Mercury and our Society

       On essay 4 I am planning on writing my paper on the dangers of mercury from an environmental and social stand point. Currently, I feel as though there are a lot of people that are either unaware, or underestimate the issue at hand. Through my paper I am hoping to change the minds of those who wish to truly know what is going on and raise awareness and concern. Mercury is a toxin to humans that should not be ignored.

            

     Through my survey findings I have come to find that the majority of people are aware of the issue. Some of my questions however were oriented in the way that questioned what they really know about the issue; for instance, I asked, “Do you know how mercury can be found in food?” Even though 20 of 22 people were aware that Mercury can be found in food they eat only a good 50% think they know how it gets there. Through my paper I wish to express the truth of what really causes Mercury to end up in our food. I also asked who people blame for this occurrence, and I found the results to be as I anticipated. Out of 22 people, 10 blamed corporations, 4 blamed the government, 5 blamed people in general, and 3 blamed themselves.

         

     In all honesty the majority understand that corporations are to blame for most of the pollution in the world. The amount of output of hazardous wastes a lot of companies do is just ridiculous. During my senior year of high school, my forensics teacher was explaining to us her previous job as a chemical engineer and how she worked for a company called Dupant. For her job she had to go from company to company testing the amount of hazardous wastes they are dumping into the environment and how much damage it is causing. If a company was exposing well beyond the legal limit they were fined; however, she explained to us how this didn’t stop the major companies like GM or Coca-Cola who say they do not have time to worry about the waste they are disposing of and just take the fine annually.

        

      The attitude of these companies and certain people are due for a change. It is reckless, irresponsible, and unfair how they are affecting everyone else’s life with their dangerous wastes. What about the person that buys a common national product such as a bottle of water, or maybe a can of tuna? That consumer trusts the market, the corporation, and the people that distribute that product to not affect their health, other than the way stated on the nutrition label. When people consume products there shouldn’t be any unexpected toxins or dangerous substances being found in that product, and unfortunately this is currently happening.

          

     Today Mercury is being found in abnormal amounts in many fish products. It is being said that the average person should watch how much fish they consume in a month, due to the increase of Methylmercury being found in fish products. It is funny because there use to be a time when the public was encouraged to eat fish almost on a daily basis for dietary reasons, but now it is dangerous. The reckless ways of pollution do not need to be controlled, they need to be stopped.

American Education

    In the article Education and the Proliferation of New (Old) Concepts the author argued that the education that the children of America are receiving is setting them up for corporate America. The author's perception of American education is that the students are currently being trained for an economic role in society, based off of the new educational project of this country. My response to the author is, "Is this necessarily a bad thing?"  

      One of the problems that currently exist in the public education system is that students are learning all the basic fundamentals to every subject but are not getting any hands on work of applying the information they are receiving. Students are taught a lot of things that seem to have no real world meaning which is pointless. Some may find some of this information necessary, but lets be honest, it is not. Currently there is a lot of fluff that just is not necessary to be teaching our students, because everyone needs to remember that students will not retain everything they are taught, that is just the way it is.

      Paul Theobald and Hibajene Shandomo both make a lucid summary of the way the current education system is doing. They say, "one might also hear a resurgence of concepts advanced many decades ago, things like project-based learning, social reconstructionism, community-based curriculum and much more." What good is a community-based curriculum? In the real world there is no need for knowing what has happened in your community and what is going on. The whole purpose of a education is for students to learn ideas and the key concepts of things. It is not the state's responsibility to teach them what has been going on in the local community, that is just a waste of tax payer money. If parents find it an essential for their kid to know about whats going on locally then it should be their duty to teach them that.

        The problems that I continue to read occurring in the world disturb me to no end. I am sick and tired of all the crap that people do to the environment all in the name of humans. The idea that a human can think, "i get what I want" is just wrong on every level. What our population is doing to our harvest of crops and animals should not be happening. It is wrong from an ethics, a moral, and a health stand point. A new process of maintaining our food supply must be found.
         Philosophy is one of the most interesting subjects an individual can study; it deals with the questions of human mind and questioning their importance and value to the world. Ethics and philosophy hold a close relationship, due to the fact the both pertain to the importance of figuring out whats right and whats wrong. Today people need to ask themselves if genetically modifying foods is the best answer. My environmental science professor- Dr. Bruck- was telling the class the other day the dangers of genetically modifying food. The other day there was a farmer that had his chickens babies come out mutated with their body parts where they should not be. He said this farmer was arrested for not carefully using the process right. If genetically modifying foods can do this to an organisms offspring imagine the effects it can create on the human population.
          Another issue that humans do not seem to understand is the moral duty that is owed to the organisms that surround them. There are 8 billion humans and 19 billion chickens in the world. Many would look at this statistic and say "great", but they do not seem to ask why there is 19 billion chickens. Humans have been drugging them and forcing them to grow and reproduce at uncanny rates which can be considered animal cruelty. It is undoubtedly unfair that humans do this for their benefit.
           Eventually there will come a time where human ways will bring chaos to the world whether it be through food, global warming, or nuclear terror. As a race, we must make our duty to ensure that we treat the world as the responsible, intelligent species that we are. It is time to realize the problems that currently face the world and attack them before its too late.

Natural gas Fracking

Alex Ruth

3/1/2012

Eng 101

Dr. Hill Taylor

Synthesis

            In Wyoming there is a huge issue of natural gas fracking affecting the water supply of the local communities. After reading all the information in the article I felt a sense of serious disturbance; if companies, like EnCana, can go around in a reckless manner and not be punished or controlled for their wrong doings then I can be in just as much danger as the people of the communities in Wyoming. When a community’s water supply is contaminated there is a huge question over the risk of the people’s health. Water contamination has been known to cause serious problems such as cancer. If the government cannot protect the people, control reckless companies, and limit environmental hazards then who will?

            The people of Wyoming are no different than the people of any other state. They are just looking to live their lives in peace just like anyone else. When drilling companies such as EnCana came in, their lives became in danger of serious health risks. The people had no say in what the company’s boundaries were and could not control the situation at all. The people were nothing more than a group of gazelle in a field of lions. Water is one of the few things in life that are required to live, and when companies contaminate the water they are putting many people’s lives at risk. In a world where people are not in control over the actions of organizations, such as companies in this case, then it is the job of the government to control and protect the interests and safety of the people.

            The government holds the greatest responsibility to the people. The government’s purpose is to serve and protect the rights of all of the country’s civilians. With all of the concern over politics of who’s elected and whose not creates a fog over the government’s ability to do the right thing at all times. Often, the people that make up the government only have their interest kept in mind instead of the people, and in this case this seems to be the problem. In the article made by The Scientific American, the people of congress completely shut down the science and finding found by the EPA and one congressman stated that they were deeply offended over their findings. Deeply offended! Science is science, fact cannot be changed. Why would one be offended over their findings? How does it play an effect in that congressman’s life? Is he in any way connected to the company under attack, and if so why? The people of the government do not always have their priorities in the right place, which can obviously be seen in this instance.

            Natural gas drilling and transporting needs to be made sure it is done in a safe manner in which no-one’s health is at risk. Coming up with an alternative solution over the one that currently exists is not a problem to the company just maybe an inconvenience. In any company the number one concern should always be safety no matter what.

     I found that using a Powerpoint was more convenient than an essay because I can express my views in an more organized manner. Writing essays are a hassle, because maintaining a fluid flow of what your trying to say is difficult. The thing about Powerpoint  presentations is that they are clear to the point. The facts are presented in a way that are easy for everyone to understand and its more enjoyable. With Powerpoints I can express everything on my mind in an instant without forgetting a what I am trying to say, unlike an essay. Powerpoints also hold the pro of time, meaning they are not as time consuming as righting an essay. My essays take me hours upon hours upon hours to write due to my lack of fluidity. Overall, Powerpoints destroy essays in head to head combat.

Waxhaw Environmental quality

          After doing a little research on the local environmental quality of where I live, I found nothing out of the ordinary. However, I did learn a few new things; for instance, a superfund site. A superfund site is an area of land that has been contaminated by hazardous materials and has been identified by the EPA. Superfund sites can occur from pollution, leaking underground tanks, chemical spills, and hazardous contamination; they are most always the byproduct of a a company. Waxhaw has only polluter that has been identified by the EPA, Boral Bricks Inc Van Wyck Plants. The polluters were found by a special program called the Toxic Release Inventory Program. The Toxic release inventory program provides communities with information of the chemicals and waste management currently going on in the local area.

            Through the homefacts website I was able to find all of the information going on in my local community, all the way from criminal activity to local polluters. I found this website very interesting and I would suggest it for those that are trying to keep up with their community. I am also glad to know that the area that was affected by the hazardous waste is no where near me. Overall I found Waxhaw is not such a bad place to live.

Environmental Artifact

The bulldozer has everything to do with the technology that has remodeled the environment. Thanks to the bulldozer there are millions of less trees and forests left in the world. The bulldozer may be considered an entity to society, but as an environmentalist I see it as unnecessary. The world that we live in today is uncontrolled, from the population up to the governments. The landscape we are choosing to remodel comes with implications, and with these implications society shall be punished. The bulldozer can be accredited for tearing apart the world.