Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Grammar Girl- Run-on sentences
In summary, the grammar girl lesson this week gave a quick overview on identifying and fixing run on sentences. A run on sentence can be a really, really long sentence, or simply a short sentence without the proper grammar. I must admit that I commit the run -on sentence crime here and there, but usually end up editing my writing to split up the sentence. Most of the time I’m just trying to get way too much information in between two periods. I really like using fancy descriptive words and though this may not always make my sentence a run-on, it sometimes makes them sound congested and inundated with nonsense. Actually, earlier today I was working on an abstract for a research proposal and was having a hard time with a sentence that I knew in my heart of hearts was a run-on, but I didn’t want to face it. This is what the sentence ended up as: “Using an in situ hybridization procedure, we are investigating the effects of WSTF knockdown on the expression of two genes - Bone morphogenic protein 4 (Bmp4) and Sonic hedgehog (Shh) - both involved in early neural patterning and later differentiation and development in Xenopus and other vertebrates.” I don’t think this is a run-on sentence, but it definitely sounds like it needs to be split up. What I thought was cool about this grammar girl lesson was that she explained how different punctuation can be used to obtain different effects in the writing. I plan on utilizing this new tool in the future.
Research Project Part III- 1st Draft
Sea Turtles: Pollution Effects on a Threatened Species
Pollution in the world’s oceans has only recently become a complex issue that scientists and environmentalists are becoming increasingly aware of. Before the 1950’s, most human litter disposed of in the ocean was biodegradable, which meant it was broken down by the ocean water into organic, non-harmful components. The recent increase in the widespread use of plastics, with its durability and inexpensive qualities, has resulted in the accumulation of these materials in the oceans. Unfortunately, the durability that makes it useful to humans makes plastic detrimental to the ocean waters and the life within it. The buoyant characteristic of plastic also makes it especially harmful because it is able to travel for long distances in ocean currents (Sheavly, 301). Plastic accumulation puts marine life and ecosystems at severe risk. Plastic debris includes things like plastic bags, ropes, nets, and rings from six-packs of soda. Other harmful marine debris that is present in massive amounts are styrofoam, oil, tar, and glass (Mascarenhas, 354). Perhaps one of the most adversely affected and thus most extensively researched examples of this is the marine turtle. Although pollution items have historically not always been a direct threat to sea turtles, marine pollution is having a deleterious effect on the well being of these animals because of plastic ingestion, toxic chemical retention in tissues, and ingestion of several other anthropogenic materials.
Sea turtles, with a lifespan of up to 80 years, live predominantly in aquatic environments, except when females use beaches to lay their eggs. They live in both tropical and subtropical oceans, in many different areas of the world’s oceans. Unfortunately, these once abundant creatures’ populations are decreasing, and all seven species of sea turtle are now either classified as threatened or endangered species (NOAA.gov). One of the main reasons behind this dwindling in their populations is being accredited to anthropogenic issues; the deposition of oil and the “persistent plastics” that are disposed of in our oceans. Ingestion of plastics that may resemble prey to the turtle, especially species with a low discrimination in what they feed on, can cause direct affects to the turtle (Tomas, 211). These items also have implications in altering feeding habits, and degrading their habitats (Bugoni, 1330). When sea turtles ingest debris, the nature of the debris can be directly harmful, or it can make the turtle feel full and have no appetite. They then become nutrient deprived and more susceptible to sickness and death (Tomas, 211). Additionally, fishing nets have also become a pollutant in the waters and are harmful to turtles because the often get caught in them and drown because they cannot swim up to breathe (Sheavly, 302). In fact, it is estimated that oceans are the depot for about 52 metric tons of fishing gear per year (Pichel, 1207).
The ingestion of debris is a common cause of sickness and death in marine turtles. A significant amount of debris ingestion research has been done on turtles found dead on beaches, or turtles that are illegally captured by fishermen. In one study, a research team analyzed 54 sea turtles that were captured illegally in the Spanish Mediterranean Ocean. Upon dissection of the sea turtles’ bodies, several types of debris were found in nearly 80% of the turtles. The debris items included tar, paper, hooks, lines, and nets; the most abundant material, though, was plastics, accounting for 75% of the total debris (Tomas, 211). In another area of the world, in east and west coastal areas of Florida, another study was performed using 51 sea turtles that washed up dead onto beaches. 56% of the total turtles were found to have debris in their stomachs. They concluded that two of the turtles had died as a direct result of the debris clogging the digestive tract and mangling of gut tissue (Bjorndal, 154).
Two studies conducted using sea turtles from Brazilian waters showed debris intake by the animals. One small study documented the analysis of two turtles, one dead, one alive, found on the shore of Paraiba, Brazil. The turtle that was deceased was dissected and was noted to have several pieces of hard plastic and a part of a plastic bag. Two weeks later, the turtle expelled debris, became lethargic, and died after nearly one month. Necropsy showed that the turtle had died from a perforation in its duodenum causing it not to be able to process the food in its stomach (Mascarenhas, 354).
A second Brazilian study was conducted on the coast of the Rio Grande do Sul State in Southern Brazil. A group of university researchers from the area utilized 50 sea turtles that were found dead on the beach for an analysis of stomach contents. Three different species were involved. Upon analysis, plastic bags were found to be the debris that was most predominantly ingested by the sea turtles. The debris found within the sea turtles’ stomachs and intestines was the direct cause of death in 13.2% of the green turtles (the species that was the majority of the sample). Moreover, the researchers found an astonishingly large amount of fishing hazards to be the cause of death for the sea turtles (Bugoni, 1330).
In addition to being a direct threat to sea turtles by mere ingestion, ocean debris can cause more indirect harmful effects. Anthropogenic material is often slowly broken down into toxic chemical components that can build up in animal tissues (Andreani, 287). A few of the toxins that have been studied include trace metals like copper, zinc, iron, magnesium, and cadmium, as well as mercury, methylmercury, organochlorine, and polychlorobiphenyls (PCB’s) (Andreani,287; Day, 1421; Kampalath, 1816; Gardner, 1082; Corsolini, 952). One study by a group of researchers in South Carolina looked at blood mercury levels in loggerhead sea turtles and their correlation to key health characteristics of the turtles. To conduct this study, they took blood samples from the turtles and analyzed the blood for total mercury levels, as well as levels of several types of indicative cells. Findings showed that high mercury levels were a likely cause of a decrease in lymphocyte cell levels, which are important immune system cells. High mercury levels in the marine environment are shown to be toxic to overall immune system function of sea turtles (Day, 1425).
It seems that the world’s increasing population and urbanization is having very serious consequences on the world’s oceans. When creatures that have thrived for millions of years are suddenly becoming rarities in the waters, there is obviously something very wrong with their environment. Big cities, especially in coastal areas, and the industries that are booming within them need to establish stricter regulations on waste disposal. The fishing industry needs to become more aware of the hazards posed to marine life by fishing nets, hooks, and other gear. Marine pollution currently places a huge impact on sea turtles because of what they ingest and the chemicals that pollutants release. If action is not taken to clean up the oceans, sea turtle population will continue to dwindle until extinction.
Pollution in the world’s oceans has only recently become a complex issue that scientists and environmentalists are becoming increasingly aware of. Before the 1950’s, most human litter disposed of in the ocean was biodegradable, which meant it was broken down by the ocean water into organic, non-harmful components. The recent increase in the widespread use of plastics, with its durability and inexpensive qualities, has resulted in the accumulation of these materials in the oceans. Unfortunately, the durability that makes it useful to humans makes plastic detrimental to the ocean waters and the life within it. The buoyant characteristic of plastic also makes it especially harmful because it is able to travel for long distances in ocean currents (Sheavly, 301). Plastic accumulation puts marine life and ecosystems at severe risk. Plastic debris includes things like plastic bags, ropes, nets, and rings from six-packs of soda. Other harmful marine debris that is present in massive amounts are styrofoam, oil, tar, and glass (Mascarenhas, 354). Perhaps one of the most adversely affected and thus most extensively researched examples of this is the marine turtle. Although pollution items have historically not always been a direct threat to sea turtles, marine pollution is having a deleterious effect on the well being of these animals because of plastic ingestion, toxic chemical retention in tissues, and ingestion of several other anthropogenic materials.
Sea turtles, with a lifespan of up to 80 years, live predominantly in aquatic environments, except when females use beaches to lay their eggs. They live in both tropical and subtropical oceans, in many different areas of the world’s oceans. Unfortunately, these once abundant creatures’ populations are decreasing, and all seven species of sea turtle are now either classified as threatened or endangered species (NOAA.gov). One of the main reasons behind this dwindling in their populations is being accredited to anthropogenic issues; the deposition of oil and the “persistent plastics” that are disposed of in our oceans. Ingestion of plastics that may resemble prey to the turtle, especially species with a low discrimination in what they feed on, can cause direct affects to the turtle (Tomas, 211). These items also have implications in altering feeding habits, and degrading their habitats (Bugoni, 1330). When sea turtles ingest debris, the nature of the debris can be directly harmful, or it can make the turtle feel full and have no appetite. They then become nutrient deprived and more susceptible to sickness and death (Tomas, 211). Additionally, fishing nets have also become a pollutant in the waters and are harmful to turtles because the often get caught in them and drown because they cannot swim up to breathe (Sheavly, 302). In fact, it is estimated that oceans are the depot for about 52 metric tons of fishing gear per year (Pichel, 1207).
The ingestion of debris is a common cause of sickness and death in marine turtles. A significant amount of debris ingestion research has been done on turtles found dead on beaches, or turtles that are illegally captured by fishermen. In one study, a research team analyzed 54 sea turtles that were captured illegally in the Spanish Mediterranean Ocean. Upon dissection of the sea turtles’ bodies, several types of debris were found in nearly 80% of the turtles. The debris items included tar, paper, hooks, lines, and nets; the most abundant material, though, was plastics, accounting for 75% of the total debris (Tomas, 211). In another area of the world, in east and west coastal areas of Florida, another study was performed using 51 sea turtles that washed up dead onto beaches. 56% of the total turtles were found to have debris in their stomachs. They concluded that two of the turtles had died as a direct result of the debris clogging the digestive tract and mangling of gut tissue (Bjorndal, 154).
Two studies conducted using sea turtles from Brazilian waters showed debris intake by the animals. One small study documented the analysis of two turtles, one dead, one alive, found on the shore of Paraiba, Brazil. The turtle that was deceased was dissected and was noted to have several pieces of hard plastic and a part of a plastic bag. Two weeks later, the turtle expelled debris, became lethargic, and died after nearly one month. Necropsy showed that the turtle had died from a perforation in its duodenum causing it not to be able to process the food in its stomach (Mascarenhas, 354).
A second Brazilian study was conducted on the coast of the Rio Grande do Sul State in Southern Brazil. A group of university researchers from the area utilized 50 sea turtles that were found dead on the beach for an analysis of stomach contents. Three different species were involved. Upon analysis, plastic bags were found to be the debris that was most predominantly ingested by the sea turtles. The debris found within the sea turtles’ stomachs and intestines was the direct cause of death in 13.2% of the green turtles (the species that was the majority of the sample). Moreover, the researchers found an astonishingly large amount of fishing hazards to be the cause of death for the sea turtles (Bugoni, 1330).
In addition to being a direct threat to sea turtles by mere ingestion, ocean debris can cause more indirect harmful effects. Anthropogenic material is often slowly broken down into toxic chemical components that can build up in animal tissues (Andreani, 287). A few of the toxins that have been studied include trace metals like copper, zinc, iron, magnesium, and cadmium, as well as mercury, methylmercury, organochlorine, and polychlorobiphenyls (PCB’s) (Andreani,287; Day, 1421; Kampalath, 1816; Gardner, 1082; Corsolini, 952). One study by a group of researchers in South Carolina looked at blood mercury levels in loggerhead sea turtles and their correlation to key health characteristics of the turtles. To conduct this study, they took blood samples from the turtles and analyzed the blood for total mercury levels, as well as levels of several types of indicative cells. Findings showed that high mercury levels were a likely cause of a decrease in lymphocyte cell levels, which are important immune system cells. High mercury levels in the marine environment are shown to be toxic to overall immune system function of sea turtles (Day, 1425).
It seems that the world’s increasing population and urbanization is having very serious consequences on the world’s oceans. When creatures that have thrived for millions of years are suddenly becoming rarities in the waters, there is obviously something very wrong with their environment. Big cities, especially in coastal areas, and the industries that are booming within them need to establish stricter regulations on waste disposal. The fishing industry needs to become more aware of the hazards posed to marine life by fishing nets, hooks, and other gear. Marine pollution currently places a huge impact on sea turtles because of what they ingest and the chemicals that pollutants release. If action is not taken to clean up the oceans, sea turtle population will continue to dwindle until extinction.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Essay # 2 Final Draft
Integrating Science Back Into Elementary Schools in Anchorage
Since the No Child Left Behind Act was put into action in 2001, Anchorage elementary schools have been slowly pushing science out of their curriculums. They are doing this because they have to meet certain standards in reading, writing, and math under this law- meaning test scores have to be at a certain level- in order for the state to receive funding for its schools. This means teachers have to put creative and exploratory-type learning on the back burner, and basically teach children how to do well on a standardized test. Learning math, reading, and writing skills are undoubtedly crucial for any child’s success, but something is missing in what these kids are learning. Although they are doing a proficient job in teaching math, reading, and writing, Anchorage School District elementary schools should incorporate more science into their curriculums because it fosters early imagination, hands-on learning, and is pertinent for later careers in a state where careers in science and technology is one of the largest industries.
From week three as an embryo until early twenties, the human brain is continually growing and developing. The most crucial times for this development is the younger years until about age ten. It is these younger years then, when the formation of young minds is at its peak, that the most exploratory learning should be taking place. Previous learning studies have shown that children not only learn better if they are figuring things out for themselves, but also end up having the most creative minds and better test scores later on. This is why science, where experiments with trial and error are being conducted, needs to be implemented as a larger part of young childrens’ education.
Looking more closely at the Anchorage community in particular, this large city is the industrial hub of the state. With the largest population in the state, it puts the most kids through the public school system and out into the workforce. This is why we need to begin with Anchorage schools. The biggest Alaskan industries are things like commercial fishing, oil and gas, environmental and geological work, and health care- all of which have a large foundation in a science related field. With the pipeline project beginning, Alaska will be hurting for engineers, environmental and wildlife biologists, electricians, and hundreds more professionals. Alaska is also one of the states in the US most deficient in physicians because of the situation with rural areas and not having road access to all of them. To fill this void in much needed positions, and to help keep our state prospering and functioning, it is vital that we implement science early to get kids excited about making discoveries and pursuing their curiosities.
If we could start with Anchorage schools, it could later set a model for other school districts in the state. It is not likely that No Child Left Behind act is just simply banished from the school system, so it will have to be worked around. Each grade level should have a committee that consists of several teachers, administrators, and several types of professionals in a science-related field. Together, the committee could come up with six age-appropriate experiments to be done throughout the school year, involving six different concepts that have to do with nature, the environment, simple chemistry, etc. For example, kindergarteners could go outside and pick flowers, grass, and weeds in the fall, and learn about what kinds of things grow outside. First graders could do an experiment where they learn about the different forms of water. They could go gather a little snow outside, and have an ice cube, sink water and the snow in different containers and observe how they all end up like sink water. In later grades, kids could learn about circuits and electricity by getting to set up small circuits with batteries.
The heart of this operation really would be the expertise of the committees, which overall would be called “The Committee for Science Advancement in Primary Education (CSAPE). Meeting once every two months, the teachers, administrators, and scientists would lay down the groundwork for the experiments to be taught to that grade level. The scientists would inform the teachers about the concepts behind the experiment, and then the teachers would put together a logical way to teach it. The lessons would then be distributed to all teachers of that grade level.
The heart of the committee and putting this operation into effect is funding. The expense would be the major argument against the implement of more science in elementary schools. The Anchorage School District would need additional money allotted in their budget to pursue this endeavor. A way to help this issue is to bring to light the fact that science experiments involves all three subject areas the state is most concerned about -reading, writing, and math- and it teaches them in more dynamic ways. Taking data, analyzing data, learning new vocabulary words, and writing conclusions are all a part of the scientific method. This argument will help schools receive the additional funding for CSAPE.
We are coming up on a very trivial period of time in the world, with many huge issues at hand. More than ever, we’ll be relying on the future generations to take on these problems if things are going to get solved. Kids in Alaska need to be given all the opportunities they can to succeed, and because we are a state with such a high demand in the science field, that’s where we need to start. Anchorage elementary schools need more science in their curriculums to foster the growth of creative young minds and to help fill the voids in Alaskan industries that are to keep this state thriving.
Since the No Child Left Behind Act was put into action in 2001, Anchorage elementary schools have been slowly pushing science out of their curriculums. They are doing this because they have to meet certain standards in reading, writing, and math under this law- meaning test scores have to be at a certain level- in order for the state to receive funding for its schools. This means teachers have to put creative and exploratory-type learning on the back burner, and basically teach children how to do well on a standardized test. Learning math, reading, and writing skills are undoubtedly crucial for any child’s success, but something is missing in what these kids are learning. Although they are doing a proficient job in teaching math, reading, and writing, Anchorage School District elementary schools should incorporate more science into their curriculums because it fosters early imagination, hands-on learning, and is pertinent for later careers in a state where careers in science and technology is one of the largest industries.
From week three as an embryo until early twenties, the human brain is continually growing and developing. The most crucial times for this development is the younger years until about age ten. It is these younger years then, when the formation of young minds is at its peak, that the most exploratory learning should be taking place. Previous learning studies have shown that children not only learn better if they are figuring things out for themselves, but also end up having the most creative minds and better test scores later on. This is why science, where experiments with trial and error are being conducted, needs to be implemented as a larger part of young childrens’ education.
Looking more closely at the Anchorage community in particular, this large city is the industrial hub of the state. With the largest population in the state, it puts the most kids through the public school system and out into the workforce. This is why we need to begin with Anchorage schools. The biggest Alaskan industries are things like commercial fishing, oil and gas, environmental and geological work, and health care- all of which have a large foundation in a science related field. With the pipeline project beginning, Alaska will be hurting for engineers, environmental and wildlife biologists, electricians, and hundreds more professionals. Alaska is also one of the states in the US most deficient in physicians because of the situation with rural areas and not having road access to all of them. To fill this void in much needed positions, and to help keep our state prospering and functioning, it is vital that we implement science early to get kids excited about making discoveries and pursuing their curiosities.
If we could start with Anchorage schools, it could later set a model for other school districts in the state. It is not likely that No Child Left Behind act is just simply banished from the school system, so it will have to be worked around. Each grade level should have a committee that consists of several teachers, administrators, and several types of professionals in a science-related field. Together, the committee could come up with six age-appropriate experiments to be done throughout the school year, involving six different concepts that have to do with nature, the environment, simple chemistry, etc. For example, kindergarteners could go outside and pick flowers, grass, and weeds in the fall, and learn about what kinds of things grow outside. First graders could do an experiment where they learn about the different forms of water. They could go gather a little snow outside, and have an ice cube, sink water and the snow in different containers and observe how they all end up like sink water. In later grades, kids could learn about circuits and electricity by getting to set up small circuits with batteries.
The heart of this operation really would be the expertise of the committees, which overall would be called “The Committee for Science Advancement in Primary Education (CSAPE). Meeting once every two months, the teachers, administrators, and scientists would lay down the groundwork for the experiments to be taught to that grade level. The scientists would inform the teachers about the concepts behind the experiment, and then the teachers would put together a logical way to teach it. The lessons would then be distributed to all teachers of that grade level.
The heart of the committee and putting this operation into effect is funding. The expense would be the major argument against the implement of more science in elementary schools. The Anchorage School District would need additional money allotted in their budget to pursue this endeavor. A way to help this issue is to bring to light the fact that science experiments involves all three subject areas the state is most concerned about -reading, writing, and math- and it teaches them in more dynamic ways. Taking data, analyzing data, learning new vocabulary words, and writing conclusions are all a part of the scientific method. This argument will help schools receive the additional funding for CSAPE.
We are coming up on a very trivial period of time in the world, with many huge issues at hand. More than ever, we’ll be relying on the future generations to take on these problems if things are going to get solved. Kids in Alaska need to be given all the opportunities they can to succeed, and because we are a state with such a high demand in the science field, that’s where we need to start. Anchorage elementary schools need more science in their curriculums to foster the growth of creative young minds and to help fill the voids in Alaskan industries that are to keep this state thriving.
Reading Responses WEEK 7
Reading Response Week 7: #1
Pg. 644 #1
In this essay Han explains the difficulties gay Asian men face in comparison to white gay men. Because society and the media have made the Asian heritage into a feminine, meek appearance, Asian men, especially gay Asian men, find themselves having to deal with stereotypes that the gay white male has surpassed. Also due to this stereotype, Asian men have often been excluded from ‘masculine’ positions in the workforce, and other leadership positions. Gay Asian men are often pressured to conceal their sexuality because of family pressures, where families would reject them if it came out that they were gay. This pressure, in addition to the already existent negativity radiating from general society, makes for two marginalization’s of gay Asian men.
The picture of gay white men has recently morphed into a macho, chiseled appearance. Asian gay men then feel an added pressure in trying to obtain this look too, but have trouble getting past the feminine, inferior stereotype that is placed on them. Gay Asian men often have difficulty finding partners, and when they do they have been shown to be the subordinate person in the relationship, taking the role of the ‘woman’ perhaps.
Largely because of already placed racism and stereotypism towards Asian Americans, gay Asian males are in a particularly stressful position. They do not fit into the “macho-stud” category that white gay males do, and have the added pressure of familial pressures and expectations.
Reading Response Week 7 #2
Pg. 755 #1
Marquez brings up a very real issue that many can relate to. When a different language is being spoken around them, one may feel annoyed that they cannot understand the conversation. Typical American behavior seems to be very nosy- this can be seen in the way we are obsessed with any drama in anyone’s lives, especially celebrities. When a conversation is happening that we cannot understand, it can be perturbing. It also conjures up feelings that they are talking about them, which can definitely be uncomfortable. Marquez mentions this in her essay. She explains that her and members of her family are going to talk in Spanish because it’s their right, it’s a part of their culture, and America is home to many different cultures, and many different languages. She says that speaking in their native tongue shows that they aren’t ashamed of who they are and where they came from.
Marquez makes it a point to comfort those who may not like when she and her parents speak Spanish around them. She understands that English is vital to success in America, she is not purposefully not using it to criticize or rebel against it. It is just a within-her-family thing, and solely for maintaining the rich tradition and culture of her Cuban roots. At the end, her tone turns very serious when she explains that she would never put someone she knew who just knew English in an uncomfortable position by speaking in Spanish around them.
Reading Response week 7 # 3
Pg. 908 #2
The U.S. Government likely had some issues with discrimination, harassment, or searching of Muslim people before this add came out. The informational poster has the purpose to educate those who don’t know about the Muslim culture, and especially to make sure people don’t automatically think these individuals have something to do with terrorism because of their attire. The images supplement the text by showing that these are normal people, they’re young and old, and there’s different ways Muslims utilize the head scarf. The people in the pictures are all gentle looking people, with smiles on their faces. This kind of gives people the comfort of knowing that Muslims are simply humans with a different way of dressing. If there were only the verbal descriptions, they wouldn’t be as effective as having the pictures. People respond to seeing pictures more than they do to simply a big paragraph of text, because the pictures draw the attention and itiate the curiosity to read the accompanying text. The credit at the bottom about the source of some of the pictures being from the Arab Anti Discrimination Committee doesn’t appear to be detrimental to the credibility of the ad. It is obvious that this ad could be classified as a type of anti – discrimination add, or at least an awareness add, so the fact that they retrieved some of the images from the Arab Anti Discrimination Committee doesn’t really ignite any suspicions about the integrity of the ad.
Pg. 644 #1
In this essay Han explains the difficulties gay Asian men face in comparison to white gay men. Because society and the media have made the Asian heritage into a feminine, meek appearance, Asian men, especially gay Asian men, find themselves having to deal with stereotypes that the gay white male has surpassed. Also due to this stereotype, Asian men have often been excluded from ‘masculine’ positions in the workforce, and other leadership positions. Gay Asian men are often pressured to conceal their sexuality because of family pressures, where families would reject them if it came out that they were gay. This pressure, in addition to the already existent negativity radiating from general society, makes for two marginalization’s of gay Asian men.
The picture of gay white men has recently morphed into a macho, chiseled appearance. Asian gay men then feel an added pressure in trying to obtain this look too, but have trouble getting past the feminine, inferior stereotype that is placed on them. Gay Asian men often have difficulty finding partners, and when they do they have been shown to be the subordinate person in the relationship, taking the role of the ‘woman’ perhaps.
Largely because of already placed racism and stereotypism towards Asian Americans, gay Asian males are in a particularly stressful position. They do not fit into the “macho-stud” category that white gay males do, and have the added pressure of familial pressures and expectations.
Reading Response Week 7 #2
Pg. 755 #1
Marquez brings up a very real issue that many can relate to. When a different language is being spoken around them, one may feel annoyed that they cannot understand the conversation. Typical American behavior seems to be very nosy- this can be seen in the way we are obsessed with any drama in anyone’s lives, especially celebrities. When a conversation is happening that we cannot understand, it can be perturbing. It also conjures up feelings that they are talking about them, which can definitely be uncomfortable. Marquez mentions this in her essay. She explains that her and members of her family are going to talk in Spanish because it’s their right, it’s a part of their culture, and America is home to many different cultures, and many different languages. She says that speaking in their native tongue shows that they aren’t ashamed of who they are and where they came from.
Marquez makes it a point to comfort those who may not like when she and her parents speak Spanish around them. She understands that English is vital to success in America, she is not purposefully not using it to criticize or rebel against it. It is just a within-her-family thing, and solely for maintaining the rich tradition and culture of her Cuban roots. At the end, her tone turns very serious when she explains that she would never put someone she knew who just knew English in an uncomfortable position by speaking in Spanish around them.
Reading Response week 7 # 3
Pg. 908 #2
The U.S. Government likely had some issues with discrimination, harassment, or searching of Muslim people before this add came out. The informational poster has the purpose to educate those who don’t know about the Muslim culture, and especially to make sure people don’t automatically think these individuals have something to do with terrorism because of their attire. The images supplement the text by showing that these are normal people, they’re young and old, and there’s different ways Muslims utilize the head scarf. The people in the pictures are all gentle looking people, with smiles on their faces. This kind of gives people the comfort of knowing that Muslims are simply humans with a different way of dressing. If there were only the verbal descriptions, they wouldn’t be as effective as having the pictures. People respond to seeing pictures more than they do to simply a big paragraph of text, because the pictures draw the attention and itiate the curiosity to read the accompanying text. The credit at the bottom about the source of some of the pictures being from the Arab Anti Discrimination Committee doesn’t appear to be detrimental to the credibility of the ad. It is obvious that this ad could be classified as a type of anti – discrimination add, or at least an awareness add, so the fact that they retrieved some of the images from the Arab Anti Discrimination Committee doesn’t really ignite any suspicions about the integrity of the ad.
Grammar Girl # 45 Comma Splices
The comma splice passage was very informative. I do think I make this mistake every now and then in my writing. Mostly it is with sentences with “maybe.” Like: “I didn’t know what it was, maybe a tiger.” I’ll do that every so often, but now I’ll be alert to the dreaded comma splice and be able to fix them, or better yet, not write them at all. That sentence could be fixed by saying: “I didn’t know what it was; maybe a tiger.” Or: “I didn’t know what it was. It might have been a tiger.” Something like that. Commas are so tricky. I think I might just stop using them all together. Nonetheless, I learned something from this little lesson that now I’ll have with me for the rest of my writing career. I could pick out a comma splice from a million sentences. I understand comma splices so well that I could get a PhD in Comma Spliceology. I could then be the chair of the Comma Splice Department at UAA. In fact, Harvard University is actually having me fly down to make a speech called:”The 21st century and Comma Splices: Where do we go from here?”
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Essay #2, Proposal Essay Rough Draft
Since the No Child Left Behind Act was put into action in 2001, Anchorage elementary schools have been slowly pushing science out of their curriculums. They are doing this because they have to meet certain standards in reading, writing, and math under this law- meaning test scores have to be at a certain level- in order for the state to receive funding for its schools. This means teachers have to put creative and exploratory-type learning on the back burner, and basically teach children how to do well on a standardized test. Learning math, reading, and writing skills are undoubtedly crucial for any child’s success, but something is missing in what these kids are learning. Although they are doing a proficient job in teaching math, reading, and writing, Anchorage School District elementary schools should incorporate more science into their curriculums because it fosters early imagination, hands-on learning, and is pertinent for later careers in a state where careers in science and technology is one of the largest industries.
From week three as an embryo until early twenties, the human brain is continually growing and developing. The most crucial times for this development is the younger years, until about age ten. It is these younger years then, when the formation of young minds is at its peak, that the most exploratory learning should be taking place. Previous learning studies have shown that children not only learn better if they are figuring things out for themselves, but also end up having the most creative minds and better test scores later on. This is why science, where experiments with trial and error are being conducted, needs to be implemented as a larger part of young children’s education.
Looking more closely at the Anchorage community in particular, this large city is the industrial hub of the state. With the largest population in the state, it puts the most kids through the public school system and out into the workforce. This is why we need to begin with Anchorage schools. The biggest Alaskan industries are things like commercial fishing, oil and gas, environmental and geological work, and health care- all of which have a large foundation in a science related field. With the pipeline project beginning, Alaska will be hurting for engineers, environmental and wildlife biologists, electricians, and hundreds more. Alaska is also one of the states in the US most deficient in physicians because of the situation with rural areas and not having road access to all of them. To fill this void in much needed positions, and to help keep our state prospering and functioning, it is vital that we implement science early to get kids excited about making discoveries and pursuing their curiosities.
If we could start with Anchorage schools, it could later set a model for other school districts in the state. It is not likely that No Child Left Behind act is just simply banished from the school system, so it will have to be worked around. Each grade level should have a committee that consists of several teachers, administrators, and several types of professionals in a science-related field. Together, the committee could come up with six age-appropriate experiments to be done throughout the school year, involving six different concepts that have to do with nature, the environment, simple chemistry, etc. For example, kindergarteners could go outside and pick flowers and grass and weeds in the fall, and learn about what kinds of things grow outside. First graders could do an experiment where they learn about the different forms of water. They could go gather a little snow outside, and have an ice cube, sink water, and the snow in different containers and observe how they all end up like sink water. In later grades, kids could learn about circuits and electricity by getting to set up small circuits with batteries. The heart of this operation really would be the expertise of the committees, which overall would be called “The Committee for Science Advancement in Primary Education (CSAPE). Meeting once every two months, the teachers, administrators, and scientists would lay down the groundwork for the experiments to be taught to that grade level. The scientists would teach the teachers the concepts behind the experiment, and then the teachers would put together a logical way to teach it.
The heart of the committee and putting this operation into effect is funding. The expense would be the major argument against the implement of more science in elementary schools. The Anchorage School District would need additional money in their allotted budget to pursue this endeavor. A way to help this issue is to bring to light the fact that science experiments involves all three subject areas the state is most concerned about -reading, writing, and math- and it teaches them in more dynamic ways. Taking data, analyzing data, learning new vocabulary words, and writing conclusions are all a part of the scientific method. This argument could help schools receive the additional funding for CSAPE.
We are coming up on a very trivial period of time in the world, with many huge issues at hand. More than ever, we’ll be relying on the future generations to take on these problems if things are going to get solved. Kids in Alaska need to be given all the opportunities they can to succeed, and because we are a state with such a high demand in the science field, that’s where we need to start. Anchorage elementary schools need more science in their curriculums to foster the growth of creative young minds and to help fill the voids in Alaskan industries that are to keep this state thriving.
From week three as an embryo until early twenties, the human brain is continually growing and developing. The most crucial times for this development is the younger years, until about age ten. It is these younger years then, when the formation of young minds is at its peak, that the most exploratory learning should be taking place. Previous learning studies have shown that children not only learn better if they are figuring things out for themselves, but also end up having the most creative minds and better test scores later on. This is why science, where experiments with trial and error are being conducted, needs to be implemented as a larger part of young children’s education.
Looking more closely at the Anchorage community in particular, this large city is the industrial hub of the state. With the largest population in the state, it puts the most kids through the public school system and out into the workforce. This is why we need to begin with Anchorage schools. The biggest Alaskan industries are things like commercial fishing, oil and gas, environmental and geological work, and health care- all of which have a large foundation in a science related field. With the pipeline project beginning, Alaska will be hurting for engineers, environmental and wildlife biologists, electricians, and hundreds more. Alaska is also one of the states in the US most deficient in physicians because of the situation with rural areas and not having road access to all of them. To fill this void in much needed positions, and to help keep our state prospering and functioning, it is vital that we implement science early to get kids excited about making discoveries and pursuing their curiosities.
If we could start with Anchorage schools, it could later set a model for other school districts in the state. It is not likely that No Child Left Behind act is just simply banished from the school system, so it will have to be worked around. Each grade level should have a committee that consists of several teachers, administrators, and several types of professionals in a science-related field. Together, the committee could come up with six age-appropriate experiments to be done throughout the school year, involving six different concepts that have to do with nature, the environment, simple chemistry, etc. For example, kindergarteners could go outside and pick flowers and grass and weeds in the fall, and learn about what kinds of things grow outside. First graders could do an experiment where they learn about the different forms of water. They could go gather a little snow outside, and have an ice cube, sink water, and the snow in different containers and observe how they all end up like sink water. In later grades, kids could learn about circuits and electricity by getting to set up small circuits with batteries. The heart of this operation really would be the expertise of the committees, which overall would be called “The Committee for Science Advancement in Primary Education (CSAPE). Meeting once every two months, the teachers, administrators, and scientists would lay down the groundwork for the experiments to be taught to that grade level. The scientists would teach the teachers the concepts behind the experiment, and then the teachers would put together a logical way to teach it.
The heart of the committee and putting this operation into effect is funding. The expense would be the major argument against the implement of more science in elementary schools. The Anchorage School District would need additional money in their allotted budget to pursue this endeavor. A way to help this issue is to bring to light the fact that science experiments involves all three subject areas the state is most concerned about -reading, writing, and math- and it teaches them in more dynamic ways. Taking data, analyzing data, learning new vocabulary words, and writing conclusions are all a part of the scientific method. This argument could help schools receive the additional funding for CSAPE.
We are coming up on a very trivial period of time in the world, with many huge issues at hand. More than ever, we’ll be relying on the future generations to take on these problems if things are going to get solved. Kids in Alaska need to be given all the opportunities they can to succeed, and because we are a state with such a high demand in the science field, that’s where we need to start. Anchorage elementary schools need more science in their curriculums to foster the growth of creative young minds and to help fill the voids in Alaskan industries that are to keep this state thriving.
Annotated Bibliography, Research Project Part II.
"Although pollution items have historically not always been a direct threat to sea turtles, marine pollution is having a deleterious effect on the well being of these animals because of plastic ingestion, toxic chemical retention in tissues, and ingestion of several other anthropogenic materials. "
1) Kampalath, Rita et al. "Total and Methylmercury in Three Species of Sea Turtles of Baja California Sur." Marine Pollution Bulletin 52.12 (2006): 1816-1823.
-Mercury, in aquatic systems, is turned into methylmercury which is a serious toxin for marine organisms. This study illuminates the unstudied area of methylmercury concentrations in the tissues of three species of sea turtle. The researchers look at liver, kidney, muscle, and adipose tissue and their tendencies to accumulate this toxin. This research provides solid data on a pollutant that can be seen very clearly in an animal like the sea turtle because of its long life span and tendency to ingest materials. I can use this in my analysis of how pollutants cause harm to sea turtles.
2) Mascarenhas, Rita, Robson Santos, and Douglas Zeppelini. "Plastic Debris Ingestion by Sea Turtle in Paraiba, Brazil." Marine Pollution Bulletin 49.4 (2004): 354-355.
-This is a relatively short article and small study, but focuses on two sea turtles found dead along the coast of Paraiba, Brazil. Previously, not much research had looked into death of sea turtles because of marine debris. In the stomachs of these turtles they found plastic debris, which was the probable cause of death. This is a simple study that supports my thesis.
3) Gardner, Susan et al. "Organochlorine Contaminants in Sea Turtles from the Eastern Pacific." Marine Pollution Bulletin 46.9 (2003): 1082-1089.
-This research looks into the pesticide concentrations in different tissues in three species of sea turtle. They also look at PCB concentrations, which have shown to be toxic in other organisms. They investigate these toxins in several different tissues including the liver, kidneys, and fat tissues. This article will be support for my analysis of harmful chemicals in the marine environment and why they’re particularly harmful for sea turtle populations.
4) Bugoni, Leandro, Ligia Krause, and Maria V. Petry. "Marine Debris and Human Impacts on Sea Turtles in Southern Brazil." Marine Pollution Bulletin 42.12 (2001): 1330-1334.
-Oil and plastics have become one of the main threats to marine life. This article aims to study this idea by analyzing dead stranded sea turtles that are recovered on the beach. They were able to look in the stomachs of three species of sea turtle where they found marine debris such as plastic bags. This data will be excellent support for my thesis on the biggest threats to sea turtle survival.
5) Bjorndal, Karen, Alan B. Bolten, and Cynthia Lagueux. "Ingestion of Marine Debris by Juvenile Sea Turtles in Coastal Florida Habitats." Marine Pollution Bulletin 28.3 (1994): 154-158.
-These researchers analyzed 51 sea turtles that washed up dead on Florida shores. They had three different species, most of which were green turtles. They looked at what types of debris were found in their stomachs, and found that at least 2 of them had died from this debris ingestion. They also found an interesting relationship between gender and debris ingestion. This research will provide sound support for my argument that marine debris ingestion is a serious threat to sea turtles.
6) Tomas, J. et al. "Marine Debris Ingestion in Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Caretta Caretta, from the Western Mediterranean." Marine Pollution Bulletin 44.3 (2001): 211-216.
-An illegal capture of 54 loggerhead sea turtles in Spanish Meditteranean waters posed an opportunity for analysis of debris ingestion in sea turtles. This article examines the different types and amounts of debris found in the stomachs and digestive tracts of these animals. No chemical analysis was done in this research to find physiological defects of the debris, but a proposal of how this ingestion could be negatively affecting sea turtles is stated. This research will be valuable to my paper in that it gives excellent statistical data of how marine pollution is affecting this animal on a big-picture scale.
7) Sheavly, SB, and KM Register. "Marine Debris & Plastics: Environmental Concerns, Sources, Impacts and Solutions." J Polym Environ 15 (2007): 301-305.
-This article supplies a thoughtful overview on the issue of marine pollution. It identifies some of the key players in hazardous accumulation of waste, and explains why marine pollution has only relatively recently become such a complex and dire issue. In addition to talking about sources, the impacts on wildlife are discussed as it pertains to entanglement and ingestion of pollutants. I will be able to use some of this information in my establishment of this overall problem, before going into the specificities I’ll be analyzing with sea turtles.
8) Guirlet, E., K. Das, and M. Girondot. "Maternal Transfer of Trace Elements in Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys Coriacea) of French Guiana." Aquatic Toxicology 88.4 (2008): 267-276.
-This research examines leatherbeck turtle eggs and the contaminants they contain. A female turtle exposed to pollutants can ingest toxic chemicals and the chemicals can be transferred to her offspring. The researchers don’t look into long term effects of the four elements they look at, but find interesting results on what non-essential elements are accumulated in eggs. This study will be helpful to my paper because I can talk about how toxins in the sea water can be transferred to offspring and is predicted to have a deleterious effect on later fertility.
9) Hays, GC. "Sea Turtles: A Review of Some Key Recent Discoveries and Remaining Questions." Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 356.1-2 (2008): 1-7.
-This article gives a thorough overview on the methods used to study sea turtles. It talks about nesting, reproduction, and foraging patterns, as well as conservation tactics. Having this knowledge of current sea turtle research will allow me to incorporate more dynamic ideas into my research paper. It also gives ideas for future research, which I’ll talk about in my paper as well.
10) Andreani, G. et al. "Metal Distribution and Metallothionein in Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) and Green (Chelonia Mydas) Sea Turtles." Science of the Total Environment 390.1 (2008): 287-294.
-This paper looks at metal accumulation in different tissues in two species of sea turtle. They also look at metallothionein’s role in binding metals, and consequently its use as a biomarkers for target metals, both toxic and non-toxic. They look at the kidney and liver specifically, and find a difference between the levels of elements between the two species. I will use this information to incorporate in my paper current methods in identifying toxins in sea turtles, and possibly some of their results and proposed conclusions.
11) Day, RD et al. "Relationship of Blood Mercury Levels to Health Parameters in the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta)." Environmental Health Perspectives 115.10 (2007): 1421-1428.
-This study delves into the analysis of blood mercury in sea turtles as it relates to their health. Mercury is a toxic environmental pollutant that has been shown to have harmful effects on humans and other animals. The researchers collected blood, without harm to the turtles, from turtles captured in the Florida coast area. They analyzed the blood mercury levels and compared them to levels of immune system cells, and found a negative coorelation. I can use this study to support my discussion about metal pollutants that are comprising the health and immune systems of sea turtles.
12) Talavera-Saenz, A. et al. "Metal Profiles Used as Environmental Markers of Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Foraging Resources." Science of the Total Environment 373.1 (2007): 94-102.
-This article identifies a way to classify where sea turtles accumulate the metals in their tissues. The researchers basically compare metal concentrations in sea turtle tissue to marine plant metal concentrations. They find that in certain areas, metal concentrations are undoubtedly similar to plants in that area, and conclude that is where sea turtles do much of their feeding. I will be able to use the reports’ data on metal concentrations in tissues for support of my argument.
13) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA Fisheries- Office of Protected Resources. Aug. 2007. 10 Oct. 2008
-This division of NOAA gives a sound overview of sea turtle life and population information. It includes comprehensive links to research, threats, and conservation plans. The most useful information I’ve found is their page on marine debris specifically. Also, it is a good source for basic information on sea turtles that will be important to my paper.
14) Rios, Lorena M., Charles Moore, and Patrick R. Jones. "Persistent Organic Pollutants Carried by Synthetic Polymers in the Ocean Environment." Marine Pollution Bulletin 54 (2007): 1230-1237.
-Plastic products that have become so widely used end up in the ocean and are very damaging to marine ecosystems. This article gives a sound explanation of plastic and the harmful chemicals that are released in its breakdown in the sea. The researchers use the methods of collecting samples from the North Pacific Ocean and other sites, and analyzing them via chemical protocols. The chemical background they supply, as well as their results of different plastics in different areas of the ocean will be valuable in my analysis of the ocean environment and why sea turtles are being negatively affected.
15) Pichel, William G. et al. "Marine Debris Collects within the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone." Marine Pollution Bulletin 54 (2007): 1207-1211.
-This research was by inspired by the issue of being able to cost-effectively establish a method of locating where the majority of marine debris collects in the ocean. Several researchers with NOAA explain their method of using flight trips north of Hawaii and using aerial surveillance to get an idea of debris collection in the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone. They also record sealife observations in this area, in an attempt to relate sealife with debris collection. This article will be helpful to me because it gives a sound explanation of how marine debris can be located and quantified and how it can be directly correlated to the existence to marine life in the problem areas.
1) Kampalath, Rita et al. "Total and Methylmercury in Three Species of Sea Turtles of Baja California Sur." Marine Pollution Bulletin 52.12 (2006): 1816-1823.
-Mercury, in aquatic systems, is turned into methylmercury which is a serious toxin for marine organisms. This study illuminates the unstudied area of methylmercury concentrations in the tissues of three species of sea turtle. The researchers look at liver, kidney, muscle, and adipose tissue and their tendencies to accumulate this toxin. This research provides solid data on a pollutant that can be seen very clearly in an animal like the sea turtle because of its long life span and tendency to ingest materials. I can use this in my analysis of how pollutants cause harm to sea turtles.
2) Mascarenhas, Rita, Robson Santos, and Douglas Zeppelini. "Plastic Debris Ingestion by Sea Turtle in Paraiba, Brazil." Marine Pollution Bulletin 49.4 (2004): 354-355.
-This is a relatively short article and small study, but focuses on two sea turtles found dead along the coast of Paraiba, Brazil. Previously, not much research had looked into death of sea turtles because of marine debris. In the stomachs of these turtles they found plastic debris, which was the probable cause of death. This is a simple study that supports my thesis.
3) Gardner, Susan et al. "Organochlorine Contaminants in Sea Turtles from the Eastern Pacific." Marine Pollution Bulletin 46.9 (2003): 1082-1089.
-This research looks into the pesticide concentrations in different tissues in three species of sea turtle. They also look at PCB concentrations, which have shown to be toxic in other organisms. They investigate these toxins in several different tissues including the liver, kidneys, and fat tissues. This article will be support for my analysis of harmful chemicals in the marine environment and why they’re particularly harmful for sea turtle populations.
4) Bugoni, Leandro, Ligia Krause, and Maria V. Petry. "Marine Debris and Human Impacts on Sea Turtles in Southern Brazil." Marine Pollution Bulletin 42.12 (2001): 1330-1334.
-Oil and plastics have become one of the main threats to marine life. This article aims to study this idea by analyzing dead stranded sea turtles that are recovered on the beach. They were able to look in the stomachs of three species of sea turtle where they found marine debris such as plastic bags. This data will be excellent support for my thesis on the biggest threats to sea turtle survival.
5) Bjorndal, Karen, Alan B. Bolten, and Cynthia Lagueux. "Ingestion of Marine Debris by Juvenile Sea Turtles in Coastal Florida Habitats." Marine Pollution Bulletin 28.3 (1994): 154-158.
-These researchers analyzed 51 sea turtles that washed up dead on Florida shores. They had three different species, most of which were green turtles. They looked at what types of debris were found in their stomachs, and found that at least 2 of them had died from this debris ingestion. They also found an interesting relationship between gender and debris ingestion. This research will provide sound support for my argument that marine debris ingestion is a serious threat to sea turtles.
6) Tomas, J. et al. "Marine Debris Ingestion in Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Caretta Caretta, from the Western Mediterranean." Marine Pollution Bulletin 44.3 (2001): 211-216.
-An illegal capture of 54 loggerhead sea turtles in Spanish Meditteranean waters posed an opportunity for analysis of debris ingestion in sea turtles. This article examines the different types and amounts of debris found in the stomachs and digestive tracts of these animals. No chemical analysis was done in this research to find physiological defects of the debris, but a proposal of how this ingestion could be negatively affecting sea turtles is stated. This research will be valuable to my paper in that it gives excellent statistical data of how marine pollution is affecting this animal on a big-picture scale.
7) Sheavly, SB, and KM Register. "Marine Debris & Plastics: Environmental Concerns, Sources, Impacts and Solutions." J Polym Environ 15 (2007): 301-305.
-This article supplies a thoughtful overview on the issue of marine pollution. It identifies some of the key players in hazardous accumulation of waste, and explains why marine pollution has only relatively recently become such a complex and dire issue. In addition to talking about sources, the impacts on wildlife are discussed as it pertains to entanglement and ingestion of pollutants. I will be able to use some of this information in my establishment of this overall problem, before going into the specificities I’ll be analyzing with sea turtles.
8) Guirlet, E., K. Das, and M. Girondot. "Maternal Transfer of Trace Elements in Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys Coriacea) of French Guiana." Aquatic Toxicology 88.4 (2008): 267-276.
-This research examines leatherbeck turtle eggs and the contaminants they contain. A female turtle exposed to pollutants can ingest toxic chemicals and the chemicals can be transferred to her offspring. The researchers don’t look into long term effects of the four elements they look at, but find interesting results on what non-essential elements are accumulated in eggs. This study will be helpful to my paper because I can talk about how toxins in the sea water can be transferred to offspring and is predicted to have a deleterious effect on later fertility.
9) Hays, GC. "Sea Turtles: A Review of Some Key Recent Discoveries and Remaining Questions." Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 356.1-2 (2008): 1-7.
-This article gives a thorough overview on the methods used to study sea turtles. It talks about nesting, reproduction, and foraging patterns, as well as conservation tactics. Having this knowledge of current sea turtle research will allow me to incorporate more dynamic ideas into my research paper. It also gives ideas for future research, which I’ll talk about in my paper as well.
10) Andreani, G. et al. "Metal Distribution and Metallothionein in Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) and Green (Chelonia Mydas) Sea Turtles." Science of the Total Environment 390.1 (2008): 287-294.
-This paper looks at metal accumulation in different tissues in two species of sea turtle. They also look at metallothionein’s role in binding metals, and consequently its use as a biomarkers for target metals, both toxic and non-toxic. They look at the kidney and liver specifically, and find a difference between the levels of elements between the two species. I will use this information to incorporate in my paper current methods in identifying toxins in sea turtles, and possibly some of their results and proposed conclusions.
11) Day, RD et al. "Relationship of Blood Mercury Levels to Health Parameters in the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta)." Environmental Health Perspectives 115.10 (2007): 1421-1428.
-This study delves into the analysis of blood mercury in sea turtles as it relates to their health. Mercury is a toxic environmental pollutant that has been shown to have harmful effects on humans and other animals. The researchers collected blood, without harm to the turtles, from turtles captured in the Florida coast area. They analyzed the blood mercury levels and compared them to levels of immune system cells, and found a negative coorelation. I can use this study to support my discussion about metal pollutants that are comprising the health and immune systems of sea turtles.
12) Talavera-Saenz, A. et al. "Metal Profiles Used as Environmental Markers of Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Foraging Resources." Science of the Total Environment 373.1 (2007): 94-102.
-This article identifies a way to classify where sea turtles accumulate the metals in their tissues. The researchers basically compare metal concentrations in sea turtle tissue to marine plant metal concentrations. They find that in certain areas, metal concentrations are undoubtedly similar to plants in that area, and conclude that is where sea turtles do much of their feeding. I will be able to use the reports’ data on metal concentrations in tissues for support of my argument.
13) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA Fisheries- Office of Protected Resources. Aug. 2007. 10 Oct. 2008
-This division of NOAA gives a sound overview of sea turtle life and population information. It includes comprehensive links to research, threats, and conservation plans. The most useful information I’ve found is their page on marine debris specifically. Also, it is a good source for basic information on sea turtles that will be important to my paper.
14) Rios, Lorena M., Charles Moore, and Patrick R. Jones. "Persistent Organic Pollutants Carried by Synthetic Polymers in the Ocean Environment." Marine Pollution Bulletin 54 (2007): 1230-1237.
-Plastic products that have become so widely used end up in the ocean and are very damaging to marine ecosystems. This article gives a sound explanation of plastic and the harmful chemicals that are released in its breakdown in the sea. The researchers use the methods of collecting samples from the North Pacific Ocean and other sites, and analyzing them via chemical protocols. The chemical background they supply, as well as their results of different plastics in different areas of the ocean will be valuable in my analysis of the ocean environment and why sea turtles are being negatively affected.
15) Pichel, William G. et al. "Marine Debris Collects within the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone." Marine Pollution Bulletin 54 (2007): 1207-1211.
-This research was by inspired by the issue of being able to cost-effectively establish a method of locating where the majority of marine debris collects in the ocean. Several researchers with NOAA explain their method of using flight trips north of Hawaii and using aerial surveillance to get an idea of debris collection in the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone. They also record sealife observations in this area, in an attempt to relate sealife with debris collection. This article will be helpful to me because it gives a sound explanation of how marine debris can be located and quantified and how it can be directly correlated to the existence to marine life in the problem areas.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Reading Response #5, week 6.
Ralli #2
There is a prominent definitional argument in this piece. The definitional argument is between how to define the same actions in two different photographs by two different journalists. However, the argument becomes more dynamic when the subjects in the photos are taken into account- one picture portrays a black male and the other shows a white couple. They are both doing the same thing- taking food from a grocery store during the hurricane- but the black male is described as “looting” and the white couple simply “found” the food. This is where the definitional argument gets heated. We are now dealing with what people interpret as stereotypism, even racism. In both pictures, the person or people are stealing the food, even though this is during a hurricane and everything would have floated away anyway. But this caused an uproar because people assume that there’s racism in saying the black man is “looting.” This larger issue is directly related to the entire chapter on media and stereotyping. The media has become such an influential super-power, that anything it produces really can have a big effect on people. The media, in my opinion, tries to relate to the majority of the people, in some way. So sometimes their tactics in getting messages across may leave some out, who may be angered, but includes the whole of the people they’re targeting. In this argument between the descriptions, the photographer may have assumed the person was looting because he was black. The assumption some may make that this was a racist or stereotypic comment roots all the way back in US history when slavery was very real. For many in the black community, this is still a very big issue when it comes to white versus black arguments.
934 #1
In the first cartoon, the author shows a judge holding out his arm, saying “you must be this tall to enter college.” A boy, with very tall platform shoes, one that says ‘racial’ and one that says ‘preferences’ is tall enough. A girl standing behind him isn’t tall enough, and she’s saying “it’s got to be the shoes.” Basically, the author is saying that kids are now getting into college with the help of their non-white skin color, leaving others who may be just as qualified out.
The second cartoon depicts a panel of supreme court judges considering if race should be allowed to be a factor in determining an applicant’s admittance into a college. The one non-white judge, a black man, is thinking “The irony escapes me.” He is the only person of color out of the bunch, and the only one looking vaguely intrigued by this matter.
The third argument shows a young black student and all he had to endure while growing up in an east side neighborhood of Detroit. He finally makes it through highschool, and gets into college, with the help of affirmative action. Then, a white lady is shown yelling “Why does he get all the breaks?!” This is ironic because the boy had to withstand living in an area of gangs, drugs, racism, poverty, and bad public schooling, and he rose up above all this and got into college. He didn’t have “breaks” growing up for pete’s sake- he was subjected to things no one should ever have to be. But because of his diversity, he gets some extra consideration for college admittance. I think this might be one of the most effective cartoons of the bunch, because it really lays down the main idea behind this ruling. Many people of diversity have to go through a lot more to get to the applying-to-college level (granted not all), and may not have the golden resumes that the typical white applicant might have. Taking into consideration these extenuating circumstances of the applicant, then, is perfectly right.
“Admissions” shows several types of students admitted into a college, including the daughter of an alum, and a jock, and also shows a minority student who got in. At the end a student who didn’t get in is pointing to the minority and blaming his not getting in on hm. Again, this is trying to say that white people are having the wrong idea, and are being ignorant, of what this affirmative action ruling is trying to do.
The forth picture shows a super-power white kid on college road with a mastercard-commercial type argument around him. It shows that the white student has all this money to spend on getting into college- with the SAT prep course and summer program, and tutoring. There’s also someone running behind him-possibly meant to be a minority- trying to keep up on level ground. This is saying that the typical white applicant many times has a lot of advantages over the typical applicant of another race. Maybe all affirmative action does, then, is even out the applications of these students to give each a fair chance of admittance.
There is a prominent definitional argument in this piece. The definitional argument is between how to define the same actions in two different photographs by two different journalists. However, the argument becomes more dynamic when the subjects in the photos are taken into account- one picture portrays a black male and the other shows a white couple. They are both doing the same thing- taking food from a grocery store during the hurricane- but the black male is described as “looting” and the white couple simply “found” the food. This is where the definitional argument gets heated. We are now dealing with what people interpret as stereotypism, even racism. In both pictures, the person or people are stealing the food, even though this is during a hurricane and everything would have floated away anyway. But this caused an uproar because people assume that there’s racism in saying the black man is “looting.” This larger issue is directly related to the entire chapter on media and stereotyping. The media has become such an influential super-power, that anything it produces really can have a big effect on people. The media, in my opinion, tries to relate to the majority of the people, in some way. So sometimes their tactics in getting messages across may leave some out, who may be angered, but includes the whole of the people they’re targeting. In this argument between the descriptions, the photographer may have assumed the person was looting because he was black. The assumption some may make that this was a racist or stereotypic comment roots all the way back in US history when slavery was very real. For many in the black community, this is still a very big issue when it comes to white versus black arguments.
934 #1
In the first cartoon, the author shows a judge holding out his arm, saying “you must be this tall to enter college.” A boy, with very tall platform shoes, one that says ‘racial’ and one that says ‘preferences’ is tall enough. A girl standing behind him isn’t tall enough, and she’s saying “it’s got to be the shoes.” Basically, the author is saying that kids are now getting into college with the help of their non-white skin color, leaving others who may be just as qualified out.
The second cartoon depicts a panel of supreme court judges considering if race should be allowed to be a factor in determining an applicant’s admittance into a college. The one non-white judge, a black man, is thinking “The irony escapes me.” He is the only person of color out of the bunch, and the only one looking vaguely intrigued by this matter.
The third argument shows a young black student and all he had to endure while growing up in an east side neighborhood of Detroit. He finally makes it through highschool, and gets into college, with the help of affirmative action. Then, a white lady is shown yelling “Why does he get all the breaks?!” This is ironic because the boy had to withstand living in an area of gangs, drugs, racism, poverty, and bad public schooling, and he rose up above all this and got into college. He didn’t have “breaks” growing up for pete’s sake- he was subjected to things no one should ever have to be. But because of his diversity, he gets some extra consideration for college admittance. I think this might be one of the most effective cartoons of the bunch, because it really lays down the main idea behind this ruling. Many people of diversity have to go through a lot more to get to the applying-to-college level (granted not all), and may not have the golden resumes that the typical white applicant might have. Taking into consideration these extenuating circumstances of the applicant, then, is perfectly right.
“Admissions” shows several types of students admitted into a college, including the daughter of an alum, and a jock, and also shows a minority student who got in. At the end a student who didn’t get in is pointing to the minority and blaming his not getting in on hm. Again, this is trying to say that white people are having the wrong idea, and are being ignorant, of what this affirmative action ruling is trying to do.
The forth picture shows a super-power white kid on college road with a mastercard-commercial type argument around him. It shows that the white student has all this money to spend on getting into college- with the SAT prep course and summer program, and tutoring. There’s also someone running behind him-possibly meant to be a minority- trying to keep up on level ground. This is saying that the typical white applicant many times has a lot of advantages over the typical applicant of another race. Maybe all affirmative action does, then, is even out the applications of these students to give each a fair chance of admittance.
Plagiarism...
The plagiarism article was a good refresher on how to avoid making this big mistake in my writing. What I am curious about is: When does someone else's opinion become your own? I mean, most of my opinions on things come from hearing a whole slew of people's opinions and ultimately adopting one that I believe in. This article says plagiarism can be using someone else's opinion as your own. What if I come across someone's work who has the exact same opinion as me. So if they had it first, do I have to cite it? I don't know if I'm making sense here, it just seems like there could be some argument about this.
I promise not to plagiarize. I promise to cite direct quotations, and to paraphrase information in my own words and organization, and cite the source. And if I come across any quarrels about if what I'm writing is plagiarism or not, I will ask about it instead of taking the chance.
I promise not to plagiarize. I promise to cite direct quotations, and to paraphrase information in my own words and organization, and cite the source. And if I come across any quarrels about if what I'm writing is plagiarism or not, I will ask about it instead of taking the chance.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Reading response #4
Bostitis- #1
David Bostitis writes about the insufficiencies in the gathering of minority groups’ views and opinions due to polling issues. Many reports are misleading because of several factors in the polling process. Sample sizes are too small, giving a large margin of error. There are normally appointed spokespeople of the selected group to make a statement, giving only one idea of the entire story. Also, polls usually target a large general minority group, not looking at subpopulations. Bostitis discusses the problems with attaining a truly accurate idea of what minorities’ are needing and feeling. Most of the problems have to do with the expenses in personal phone calls to those of a target subpopulation, as well as the need for translators in some cases. But the need for polling these minority groups is great- their views are often drastically different from non-hispanic white people, and the differences in demographics in these groups (Differences in age and gender) are often attributed to different attitudes about things. It is important to accurately obtain minorities’ opinions about politics and government, and to get an accurate notion of what they are in need of.
This essay is evaluative in that it aims to convince readers that this is a real problem and gives sufficient reasons why. It is proposal in that it presents a problem and possible solutions to fix it- like having smaller research groups go into local minority communities to conduct surveys. Bostitis is making the proposal that minority groups aren’t being heard correctly, but there are ways to get around the obstacles to fix this issue.
Tannen-#1
Tannen explains the complex relationship that is between a mother and daughter. Mother/daughter communication is difficult because it stems from such an early root, and there is such an undeniable pressure for the daughter to become like her mother, or please her mother. My personal take on it is that the mother wants the daughter to become like her, or if she doesn’t, she wants the daughter to become someone whom the mother has respect for. Much of the time it is a case where a mother wants to instill the things she’s learned in life within her daughter, not wanting the daughter to make the same mistakes- even if that means being a little controlling. In my opinion there’s also some very underlying jealously of the daughter by the mother. In a Freudian-like sense, as a woman ages she might be looking back and thinking about things she wishes she would have done, and sees the youth in her daughter with envy and wants only for her daughter to do those things she might have wanted to do. A mother/son relationship is in fact much different. Because boys are often much less dependent on mom for advice- whether that be about clothes, makeup, girlfriends, etc., that type of connection isn’t there. There is a different kind of bond though, that a mother wants her son to be successful and a eligible candidate for a nice girl someday. A mother/son relationship, then, is definitely less complex but not necessarily less close.
Page 827 #1
These advertisements are not just simply saying- don’t do drugs. What they do is try to relate to the most vulnerable group for drug/alcohol use, and ignite a wanting to be better than that. The “courage” one is saying- “hey, we know it’s hard to confront someone you care about, it’s scary. But if you care, you have to be courageous, and you could save them from this.” It depicts a young black couple, in what looks like a normal inner city neighborhood. One of the most at-risk groups is young black individuals in low income areas, so this ad will hit many people personally. It shows the true fact that relationships are ever-so-important in the teen age, and can be fragile when there’s still-developing maturity levels involved. So just by using this picture, and these words, it makes the message “don’t do drugs” so much more effective and meaningful. In the “regret” advertisement, the picture is the most captivating part. An image of a mangled pink bicycle tire is universal in what it means- a little girl was riding it, and now she’s probably dead. This ad doesn’t just say “smoking weed is bad”, it says “smoking weed can get people killed.” They used an extreme method by doing this, but it’s likely to really hit home to any human being with feelings. The “i-am” messages use pictures of youth who, on the outside, look like your typical trouble maker. They’re how TV portrays troubled teens, how movies portray troubled teens, etc., so it says to kids “you don’t have to morph into what people expect of you.” The text in them shows that even though people are going to make assumptions, they know that they’re above that- they have accomplishments and goals. They may be surrounded by those who choose drugs and alcohol, but they’ve set goals higher than that.
David Bostitis writes about the insufficiencies in the gathering of minority groups’ views and opinions due to polling issues. Many reports are misleading because of several factors in the polling process. Sample sizes are too small, giving a large margin of error. There are normally appointed spokespeople of the selected group to make a statement, giving only one idea of the entire story. Also, polls usually target a large general minority group, not looking at subpopulations. Bostitis discusses the problems with attaining a truly accurate idea of what minorities’ are needing and feeling. Most of the problems have to do with the expenses in personal phone calls to those of a target subpopulation, as well as the need for translators in some cases. But the need for polling these minority groups is great- their views are often drastically different from non-hispanic white people, and the differences in demographics in these groups (Differences in age and gender) are often attributed to different attitudes about things. It is important to accurately obtain minorities’ opinions about politics and government, and to get an accurate notion of what they are in need of.
This essay is evaluative in that it aims to convince readers that this is a real problem and gives sufficient reasons why. It is proposal in that it presents a problem and possible solutions to fix it- like having smaller research groups go into local minority communities to conduct surveys. Bostitis is making the proposal that minority groups aren’t being heard correctly, but there are ways to get around the obstacles to fix this issue.
Tannen-#1
Tannen explains the complex relationship that is between a mother and daughter. Mother/daughter communication is difficult because it stems from such an early root, and there is such an undeniable pressure for the daughter to become like her mother, or please her mother. My personal take on it is that the mother wants the daughter to become like her, or if she doesn’t, she wants the daughter to become someone whom the mother has respect for. Much of the time it is a case where a mother wants to instill the things she’s learned in life within her daughter, not wanting the daughter to make the same mistakes- even if that means being a little controlling. In my opinion there’s also some very underlying jealously of the daughter by the mother. In a Freudian-like sense, as a woman ages she might be looking back and thinking about things she wishes she would have done, and sees the youth in her daughter with envy and wants only for her daughter to do those things she might have wanted to do. A mother/son relationship is in fact much different. Because boys are often much less dependent on mom for advice- whether that be about clothes, makeup, girlfriends, etc., that type of connection isn’t there. There is a different kind of bond though, that a mother wants her son to be successful and a eligible candidate for a nice girl someday. A mother/son relationship, then, is definitely less complex but not necessarily less close.
Page 827 #1
These advertisements are not just simply saying- don’t do drugs. What they do is try to relate to the most vulnerable group for drug/alcohol use, and ignite a wanting to be better than that. The “courage” one is saying- “hey, we know it’s hard to confront someone you care about, it’s scary. But if you care, you have to be courageous, and you could save them from this.” It depicts a young black couple, in what looks like a normal inner city neighborhood. One of the most at-risk groups is young black individuals in low income areas, so this ad will hit many people personally. It shows the true fact that relationships are ever-so-important in the teen age, and can be fragile when there’s still-developing maturity levels involved. So just by using this picture, and these words, it makes the message “don’t do drugs” so much more effective and meaningful. In the “regret” advertisement, the picture is the most captivating part. An image of a mangled pink bicycle tire is universal in what it means- a little girl was riding it, and now she’s probably dead. This ad doesn’t just say “smoking weed is bad”, it says “smoking weed can get people killed.” They used an extreme method by doing this, but it’s likely to really hit home to any human being with feelings. The “i-am” messages use pictures of youth who, on the outside, look like your typical trouble maker. They’re how TV portrays troubled teens, how movies portray troubled teens, etc., so it says to kids “you don’t have to morph into what people expect of you.” The text in them shows that even though people are going to make assumptions, they know that they’re above that- they have accomplishments and goals. They may be surrounded by those who choose drugs and alcohol, but they’ve set goals higher than that.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Research Proposal Essay
I have chosen to research how the biodegradation or breakdown of plastics affects aquatic life. Ideally I’d like to focus on the north Pacific Ocean area, where the great pacific garbage patch is located. I will go into the chemistry of plastic degradation down to the molecular level, and talk about physiological problems this induces on living things in the ocean. This is pretty broad, as there is thousands of chemicals and thousands of species, so I may just focus on how one specific organism is being affected by one type of pollutant. I’ll determine this when I gather all of my sources and see what a good amount of research is being done on. Depending on what I find, I may even just focus on methods that are showing to be promising in helping organisms deal with these toxins. I am interested in this because it has a great deal to do with my major, biological sciences. It also will directly relate to two classes I’m taking right now: biochemistry and animal physiology. I’d also like to be well-versed in this subject of ocean pollution and how it can be helped. I’m not entirely sure about what side to say that I’m on, but I suppose I’m on the side of the fish, animals, phytoplankton, and other creatures that have to ingest pollutants and suffer the consequences because of inconsiderate humans. The opposing side, then, is the humans who cause this major problem. My thesis could be something like “Although some ocean bacteria species have adapted mechanisms for dealing with plastic pollution, they are still being adversely affected because population sizes have decreased, the byproducts of plastic breakdown can be harmful, and often they cannot fully break down foreign materials.”
Or: “Although the effects vary in different oceans, sea bass are being negatively affected by chemical pollutants because their thyroid hormone levels are disrupted, immune systems compromised, and populations are decreasing.”
I’ve found several articles thus far relating to plastics and how they’re affecting marine life. One journal article investigates the effect that several types of plastic films have on a type of aquatic bacteria. Another one looks at a bacteria and its inability to fully break down diesel oil from tanker spills, and then proposes a system of supplemental nutrients that help them break it down entirely. There’s also an interesting article on how certain pollutants are disrupting hormone levels in sea bass. I find it especially interesting how these chemicals work their way through the food chain. Bacteria consume them, then fish consume the bacteria, larger fish consume those, and finally mammals and other large animals consume those.
I am definitely all over the place right now with this paper. I’m excited to write it and want to write about everything but I’m not entirely sure how to narrow it down. I will focus on perusing the literature that is available so I can establish a better grasp of what my paper will be on.
Sources thus far:
Schnitzler, Joseph G. "Effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants on the Thyroid Function of the European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Labrax) from the Aegean Sea, Is It an Endocrine Disruption?" Marine Pollution Bulletin 56.10 (2008): 1755-1764.
Leonas, KK, and RW Gorden. "Bacteria Associated with Disintegrating Plastic Films Under Simulated Aquatic Environments." Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 56 (1996): 948-955.
Huang, Lei et al. "Optimization of Nutrient Component for Diesel Oil Degradation by Rhodococcus Erythropolis." Marine Pollution Bulletin 56.10 (2008): 1714-1718.
Or: “Although the effects vary in different oceans, sea bass are being negatively affected by chemical pollutants because their thyroid hormone levels are disrupted, immune systems compromised, and populations are decreasing.”
I’ve found several articles thus far relating to plastics and how they’re affecting marine life. One journal article investigates the effect that several types of plastic films have on a type of aquatic bacteria. Another one looks at a bacteria and its inability to fully break down diesel oil from tanker spills, and then proposes a system of supplemental nutrients that help them break it down entirely. There’s also an interesting article on how certain pollutants are disrupting hormone levels in sea bass. I find it especially interesting how these chemicals work their way through the food chain. Bacteria consume them, then fish consume the bacteria, larger fish consume those, and finally mammals and other large animals consume those.
I am definitely all over the place right now with this paper. I’m excited to write it and want to write about everything but I’m not entirely sure how to narrow it down. I will focus on perusing the literature that is available so I can establish a better grasp of what my paper will be on.
Sources thus far:
Schnitzler, Joseph G. "Effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants on the Thyroid Function of the European Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Labrax) from the Aegean Sea, Is It an Endocrine Disruption?" Marine Pollution Bulletin 56.10 (2008): 1755-1764.
Leonas, KK, and RW Gorden. "Bacteria Associated with Disintegrating Plastic Films Under Simulated Aquatic Environments." Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 56 (1996): 948-955.
Huang, Lei et al. "Optimization of Nutrient Component for Diesel Oil Degradation by Rhodococcus Erythropolis." Marine Pollution Bulletin 56.10 (2008): 1714-1718.
Final Draft: Evaluation Essay- Unequal Opportunity
We live in a country where the idea of a “male-dominated” society has, for the most part, met its demise. Today more than ever, women are achieving just as high of education as males, putting in just as many hours, and working themselves into higher positions within companies to work alongside their male counterparts. There seems to be a clause, though. Even after all of the laws in place to keep employment equal throughout the genders and ethnicities, there is one group of people continually being treated unfairly. Although recently the statute of 'Equal Opportunity' has resonated as a part of employment in America, there is in fact an inequality between the sexes in the workforce because women continue to be paid less than men, are less likely to be promoted, and have difficulty entering predominantly male patriarchal hierarchy. Equal opportunity isn’t so equal after all.
The Equal Pay act of 1963 came out during a spark of women empowerment and advancement. In summary, it says that employers may not discriminate how much they pay their employees on the basis of sex or race. Though there has been a significant rise in the amount of money women make in comparison to men in the last 40 years, the last decade has seen no improvement; women still make 23 cents per dollar less than men in the same positions with the same qualifications. How much of a difference is this making in the lifetime of the average woman working full time? A female high school graduate will make $700,000 less than a male high school graduate, a female college graduate will make $1.2 million less than a male college graduate, and a professional school graduate will make $2 million less than a male professional school graduate (2). That is an astounding amount of money that women unfairly not receiving. One speculation on the reasons that women generally are paid less is that they work less hard once they are pregnant or have children, but there is no empirical evidence showing that a woman nowadays cannot put just as much hard work into her career as she does into being a mother. This speculation stems merely from the fact that 60 years ago a woman’s main duty was considered to be that of her husband, home, and children. This is far from the truth today. Sure, having a baby does require a time period off from work, but these small breaks do not explain the entirety of the pay gap. Another proposed reason is that women choose lower paying jobs because they don’t want to do the dirty work associated with higher paying jobs, when in fact it is society and stereotyping that are leading women into lower paying jobs associated with females, like waitressing or cashiering (1). The reason that women are still being underpaid in comparison to men is because of sex discrimination.
In addition to being paid less, women also have a more difficult time being promoted compared to male counterparts. When it comes to an employer looking for an employee to fill a higher position, and a male and female are both equally qualified, the male is more likely to attain the position. In science, for example, women are less likely to be to promoted after ten years of receiving their Ph.D. degree than men of the same status. One study’s results suggested that “women’s accomplishments are downplayed relative to men’s” (4). This would then mean lower pay and more difficulty getting promotions.
Sex discrimination is also evident with the likelihood of women getting into predominantly male positions. Positions like Presidents, CEO’s, CFO’S, and directors have historically been held by prominent figures of the male gender. As women in general are climbing up the status latter more than ever, it is peculiar, then, why we aren’t seeing more of an equal disbursement of these high-up positions between men and women. One study in the British Medical Journal showed that while 14.5% of male doctors were promoted to a higher-up consultant position during a seven year time period, only 9.5% of female doctors were. Professor Kostas Mavromaras, one of the authors of the study, stated: "A clearly unpalatable explanation could be that differences reflect a form of discrimination against women reaching the highest rank in a male-dominated part of the medical profession. Similar glass ceiling effects have been observed in other parts of the labor market, such as CEOs ” (3).
As more research unveils this somewhat hidden fact that women in our country are not receiving the same advantages and compensation as men, there will begin to be more of a movement towards total equality in the workforce. During a two year span between 2005 and 2007, over 300 cases of sex discrimination lawsuits were carried out and the victims granted their rightful settlements (2). We will continue to see more of these as women become more aware of this problem. When women have to deal with other problems at work such as the high occurrence of sexual harassment by male co-workers-another issue in and of itself- they should not have to worry about not being paid fairly. Times have changed, women go to school, excel, and accomplish just as much as men do. Nothing should stand between a person and what they rightfully deserve, especially not their gender. “Equal opportunity” will not exist until this inequality is fixed.
Sources Cited
1. Murphy, E. & Graff, E. "The wage gap: Why women are still paid less than men." In , (p. ). : . (Reprinted from The Boston Globe, 2005, October 9)
2. The Wage Project. (2008). WAGE: Women are getting even. Retrieved Sep. 20, 2008, from http://www.wageproject.org/index.php
3. Duffy, J. "Women doctors less likely to reach consultant level than men." In , BNet (p. ). : . (Reprinted from The Sunday Herald, 2005, November 6)
4. Ginther, D. (2005). Women, work, and the academy. Retrieved Sep. 20, 2008, from http://www.barnard.columbia.edu/crow/womenandwork/ginther.htm
The Equal Pay act of 1963 came out during a spark of women empowerment and advancement. In summary, it says that employers may not discriminate how much they pay their employees on the basis of sex or race. Though there has been a significant rise in the amount of money women make in comparison to men in the last 40 years, the last decade has seen no improvement; women still make 23 cents per dollar less than men in the same positions with the same qualifications. How much of a difference is this making in the lifetime of the average woman working full time? A female high school graduate will make $700,000 less than a male high school graduate, a female college graduate will make $1.2 million less than a male college graduate, and a professional school graduate will make $2 million less than a male professional school graduate (2). That is an astounding amount of money that women unfairly not receiving. One speculation on the reasons that women generally are paid less is that they work less hard once they are pregnant or have children, but there is no empirical evidence showing that a woman nowadays cannot put just as much hard work into her career as she does into being a mother. This speculation stems merely from the fact that 60 years ago a woman’s main duty was considered to be that of her husband, home, and children. This is far from the truth today. Sure, having a baby does require a time period off from work, but these small breaks do not explain the entirety of the pay gap. Another proposed reason is that women choose lower paying jobs because they don’t want to do the dirty work associated with higher paying jobs, when in fact it is society and stereotyping that are leading women into lower paying jobs associated with females, like waitressing or cashiering (1). The reason that women are still being underpaid in comparison to men is because of sex discrimination.
In addition to being paid less, women also have a more difficult time being promoted compared to male counterparts. When it comes to an employer looking for an employee to fill a higher position, and a male and female are both equally qualified, the male is more likely to attain the position. In science, for example, women are less likely to be to promoted after ten years of receiving their Ph.D. degree than men of the same status. One study’s results suggested that “women’s accomplishments are downplayed relative to men’s” (4). This would then mean lower pay and more difficulty getting promotions.
Sex discrimination is also evident with the likelihood of women getting into predominantly male positions. Positions like Presidents, CEO’s, CFO’S, and directors have historically been held by prominent figures of the male gender. As women in general are climbing up the status latter more than ever, it is peculiar, then, why we aren’t seeing more of an equal disbursement of these high-up positions between men and women. One study in the British Medical Journal showed that while 14.5% of male doctors were promoted to a higher-up consultant position during a seven year time period, only 9.5% of female doctors were. Professor Kostas Mavromaras, one of the authors of the study, stated: "A clearly unpalatable explanation could be that differences reflect a form of discrimination against women reaching the highest rank in a male-dominated part of the medical profession. Similar glass ceiling effects have been observed in other parts of the labor market, such as CEOs ” (3).
As more research unveils this somewhat hidden fact that women in our country are not receiving the same advantages and compensation as men, there will begin to be more of a movement towards total equality in the workforce. During a two year span between 2005 and 2007, over 300 cases of sex discrimination lawsuits were carried out and the victims granted their rightful settlements (2). We will continue to see more of these as women become more aware of this problem. When women have to deal with other problems at work such as the high occurrence of sexual harassment by male co-workers-another issue in and of itself- they should not have to worry about not being paid fairly. Times have changed, women go to school, excel, and accomplish just as much as men do. Nothing should stand between a person and what they rightfully deserve, especially not their gender. “Equal opportunity” will not exist until this inequality is fixed.
Sources Cited
1. Murphy, E. & Graff, E. "The wage gap: Why women are still paid less than men." In , (p. ). : . (Reprinted from The Boston Globe, 2005, October 9)
2. The Wage Project. (2008). WAGE: Women are getting even. Retrieved Sep. 20, 2008, from http://www.wageproject.org/index.php
3. Duffy, J. "Women doctors less likely to reach consultant level than men." In , BNet (p. ). : . (Reprinted from The Sunday Herald, 2005, November 6)
4. Ginther, D. (2005). Women, work, and the academy. Retrieved Sep. 20, 2008, from http://www.barnard.columbia.edu/crow/womenandwork/ginther.htm
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