of a nitrogen trap that can slow down the overabundance of runoff to streams and rivers or possibly some other way to divert this needed chemical to some other use before it makes its way down into the water. There are many different processes that have lead to this massive problem now, but the one that I have read about the most is mass scale monoculture agriculture. Growing one crop on a vast area of land, year after year depletes the lands natural nutrients. We have taken to using massive amounts of fertilizer to combat this scenario and in turn have turned up the nitrogen release. I think that the use of some sustainable farming techniques, mainly crop rotation and involving a few of the ideals and principles of permaculture into our large scale farms would greatly reduce the farm runoff we see today. Modern agriculture has adapted to turning out huge quantities of product at a low cost to the consumer, but the overall cost on the environment, particularly the ocean environment is huge.
The opposing mindset here is one that denies that the world is changing, and doesn't recognize the interconnectedness of things in the world. Ocean dead zones being created by super high concentrations of nitrogen from agriculture, sewage and industrial runoff have been shown for sometime now to be real things that will eventually affect all humans on the planet greatly. While it currently only seems to be moving fish into alternate waters, the eventual outcome will be massive die offs of not just non movable sea life in an area, but of all sea life in an area.
Sources:
MSNBC.com. 29 March 2004. MSNBC. 11 October 2008.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4624359/
Microbial Life Education Resources. 06 October 2008. Microbial Life Education Resources. 12 October 2008
http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/
Juncosa, Barbara. "Suffocating Seas." Scientific American Oct 2008, Vol. 299 Issue 4, p20-22
Academic Search Premier. EBSCOHost. University of Alaska Rasmuson and BioSciences Library. Fairbanks, Alaska. 12 October 2008
http://libapps.uaf.edu:2057/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=3&sid=6f869600-d4ce-4f41-a1ff-992d86b064d9%40SRCSM1&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=34236087
My stance on this issue is one of cautioned optimism, I feel like humans can coexist with nature in so many different ways, we just have to find a suitable way in this case. We need to figure out some sort of a nitrogen trap that can slow down the overabundance of runoff to streams and rivers or possibly some other way to divert this needed chemical to some other use before it makes its way down into the water. There are many different processes that have lead to this massive problem now, but the one that I have read about the most is mass scale monoculture agriculture. Growing one crop on a vast area of land, year after year depletes the lands natural nutrients. We have taken to using massive amounts of fertilizer to combat this scenario and in turn have turned up the nitrogen release. I think that the use of some sustainable farming techniques, mainly crop rotation and involving a few of the ideals and principles of permaculture into our large scale farms would greatly reduce the farm runoff we see today. Modern agriculture has adapted to turning out huge quantities of product at a low cost to the consumer, but the overall cost on the environment, particularly the ocean environment is huge.
The opposing mindset here is one that denies that the world is changing, and doesn't recognize the interconnectedness of things in the world. Ocean dead zones being created by super high concentrations of nitrogen from agriculture, sewage and industrial runoff have been shown for sometime now to be real things that will eventually affect all humans on the planet greatly. While it currently only seems to be moving fish into alternate waters, the eventual outcome will be massive die offs of not just non movable sea life in an area, but of all sea life in an area.
Sources:
MSNBC.com. 29 March 2004. MSNBC. 11 October 2008.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4624359/
Microbial Life Education Resources. 06 October 2008. Microbial Life Education Resources. 12 October 2008
http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/
Juncosa, Barbara. "Suffocating Seas." Scientific American Oct 2008, Vol. 299 Issue 4, p20-22
Academic Search Premier. EBSCOHost. University of Alaska Rasmuson and BioSciences Library. Fairbanks, Alaska. 12 October 2008
http://libapps.uaf.edu:2057/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=3&sid=6f869600-d4ce-4f41-a1ff-992d86b064d9%40SRCSM1&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=34236087
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Week 5: Response to An Opportunity for Intelligent Debate question 2
John Zwier's argument that the "God is not a democrat or a republican" button in his proposal, which he states isn't divisive and encourages the type of intellectual debate for which Calvin College should be known for is true. The reality is that this is a message that is sorely missing in many people's minds. This button is not divisive, it does not stand to divide people or disobey, but merely states a dissatisfaction or distaste for the situation at hand. There is oftentimes a very fine line separating religion and politics and this article is a great example of someone speaking out about it. I think that President Bush, regardless of his own personal convictions or religious persuasion should avoid using religion as a political tool. Alongside this though, I think that the author walks a fine line in his use of a button as a form of protest, nearly politicising his own religious views. The comparison between boycotting graduation and wearing the button are similar but still quite different. Boycotting graduation as a political statement is a pretty extreme move that may prove quite regrettable down the road. It seems like that could be seen as a missed opportunity sometime in the future. Where as wearing the button could allow you to show your distaste with the potential politicizing of religion in the oration while still getting the whole graduation experience and being respectful of the President at the same time. Respect plays a role in this as well, if the President of the United States of America is willing to spend his time to come and speak at your college, that seems like a pretty important opportunity. Regardless of your political persuasion or like or dislike of the President, that would be an opportunity that shouldn't be missed.
Week 5: Response to Skin-Deep Question 4
The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press is "an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues". This organization does many different types of research and polling media and public policy that is in turn used by political leaders, journalists, scholars, and public interest organizations. This information is helpful in this age of a changing American society because it can give us a good look into what different types of Americans are thinking about different issues. The non partisan nature of the surveys is particularly helpful in finding real facts and figures from their data as well. The polls that they conduct cover every area of current news and topics and in turn shape many areas of current news. News media often relies on statistics in order to make a compelling argument, present a dry idea with a little bit more persuasive data or to liven up a dead story with numbers. The source of this data being a strong and reliable one is mandatory. A data collection organization like the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press is just the kind of organization that is able to spend the money to come up with this sort of data. The data collected on specific race related or sensitive topics is polled amongst a larger population, but is over-sampled from a smaller specific population. This is the harder to do more expensive method of surveying that is mentioned in the article by David Bositis.
Week 5: Response to Visual Arguments, Question 4
In the "I am my anti drug" advertisements, there are multiple audiences that are targeted. The two main target audiences that apply to all of them are young people who may be intrigued to or willing to try drugs, and the general public as a whole. General public as a whole is pretty broad, but these advertisements seem to point a finger at people who are judging the character of the people in the advertisements before they can see what they are really about. The angle that these advertisements take with the people who may be intrigued by or willing to try drugs is one of support in deciding not to try, support in light of the fact that they may be misjudged at times. The posters are much more preventative in this way, but seem like they could also be somewhat effective with someone who is using drugs with language like "bunch of pot smoking slackers" and "drugged out loser" being a negative statement towards them.
The general public is targeted by these ads in a different way, they are targeted by showing pictures of people who may be stereotyped easily, but shown with the text that is correcting what may be mis-perceived. Words and phrases like "way off", "wrong", "my decision" and "are just wrong" are the stronger, bolder points here which would seem to possibly have subtle play in someones view of the characters in the advertisements.
The advertisement directly addresses young people who haven't yet used drugs, but could use some extra encouragement that they have made the correct choice. The invoked audience here is young people who may need to see some positive role models who aren't using drugs but are breaking down stereotypes. Each of the three advertisements has their strengths and weaknesses, the first one, titled "labeled:" seems like it could be pretty effective with a crowd of young males who feel like society gives them a cold shoulder and has certain negative expectations set out for them. The bolder text "just another" and "way off" stand out as good eye catchers to this point. The second advertisement titled "You scan me" seems wordier than the other two and uses a barcode in addition to the text. This is a good visual aid to the text and draws the eyes in to read. The tone of the advertisement strikes me as more aggressive with the bolded words being "wrong", "last time" and "my decision". The third advertisement, titled "Pothead" is a pretty straightforward and strong message. The highlighted words here are "pothead" and "are just wrong". This is simple and strong language that stands out before the rest of the text is fully readable.
Comparing the three advertisements to one another, the third one stands out as the most appealing to me. The photo is a strong one that uses the background just as much as the subject and the wording is strong and too the point.
I do think that this sort of argument is effective with its target audience to some extent. The anti drug campaign in particular seems to be much stronger and effective here with the use of stereotypes, breaking down boundaries and personal or inner strength instead of fear.
The general public is targeted by these ads in a different way, they are targeted by showing pictures of people who may be stereotyped easily, but shown with the text that is correcting what may be mis-perceived. Words and phrases like "way off", "wrong", "my decision" and "are just wrong" are the stronger, bolder points here which would seem to possibly have subtle play in someones view of the characters in the advertisements.
The advertisement directly addresses young people who haven't yet used drugs, but could use some extra encouragement that they have made the correct choice. The invoked audience here is young people who may need to see some positive role models who aren't using drugs but are breaking down stereotypes. Each of the three advertisements has their strengths and weaknesses, the first one, titled "labeled:" seems like it could be pretty effective with a crowd of young males who feel like society gives them a cold shoulder and has certain negative expectations set out for them. The bolder text "just another" and "way off" stand out as good eye catchers to this point. The second advertisement titled "You scan me" seems wordier than the other two and uses a barcode in addition to the text. This is a good visual aid to the text and draws the eyes in to read. The tone of the advertisement strikes me as more aggressive with the bolded words being "wrong", "last time" and "my decision". The third advertisement, titled "Pothead" is a pretty straightforward and strong message. The highlighted words here are "pothead" and "are just wrong". This is simple and strong language that stands out before the rest of the text is fully readable.
Comparing the three advertisements to one another, the third one stands out as the most appealing to me. The photo is a strong one that uses the background just as much as the subject and the wording is strong and too the point.
I do think that this sort of argument is effective with its target audience to some extent. The anti drug campaign in particular seems to be much stronger and effective here with the use of stereotypes, breaking down boundaries and personal or inner strength instead of fear.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Lead Sentence
"A Metrolink engineer driving a commuter train sent a text message about 22 seconds before the train collided with a Union Pacific freight train last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday."
Linked from http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/01/train.crash.probe/index.html
This is a summary lead sentence and I liked it because its is bringing attention to plague of text messaging while operating any sort of dangerous equipment.
Linked from http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/01/train.crash.probe/index.html
This is a summary lead sentence and I liked it because its is bringing attention to plague of text messaging while operating any sort of dangerous equipment.
Workshop for Amanda Lea Fitzgerald
Reasons:
1. List below the author's supporting reasons for holding his or her opinion.
The authors supporting reasons for holding her opinion are the evidence that women continue to get paid less than men, are less likely to be promoted and have difficulty entering a predominately male patriarchal hierarchy.
2. Are they listed in the thesis, or in the body of the paper? (They should be listed in the thesis, and expanded upon in the body of the paper.)
These points are all listed in the thesis, then expanded upon in the paper.
3. Can you suggest any ways to strengthen the supporting reasons?
There aren't really any suggestions that I have for these reasons, they all seem valid, strong and well founded.
Counterargument:
1. List the counterarguments (arguments of the author’s oppositions) used in the paper.
Women work less hard once they are pregnant or have children.
Women choose lower paying jobs because they don’t want to do the dirty work associated with higher paying jobs.
2. How many are there?
2
3. Does the author adequately address these arguments?
Both of these arguments are addressed, and the points are driven home.
4. Do you think there are other arguments that could be addressed? (If the author doesn’t counterargue, consider where doing so might be appropriate. Help the writer anticipate any alternative judgments or reservations that have been overlooked, and offer advice on how to respond to them.)
I am unable to come up with any other arguments that would need to be addressed here. I am sure there are some others, but they aren't coming to me right now.
Flow/Transitions:
1. Does each paragraph expand upon the thesis? They do.
2. Do the paragraphs flow? Which paragraphs have bumpy transitions?
Not all the paragraphs flow perfectly, but that's what a first draft is for.
The one that starts with "The Equal Pay act of 1963 came out during a spark of women empowerment and advancement." would do better in my mind to start with a statement about inequality in pay first and then a reference to the Equal Pay act, and follow on with what it means exactly.
3. Suggest how the organization of the paper might be improved.
This paper is pretty well organized for my eyes. There are quite a few cited sources which sometimes ends up feeling like filler, but in this case, not so much. I think it is pretty well organized.
Introduction and Conclusion:
1. Is there a catchy lead sentence at the start of the paper? If there isn't one, what would you suggest?
The lead sentence here was catchy, but it sort of turned around mid way through. The feel I got when I started reading was that the opinion of the writer is that women are treated equally in the workplace and everything is fine. A few sentences in was when the argument was posed and it seemed like it was too delayed. As though a fact was stated and then rebutted a sentence later. Just my take on it though.
2. What do you think of the author’s conclusion?
It is solid and founded. I could see it being just a bit more lengthy, but it stands pretty solid.
1. List below the author's supporting reasons for holding his or her opinion.
The authors supporting reasons for holding her opinion are the evidence that women continue to get paid less than men, are less likely to be promoted and have difficulty entering a predominately male patriarchal hierarchy.
2. Are they listed in the thesis, or in the body of the paper? (They should be listed in the thesis, and expanded upon in the body of the paper.)
These points are all listed in the thesis, then expanded upon in the paper.
3. Can you suggest any ways to strengthen the supporting reasons?
There aren't really any suggestions that I have for these reasons, they all seem valid, strong and well founded.
Counterargument:
1. List the counterarguments (arguments of the author’s oppositions) used in the paper.
Women work less hard once they are pregnant or have children.
Women choose lower paying jobs because they don’t want to do the dirty work associated with higher paying jobs.
2. How many are there?
2
3. Does the author adequately address these arguments?
Both of these arguments are addressed, and the points are driven home.
4. Do you think there are other arguments that could be addressed? (If the author doesn’t counterargue, consider where doing so might be appropriate. Help the writer anticipate any alternative judgments or reservations that have been overlooked, and offer advice on how to respond to them.)
I am unable to come up with any other arguments that would need to be addressed here. I am sure there are some others, but they aren't coming to me right now.
Flow/Transitions:
1. Does each paragraph expand upon the thesis? They do.
2. Do the paragraphs flow? Which paragraphs have bumpy transitions?
Not all the paragraphs flow perfectly, but that's what a first draft is for.
The one that starts with "The Equal Pay act of 1963 came out during a spark of women empowerment and advancement." would do better in my mind to start with a statement about inequality in pay first and then a reference to the Equal Pay act, and follow on with what it means exactly.
3. Suggest how the organization of the paper might be improved.
This paper is pretty well organized for my eyes. There are quite a few cited sources which sometimes ends up feeling like filler, but in this case, not so much. I think it is pretty well organized.
Introduction and Conclusion:
1. Is there a catchy lead sentence at the start of the paper? If there isn't one, what would you suggest?
The lead sentence here was catchy, but it sort of turned around mid way through. The feel I got when I started reading was that the opinion of the writer is that women are treated equally in the workplace and everything is fine. A few sentences in was when the argument was posed and it seemed like it was too delayed. As though a fact was stated and then rebutted a sentence later. Just my take on it though.
2. What do you think of the author’s conclusion?
It is solid and founded. I could see it being just a bit more lengthy, but it stands pretty solid.
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