Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Text Wrestling.
In “The Oil We Eat”, Richard Manning dissects the agricultural aspects in modern society through his research and personal discoveries. Though this article digs into a variety of subtopics, the main focus seems to be on energy. The first few paragraphs of the article are used to describe the value of energy. Manning even compares plants to refined oil. “Aside from hydrocarbons [refined oil] they are the most concentrated form of true wealth—sun energy”.
The effects that agricultural activities have on plants are also a topic of the article. When naturally occurring in nature, catastrophes such as floods help plants to rid their competition, and let them rebuild their basis to grow in a better habitat. Manmade farms though require something equivalent to these catastrophes annual, which consumes a lot of energy. “Iowa's fields require the energy of 4,000 Nagasaki bombs every year.” In nature, plants normally give up their nutrients to the soil beneath them in order for the next generation to grow more sufficiently, but on farms, these nutrients are forced from other sources onto the growing fields.
Manning also discusses the topic of wasteful action by farmers. One instance of this is when forests and prairies are cleared out for farm land because of the fact that the plants in the area were full of energy, and could have been at the very least been fed to livestock, instead of feeding them grains that are consumable by humans. The amount of fossil fuels burned is also an issue. “In 1997 we burned through more than 400 years' worth of ancient fossilized productivity.”
Of all the single crops discussed, wheat tops every other in the category of destructivity. Not only did it build empires and cause imperialism, it is now the cause of disappearing grasslands because of the habitat needed for it to grow. In the article, Manning states that “wheat takes what it needs”. Areas with grasslands, which are mostly neo-Europe, are responsible for about 80 percent of the corn and grain exports across the globe.
Human interference in the plant growing process has many cons. For example, creating nitrogen artificially made its supply so abundant that it is taken for granted. When dumped on soil, farmers tend to put an excess amount than needed, which runs off into streams and rivers, reaching other places and reacting with other things. Plants may need nitrogen in their growing process, but they did not need double what the planet was originally producing. “The Mississippi River's heavily fertilized effluvia has created a dead zone”.
The calorie ratio of product to process can range from four: one, to high than ten: one, which doesn’t even include the fuel used to transportation. The amount of energy used in processing products is at most instances wasted. Then again, that isn’t the only way it is wasted. As organisms are consumed any one another, only a tenth of its energy is passed on. This means that the 80 percent of grain grown in US being fed to cattle is actually losing nine-tenths of its energy by the time it reaches consumers. This is done so that cattle can produce protein, but is done in such an abundance that the cattle produces too much, and consumers turn excess into fat.
In broader terms, this article is about the destructivity that human activity is having on the planet. I agree with the point that other methods of obtaining and distributing consumable energy should be developed and be put into action in order to conserve energy and to reduce the amount of its wasting. I also agree with the statements about destroying unnecessary plants and biomes. What will happen with there are no more grasslands to turn into farm lands? How will the cattle that many depend on for a food source be effected by a decrease in their own food source?
Even with the information and points provided in the article, Manning fails to do a crucial thing: provide a solution. He does this for a reason though. No one really wants to believe his reason though, which is probably why no solution is provided. He may hint that living on a prairie and hunting and gathering food is a possible solution, but does clearly state it because of the fact that in today’s society, such a thing is impossible. Of course a few people here or there can do so, but what about the other couple billions of people? They still depend on the abundant food sources provided by this mass production, and this demand for food will grow along with the planet’s population. Imagine what might have been accomplished if instead of trying to save and conserve the planet, we saved humans inhabiting it by creating other food sources and researching alternative routes. The planet has overcome plenty through out its billions of years of existence, and will probably keep on doing so. Accept this fact or not: the way things are going on in the food industry isn’t going to change with a few slight changes pushed by protest groups of any movements such that. A great man by the name of George Carlin once said:
"We're so self-important. So arrogant. Everybody's going to save something now. Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save the snails. And the supreme arrogance? Save the planet! Are these people kidding? Save the planet? We don't even know how to take care of ourselves; we haven't learned how to care for one another. We're gonna save the fuckin' planet? . . . And, by the way, there's nothing wrong with the planet in the first place. The planet is fine. The people are fucked! Compared with the people, the planet is doin' great. It's been here over four billion years . . . The planet isn't goin' anywhere, folks. We are! We're goin' away. Pack your shit, we're goin' away. And we won't leave much of a trace. Thank God for that. Nothing left. Maybe a little Styrofoam. The planet will be here, and we'll be gone. Another failed mutation; another closed-end biological mistake."
The effects that agricultural activities have on plants are also a topic of the article. When naturally occurring in nature, catastrophes such as floods help plants to rid their competition, and let them rebuild their basis to grow in a better habitat. Manmade farms though require something equivalent to these catastrophes annual, which consumes a lot of energy. “Iowa's fields require the energy of 4,000 Nagasaki bombs every year.” In nature, plants normally give up their nutrients to the soil beneath them in order for the next generation to grow more sufficiently, but on farms, these nutrients are forced from other sources onto the growing fields.
Manning also discusses the topic of wasteful action by farmers. One instance of this is when forests and prairies are cleared out for farm land because of the fact that the plants in the area were full of energy, and could have been at the very least been fed to livestock, instead of feeding them grains that are consumable by humans. The amount of fossil fuels burned is also an issue. “In 1997 we burned through more than 400 years' worth of ancient fossilized productivity.”
Of all the single crops discussed, wheat tops every other in the category of destructivity. Not only did it build empires and cause imperialism, it is now the cause of disappearing grasslands because of the habitat needed for it to grow. In the article, Manning states that “wheat takes what it needs”. Areas with grasslands, which are mostly neo-Europe, are responsible for about 80 percent of the corn and grain exports across the globe.
Human interference in the plant growing process has many cons. For example, creating nitrogen artificially made its supply so abundant that it is taken for granted. When dumped on soil, farmers tend to put an excess amount than needed, which runs off into streams and rivers, reaching other places and reacting with other things. Plants may need nitrogen in their growing process, but they did not need double what the planet was originally producing. “The Mississippi River's heavily fertilized effluvia has created a dead zone”.
The calorie ratio of product to process can range from four: one, to high than ten: one, which doesn’t even include the fuel used to transportation. The amount of energy used in processing products is at most instances wasted. Then again, that isn’t the only way it is wasted. As organisms are consumed any one another, only a tenth of its energy is passed on. This means that the 80 percent of grain grown in US being fed to cattle is actually losing nine-tenths of its energy by the time it reaches consumers. This is done so that cattle can produce protein, but is done in such an abundance that the cattle produces too much, and consumers turn excess into fat.
In broader terms, this article is about the destructivity that human activity is having on the planet. I agree with the point that other methods of obtaining and distributing consumable energy should be developed and be put into action in order to conserve energy and to reduce the amount of its wasting. I also agree with the statements about destroying unnecessary plants and biomes. What will happen with there are no more grasslands to turn into farm lands? How will the cattle that many depend on for a food source be effected by a decrease in their own food source?
Even with the information and points provided in the article, Manning fails to do a crucial thing: provide a solution. He does this for a reason though. No one really wants to believe his reason though, which is probably why no solution is provided. He may hint that living on a prairie and hunting and gathering food is a possible solution, but does clearly state it because of the fact that in today’s society, such a thing is impossible. Of course a few people here or there can do so, but what about the other couple billions of people? They still depend on the abundant food sources provided by this mass production, and this demand for food will grow along with the planet’s population. Imagine what might have been accomplished if instead of trying to save and conserve the planet, we saved humans inhabiting it by creating other food sources and researching alternative routes. The planet has overcome plenty through out its billions of years of existence, and will probably keep on doing so. Accept this fact or not: the way things are going on in the food industry isn’t going to change with a few slight changes pushed by protest groups of any movements such that. A great man by the name of George Carlin once said:
"We're so self-important. So arrogant. Everybody's going to save something now. Save the trees, save the bees, save the whales, save the snails. And the supreme arrogance? Save the planet! Are these people kidding? Save the planet? We don't even know how to take care of ourselves; we haven't learned how to care for one another. We're gonna save the fuckin' planet? . . . And, by the way, there's nothing wrong with the planet in the first place. The planet is fine. The people are fucked! Compared with the people, the planet is doin' great. It's been here over four billion years . . . The planet isn't goin' anywhere, folks. We are! We're goin' away. Pack your shit, we're goin' away. And we won't leave much of a trace. Thank God for that. Nothing left. Maybe a little Styrofoam. The planet will be here, and we'll be gone. Another failed mutation; another closed-end biological mistake."
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Ethnography
It’s a really different experience when comparing a group of high school who are just in school to pass their classes to a group that is willing to put in as much effort as possible in order to do their possible best. Differentiating students based on physical appearances is impossible. No matter how a student may look, you would never be able to tell if they were intelligent and promising or if they were just in school because they had to be. Though impossible to determine by looks, the choices they make can help to determine the type of student they are. For example, a simple choice of choosing between a study hall and a study group makes such a difference. The students in study hall are just there because there wasn’t a class to fill that certain timeslot with a class. It is also basically a free period where no work is really expected to be done. No one has ever chosen to have a study hall when they were able to be in an actual class. Students in a study group however chose to be in a group where homework is expected to be done. After reading this essay, you will gain some information about the dedicated students who chose to be part of study groups in order to further aid them with their certain classes.
The average student who participates in a study group goes to a minimum of three one hour sessions of a study group for each class per week. These groups either meet during a free period during the school day or afterschool. Most if not all of the students who participate in study groups are part of an AP (advanced placement) classes. The location of the study group was the classroom of the focused subject. The difference in atmosphere between a study group and study hall are very apparent. In a study all, you are likely to hear of random conversations may it be relating to sports and news. Study groups though are much more focused. The only conversations you would hear were about the subject at hand. The supervisor of the students also differs. In a study hall, the supervisor can be just about anyone. Their job is just to make sure things don’t get hectic and to keep order. The job of a supervisor of a study group (who is usually the teacher of the class) is to help with any problems or answer questions that the students may have.
In the AP Chemistry study session that I am a part of, there are three distinct groups. Of these groups there is a group that just goes in and does their work quietly and are just there in case they need help with something in the homework. There is also usually a very involved group that discusses just about every part of their work. The third type of group is one that takes up most of the teacher’s time by avoiding doing their own research and just trying to get answers from the teacher.
The first group is filled with students who like an individual challenge. This was concluded because of the fact that even though they are in a room filled with several intelligent students, they choose to approach their works by themselves, and only ask for help as a last solution. Sometimes they wouldn’t even ask for help until they are mentally broken and are no longer able to think about the problem. I guess you can call this “group” of students the individual learners since they are basically invisible and independent until they need help with something.
The second group is actually one that I am a part of. I find this discussion based group the best out of the three. This group is rarely ever quiet and is always discussing something related the chemistry. Though sometimes it may not be based on the homework that everyone else is working on, the discussions are always revolved around the topic of chemistry. Though there is a lot of talking taking place, a lot of work is getting done as well. Unlike the first group, when an obstacle presents itself, the entire group tries to solve it. It is very beneficial because of the fact that since there are plenty of people in a group, there is a higher chance that someone will understand and be able to solve the problem.
The third group might just be the most unproductive of the three. This group spends a majority of their study group time trying to get answers directly from the teacher. They usually start off with some random talk in the subject followed by some feedback about how the class is going. This is followed by some rants on lab reports and their difficulties on them. The subject is then slowly changed to the homework and how difficult it is. Though the teacher would normally not just give out an answer, he would usually take the students step by step through the problem(s) that they were having difficulties with. I think this is the most unproductive group because it is the least helpful for the future since it isn’t helping them learn to find the abswers to their problems the proper way.
Even though there is a clear differentiation between those who want to learn and those who chose to, there are also even deeper classifications such as the way these individuals choose to learn, as just explored in this essay. Even with these different styles of learning, these students all have the same or very similar goals. These goals require them doing the best that they possibly can with their academics. The one thing that these students have in common is their willingness to take a portion of time out of their schedule to dedicate to a certain class that they know they should be getting extra help or something of that nature. The work and dedication of these high school students is likely to show when they move onto higher level of education, and is likely to separate them from the other kids who chose to take periods off in school rather than use them to study and do homework.
The average student who participates in a study group goes to a minimum of three one hour sessions of a study group for each class per week. These groups either meet during a free period during the school day or afterschool. Most if not all of the students who participate in study groups are part of an AP (advanced placement) classes. The location of the study group was the classroom of the focused subject. The difference in atmosphere between a study group and study hall are very apparent. In a study all, you are likely to hear of random conversations may it be relating to sports and news. Study groups though are much more focused. The only conversations you would hear were about the subject at hand. The supervisor of the students also differs. In a study hall, the supervisor can be just about anyone. Their job is just to make sure things don’t get hectic and to keep order. The job of a supervisor of a study group (who is usually the teacher of the class) is to help with any problems or answer questions that the students may have.
In the AP Chemistry study session that I am a part of, there are three distinct groups. Of these groups there is a group that just goes in and does their work quietly and are just there in case they need help with something in the homework. There is also usually a very involved group that discusses just about every part of their work. The third type of group is one that takes up most of the teacher’s time by avoiding doing their own research and just trying to get answers from the teacher.
The first group is filled with students who like an individual challenge. This was concluded because of the fact that even though they are in a room filled with several intelligent students, they choose to approach their works by themselves, and only ask for help as a last solution. Sometimes they wouldn’t even ask for help until they are mentally broken and are no longer able to think about the problem. I guess you can call this “group” of students the individual learners since they are basically invisible and independent until they need help with something.
The second group is actually one that I am a part of. I find this discussion based group the best out of the three. This group is rarely ever quiet and is always discussing something related the chemistry. Though sometimes it may not be based on the homework that everyone else is working on, the discussions are always revolved around the topic of chemistry. Though there is a lot of talking taking place, a lot of work is getting done as well. Unlike the first group, when an obstacle presents itself, the entire group tries to solve it. It is very beneficial because of the fact that since there are plenty of people in a group, there is a higher chance that someone will understand and be able to solve the problem.
The third group might just be the most unproductive of the three. This group spends a majority of their study group time trying to get answers directly from the teacher. They usually start off with some random talk in the subject followed by some feedback about how the class is going. This is followed by some rants on lab reports and their difficulties on them. The subject is then slowly changed to the homework and how difficult it is. Though the teacher would normally not just give out an answer, he would usually take the students step by step through the problem(s) that they were having difficulties with. I think this is the most unproductive group because it is the least helpful for the future since it isn’t helping them learn to find the abswers to their problems the proper way.
Even though there is a clear differentiation between those who want to learn and those who chose to, there are also even deeper classifications such as the way these individuals choose to learn, as just explored in this essay. Even with these different styles of learning, these students all have the same or very similar goals. These goals require them doing the best that they possibly can with their academics. The one thing that these students have in common is their willingness to take a portion of time out of their schedule to dedicate to a certain class that they know they should be getting extra help or something of that nature. The work and dedication of these high school students is likely to show when they move onto higher level of education, and is likely to separate them from the other kids who chose to take periods off in school rather than use them to study and do homework.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Personal Essay [1st Draft]
“Hey did you hear what she just did to the poor kid? He ran up the stairs crying! Dude I can’t believe she just did that. This is getting worse and worse man. Someone has got to put an end to this.” Statements such as these were heard throughout the summer from students, staff, and teachers. From the sound of it, this lady everyone seems to be talking about seems like a pretty cruel person. Don’t you agree? I did at the time. It’s kind of an unavoidable thing to believe after you hear things like that, even if it is about the director of the program that you are in.
It was the last night of the Upward Bound summer program, and there was a lot of tension within some certain individuals. One of the teachers had built up this tension bit by bit, but avoided any suspicion by staying under the radar. Earlier in the day and several other times, he had approached me privately, or sometimes accompanied by some few individuals whom also shared some similar thoughts to his own. In these conversations were things I did not expect, especially from someone who seemed as loyal and devoted as he did. These conversations held information I never would have thought to have heard from such a group. So unexpected and surprising, I believed it all without much question.
“Hey guys, we have this one last night to pull off the biggest prank. Anyone here have any ideas?” asked one of the students in the hallway. Suggestions ranged from pranking the girl’s floor beneath us to water balloons and things of that nature. Randomly shouting out ideas, I suggested we all sneak outside and hang out in the dimpled grass area outside of the dorm. Not expecting it, everyone agreed to do it, even the girls.
With a lot of phone calls and careful planning, everyone was in position to leave the building on my signal. I played lead role and watched over things to make sure that it was going according to plan. In the first phase of the plan, the boys quietly moved down a floor, followed by the execution of the second plan, which was to get out of the building through the side door. I held the door as everyone ran out of the door in a surprisingly neat single file towards the wet grass.
No one really knew what to do after this. My plan was just to go outside and hang out. One of the students suggested something, and their plan went into action in mere seconds. In the cold night air, the only thing you could hear was the word “revolution”, followed by some giggles and laughter. The front door of the dorm opened up and everyone hit the deck, forgetting that the grass was wet of dew. After another shout of the word, everyone stormed back inside, all having had fun in the brief moments outside with the group.
After a little stunt like that, everyone would have guessed that things were going to be quiet for the night. Of course, it wasn’t the story in this case. Going around was a plan to just simply sleep outside for the night. Word spread like a forest fire. In a matter of minutes, everyone heard the news. 2:30AM, everyone was to meet back at the same spot following the same procedures, but this time with a blanket, pillow, and anything else they may need.
When the time struck, everyone was ready and eager. Boys and girls were both in position and ready to leave. As people were leaving, something went wrong. The noise of the front door echoed through the quiet night and struck fear in some of the prankers. Instead of backing out and going back inside, everyone decided to rush outside even faster, but the plan was altered a bit, and the meeting grounds changed. Basically, the entire plan was ruined, and no one knew what to do now. There wasn’t much to do now. We were all outside, and had blankets. There wasn’t much we could do, so we began to have some discussions with each other. One thing led to another, and we ended up talking about some things that had been brought up during the conversations I had mentioned of earlier.
After a while, the topic of discussion came out with a furious look. When questions were fired at the students, no response was given back, which increased tensions between the two forces. Eventually, I spoke out. Not out of any deep thought and anything like that, but out of the anger and despise that I had gained through listening to the voices of the program. This moment of speaking out caused a tension greater than any other that I have ever been a part of. After everything was forcedly settled, everyone went to bed. Everyone but me of course. I stood up thinking of the situation, unable to reason things out
Little did I know everything that I was told was used to feed the anger that would help someone accomplish a goal that they were too cowardly to achieve on their own. I wouldn’t find out until months later that I have been tricked into doing someone else’s dirty work. I now have to accept the fact that what I had done that night was a mistake, and that I have been manipulated into a tool used to try and bring down something no one else could. This is why I can no longer see a single side of a story but two, to determine the truths and logics of what is and isn’t, so I’ll never be tricked again.
It was the last night of the Upward Bound summer program, and there was a lot of tension within some certain individuals. One of the teachers had built up this tension bit by bit, but avoided any suspicion by staying under the radar. Earlier in the day and several other times, he had approached me privately, or sometimes accompanied by some few individuals whom also shared some similar thoughts to his own. In these conversations were things I did not expect, especially from someone who seemed as loyal and devoted as he did. These conversations held information I never would have thought to have heard from such a group. So unexpected and surprising, I believed it all without much question.
“Hey guys, we have this one last night to pull off the biggest prank. Anyone here have any ideas?” asked one of the students in the hallway. Suggestions ranged from pranking the girl’s floor beneath us to water balloons and things of that nature. Randomly shouting out ideas, I suggested we all sneak outside and hang out in the dimpled grass area outside of the dorm. Not expecting it, everyone agreed to do it, even the girls.
With a lot of phone calls and careful planning, everyone was in position to leave the building on my signal. I played lead role and watched over things to make sure that it was going according to plan. In the first phase of the plan, the boys quietly moved down a floor, followed by the execution of the second plan, which was to get out of the building through the side door. I held the door as everyone ran out of the door in a surprisingly neat single file towards the wet grass.
No one really knew what to do after this. My plan was just to go outside and hang out. One of the students suggested something, and their plan went into action in mere seconds. In the cold night air, the only thing you could hear was the word “revolution”, followed by some giggles and laughter. The front door of the dorm opened up and everyone hit the deck, forgetting that the grass was wet of dew. After another shout of the word, everyone stormed back inside, all having had fun in the brief moments outside with the group.
After a little stunt like that, everyone would have guessed that things were going to be quiet for the night. Of course, it wasn’t the story in this case. Going around was a plan to just simply sleep outside for the night. Word spread like a forest fire. In a matter of minutes, everyone heard the news. 2:30AM, everyone was to meet back at the same spot following the same procedures, but this time with a blanket, pillow, and anything else they may need.
When the time struck, everyone was ready and eager. Boys and girls were both in position and ready to leave. As people were leaving, something went wrong. The noise of the front door echoed through the quiet night and struck fear in some of the prankers. Instead of backing out and going back inside, everyone decided to rush outside even faster, but the plan was altered a bit, and the meeting grounds changed. Basically, the entire plan was ruined, and no one knew what to do now. There wasn’t much to do now. We were all outside, and had blankets. There wasn’t much we could do, so we began to have some discussions with each other. One thing led to another, and we ended up talking about some things that had been brought up during the conversations I had mentioned of earlier.
After a while, the topic of discussion came out with a furious look. When questions were fired at the students, no response was given back, which increased tensions between the two forces. Eventually, I spoke out. Not out of any deep thought and anything like that, but out of the anger and despise that I had gained through listening to the voices of the program. This moment of speaking out caused a tension greater than any other that I have ever been a part of. After everything was forcedly settled, everyone went to bed. Everyone but me of course. I stood up thinking of the situation, unable to reason things out
Little did I know everything that I was told was used to feed the anger that would help someone accomplish a goal that they were too cowardly to achieve on their own. I wouldn’t find out until months later that I have been tricked into doing someone else’s dirty work. I now have to accept the fact that what I had done that night was a mistake, and that I have been manipulated into a tool used to try and bring down something no one else could. This is why I can no longer see a single side of a story but two, to determine the truths and logics of what is and isn’t, so I’ll never be tricked again.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Generating essay ideas.
Generating an idea to write about for the personal essay assignment was difficult at first. When the assignment was first assigned, I had no clue what to write about. Of course this puzzled me because of the fact that this was a personal essay, which meant that I could write about virtually anything meaningful that has happened to me. This made me question if my life was actually so plain and dull that I couldn't even think of something meaningful from it to write an essay about. Then I realized that I had more to write than I thought. It wasn't that nothing in my life was meaningful. I realized that most of the things that happened in my life had tons of meaning in them to me. Everything had happened to me for a reason, and has taught me a ton of things about life. After some thinking, I finally had a list of topics to chose from, contrasting the empty one I had when I started.
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