Although there are currently rules and regulations on commercial fishing, the government should increase enforcement because fish populations are being depleted, aquatic ecosystems are being destroyed, and those who depend on the fishing industry will suffer.
Jeantheau, Mark. “Pretty Mermaids Are Always Over Fishing For Compliments: The Causes and Effects of Overfishing.” Grinning Planet. Published May 7, 2005.
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/06-07/overfishing-article.htm
Grinning planet is an organization that takes a look at environmental issues from a little lighter side. They use family-friendly jokes and cartoons to spread the message about different issues. Mixed in with the jokes are serious articles such as this one about the cause and effect of overfishing. This article will be useful for me because it breaks the topic of overfishing down to a problem and a solution.
Nuttall, Nick. “Overfishing: A Threat to Marine Biodiversity.” 10 Stories the World Should Hear More About. United Nations. Published in 2006.
http://www.un.org/events/tenstories_2006/story.asp?storyID=800
I thought this would be a good article to read because it actually comes from the UN. The story falls under the organization’s, “10 Stories the World Should Hear More About.” I thought this would be a great way to back up my opinion, and the article states a few good facts as well. It talks a lot about the impact overfishing will have on the “200 million people” that rely on fish for livelihood and food security.
“Problems: Poorly Managed Fishing.” World Wildlife Foundation. Updated February 29, 2008.
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/problems/problems_fishing/index.cfm
I liked this site because one, it was from the World Wild Life Foundation, and two, it is packed with tons of facts that I will be able to use to back up my opinion. I also liked the fact that the site is well organized and is easy to read. They state a few straight forward facts, such as “ technological advances that have made large-scale fishing easier.” The cool thing is that there is a hyperlink on the words “technological advances” that takes me to a whole other article about technological advances of fishing boats.
“Overfishing.” Alaska Oceans Program. Alaska Conservation Foundation. Copyrighted 2005.
http://www.alaskaoceans.net/facts/overfishing.htm
This site was good for me because it has to do specifically with the overfishing problem in Alaska. I am hoping to be able to talk a little bit about the fishing problems in Alaska, and this will probably turn out to be a great source for that. The article delves into the history of Alaska commercial fishing, and also gives 3 different deffinitions of overfishing; one political, one legal, and one scientific.
“Overfishing.” Greenpeace International. Copyrighted 2007.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/overfishing
One of the best things about the topic I am doing is that there are a lot of articles from major organizations that I will be able to support my argument with. This article is no different. It comes from the Greenpeace Organization, and is a little smaller than most of the other articles, but is filled with facts. One of the key points in this article is the example of cod fishing off of Canada, which has gone through a major decline in the last few years.
Durst, Sidra. “Problem no. 6: Overfishing. Kona Blue’s Deep-ocean Aquaculture Could Help Save Declining Fish Populations.” Business 2.0 Magazine. CNN. January 26, 2007.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/24/magazines/business2/Prob6_Overfishing.biz2/index.htm
This was a neat article from a contributor I would have never thought of (thanks Google!). It actually came from CNN’s Money section, and it talks about the effect overfishing will have on the fishing economy. I liked this article because rather than concentrate only on the negative, it talks mostly about the solution to the problem. I will definitely fit this somewhere into my paper!
“FEATURE: Overfishing turns the Mediterranean into a barren sea.” International News Service in English. Copyright 2006.
http://www.bookrags.com/news/feature-overfishing-turns-the-moc/
This article is from the International News Service and is about the depleting number of fish in the Mediterranean Sea. There were a couple of interesting things that I would like to take out of the article. One of the pieces I want to use is the article talking about how a lot of the smaller fishing vessels realize that something needs to be done, where the larger fishing companies only see the sea as a source of money.
Tao, Kenny. “Fishing in the North Atlantic: What’s Left?” University of California, Irvine. 1998.
http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/global/sensem/S98/Tao/bio191cw.html
This is actually an essay by Kenny Tao, and it comes from the University of California, Irvine. I haven’t gotten the chance to read all of the essay yet, but Mr. Tao has included some very good information including statistics, quotes, and even a few graphs. His paper is focused on the North Atlantic, and I am sure I will find many good facts I can use for my paper.
Dauphin Island Sea Lab. "Coral Reef Decline - Not Just Overfishing." ScienceDaily. 31 August 2005.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050830072609.htm
This is an article from the publication, “Science Daily.” the title of the article is “Coral Reef Decline - Not Just Overfishing.” As the title suggests, the article talks more about the damage to coral reefs due to global warming, overfishing, and coral disease. I definitely want to talk about the coral reefs in my paper, and this will be a good source for that.
Journeymanpictures. “Overfishing - USA.” Journeyman Pictures. Accessed via Youtube. Oct. 2003.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKrHjpBUpYs
This is an interesting video titled “Over Fishing - USA.” I clicked on the video and was happy to find out that the video is actually focused on overfishing in Alaska. They talked a lot about the Stellar Sea Lions and their depletion due to the fact that their food source is being wiped out by large fishing vessels.
Hilborn, Ray. “Managing fisheries is managing people: what has been learned?” Fish and Fisheries 8 . Dec. 2007. p285–296.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-2979.2007.00263_2.x
This was a section out of the book, Fish and Fisheries 8 which was published in December 2007. In the text, Hilborn talks about ways to get fishermen to stop overfishing. I would like to use this text to help talk about ways of changing our current fishing problems.
T. E. LAUER, J. C. DOLL, P. J. ALLEN, B. BREIDERT, J. PALLA (2008) Changes in yellow perch length frequencies and sex ratios following closure of the commercial fishery and reduction in sport bag limits in southern Lake Michigan
Fisheries Management and Ecology, pg. 15
http://libapps.uaf.edu:2080/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2400.2007.00567.x
In 1997 a commercial fishery on Lake Michigan was closed down. This article was from a study that a group of people did on the fishery over the last 10 years. Their study showed that there was an increase in the average size of yellow perch after the closure. I would Like to use this as evidence that it’s not too late to do something about overfishing.
Smulyan, Mariltn H. “Making Waves For a Healthy Ocean.” Bay Nature. Dec 2007. p34-40.
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=27330403&site=ehost-live
This article is by Mariltn, who talks about the importance of protecting the Bay Area in San Fransisco. She talks about a few difference aspects of saving the bay, and the one I focused on was titled, “Restoring fisheries and saving ecosystems.” In this section she talks about a Protection Act passed by Legislature in 1999. She also talks about the current biological condition of the area.
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. “2008 Commercial Fishing Regulations for Gulf of Mexico Federal Waters.” January 2008.
http://www.gulfcouncil.org/Beta/GMFMCWeb/downloads/com%20brochure2008web.pdf
This is a PDF of a commercial fishing pamphlet from the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. I will be using this as a reference to some of the areas fishing regulations and rules.
Williams, Nigel. “Overfishing disrupts entire ecosystems.” Science. February 1998. p279:809-810.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/279/5352/809
This is an article by Nigel Williams which appeared in the February 1998 issue of Science. In the article he talks about how more protected areas need to be created in order to save the ocean’s ecosystems. I will use this article in talking about how current fishing limitations aren’t good enough.
Raloff, Janet. “How Low Will We Go in Fishing for Dinner?” Science News. 1998. p98.
http://libapps.uaf.edu:2066/view/00368423/ap071147/07a00100/0?currentResult=00368423%2bap071147%2b07a00100%2b0%2c02&searchUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fsearch%2FBasicResults%3Fhp%3D25%26si%3D1%26gw%3Djtx%26jtxsi%3D1%26jcpsi%3D1%26artsi%3D1%26Query%3Doverfishing%26wc%3Don
This article appeared in the Science News Journal in 1998. The article talks about how some fish have been already fished out, and now other types of fish are being depleted in their places. I will use this to talk about how the overfishing problem effects all fish, not just certain types.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Grammar Girl- Run-Ons
For episode 49, Grammar Girl speaks on the topic of run-on sentences. Unlike last weeks article on commas, I like to think that I do a fairly good job of not writing with run-on sentences. If anything, I tend to overuse punctuation in my writing. It was interesting none-the-less to learn a little bit about these improper sentences. For example, I did not realize that run-on sentences were actually sentences missing punctuation. Instead I though (as Grammar Girl predicted) that run-on sentences were simply sentences that were too long. I also agreed with Grammar Girl’s statement that, “it’s important not to over-think your sentence structure.” When I was in high school, teachers put so much emphasis on proper sentence structure, that it would often take me days to write a 3-page paper. Now that I am in college and papers of these lengths are due sometimes daily, I sort of self taught myself to ignore all the rules. I do this while I am getting ideas down on paper, and then I go back and try to fix the problems. I find this method allows me to write multiple-page papers in hours rather than days.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Solution For a Safer Ride - Essay # 2: Final Draft
Try driving around the town of Fairbanks, Alaska for a day and you are sure to see at least a couple people riding around on snowmachines or ATVs. There’s nothing wrong with people having fun riding these machines, the only problem is that they are often riding within a few feet of fast moving road traffic, or riding on trails not designed for recreational use. It seems like every year there is at least a couple deaths here in the Interior due to accidents involving recreational vehicles and automobiles. Although it may cost the city some extra money, Fairbanks needs to build its residents a recreational trail system because it would provide a safer riding environment, plus help both local land owners, and recreational riders.
It’s funny to think that a city packed full of ATV and snowmachine owners, not to mention an abundance of unused land, doesn’t really have any type of established trail system for recreational riders. There are a few trails throughout town that riders use, but these trails are supposed to be cross-country ski trails in the winter, and hiking/walking trails in the summer. There have been many arguments from skiers who are upset because their trails are getting torn up by snowmachine tracks, and both skiers and hikers are upset when riders come flying by, barely avoiding them on the narrow trails. Their frustration is completely understandable. These encounters are often very dangerous, and are largely due to the absence of trails for the recreational riders.
If the city would be willing to build its citizens a good recreational trail system, It would greatly reduce the dangerous encounters between riders and pedestrians. Head out of town for five minutes in nearly any direction and there is an endless supply of unused land. This land would provide perfect riding conditions for riders, and would keep snowmachiners and ATV riders off of hiking trails and bike paths. This way, riders could enjoy nice trails without having to worry about coming across hikers or skiers, and the pedestrians would be able to enjoy their trails without having to jump out of the way of high speed machines.
It would probably be safe to assume that the biggest reason there is no trail system is because of the cost. While the initial laying out of the trail system could possibly cost the city quite a bit of money, the fallow up costs would be minimal. During the summer months there would be almost no expenses except for maybe the occasional clearing of timber. During the winter, the city could choose to pack and smooth the trails, but with the high amount of traffic that would likely be on the paths, this wouldn’t really be necessary. Spending a bit of money over one summer clearing out trees and establishing trails would be well worth many years of increased safety for the people of Fairbanks.
Another big problem with the current riding situation in the interior is that local land owners are having trouble keeping riders off of their land. Driving through nearly any neighborhood in town during the winter months will show that there is a big problem with snowmachiners driving through the lawns of homeowners. Most people just don’t understand the damage that is being done by their machines. They think that because the snow is there, the ground underneath isn’t being harmed, but what happens is that the snow becomes so compacted, that air can not get down to the ground, and ends up suffocating the grass and killing it permanently. After the snow melts, it’s easy to identify the areas where snowmachines had spent the winter traveling back and forth.
It’s hard to blame the snowmachiners for this problem when they are simply trying to find places to ride. A lot of snowmachiners and ATV riders have to travel out of town to find good riding areas, and those who ride in town are usually doing so because they don’t have a choice. A lot of the town riders are either too young to drive themselves out of town, or simply don‘t have the money it takes to take trips out to good riding areas. They are forced to live with what they have here within the city limits, and that mostly consists of either cross-country ski trails or private property where they are not welcome.
The city of Fairbanks isn’t entirely to blame for the lack of good riding trails. The people who live in the area simply are not getting involved in making any changes. Sure, there are private conversations between riders who wish there were better places to go riding, and the hikers/skiers are sure letting the riders know what they think, but not enough people are stepping up to talk with local government about fixing the problem. Most people probably think that their voice wont make a big enough impact to change anything, but similar arguments have brought about changes in other areas around Fairbanks. For instance, last summer there was a bike path put in from Geist Rd. going out towards Ester. The project took all summer, and undoubtedly consumed a large amount of city budget, but the city was willing to invest in the project because it improved safety for it’s citizens. If enough people went to the city government, or even just signed a petition, I believe there would be a good chance of seeing new recreational trails being built in the near future.
We need to make the city understand that it would be beneficial to everyone if their were a few trails where riders could go have fun without harming land or endangering other people. It would cost the city some extra money, but the money would be well spent if put towards recreational trails. After all, one of the duties of a city government is to keep it’s citizens safe and happy, and these trails would do just that. With a city full of people who enjoy riding their ATVs and snowmachines, it only makes sense to build them a place to do so safely, and out of the way of pedestrians and road traffic.
It’s funny to think that a city packed full of ATV and snowmachine owners, not to mention an abundance of unused land, doesn’t really have any type of established trail system for recreational riders. There are a few trails throughout town that riders use, but these trails are supposed to be cross-country ski trails in the winter, and hiking/walking trails in the summer. There have been many arguments from skiers who are upset because their trails are getting torn up by snowmachine tracks, and both skiers and hikers are upset when riders come flying by, barely avoiding them on the narrow trails. Their frustration is completely understandable. These encounters are often very dangerous, and are largely due to the absence of trails for the recreational riders.
If the city would be willing to build its citizens a good recreational trail system, It would greatly reduce the dangerous encounters between riders and pedestrians. Head out of town for five minutes in nearly any direction and there is an endless supply of unused land. This land would provide perfect riding conditions for riders, and would keep snowmachiners and ATV riders off of hiking trails and bike paths. This way, riders could enjoy nice trails without having to worry about coming across hikers or skiers, and the pedestrians would be able to enjoy their trails without having to jump out of the way of high speed machines.
It would probably be safe to assume that the biggest reason there is no trail system is because of the cost. While the initial laying out of the trail system could possibly cost the city quite a bit of money, the fallow up costs would be minimal. During the summer months there would be almost no expenses except for maybe the occasional clearing of timber. During the winter, the city could choose to pack and smooth the trails, but with the high amount of traffic that would likely be on the paths, this wouldn’t really be necessary. Spending a bit of money over one summer clearing out trees and establishing trails would be well worth many years of increased safety for the people of Fairbanks.
Another big problem with the current riding situation in the interior is that local land owners are having trouble keeping riders off of their land. Driving through nearly any neighborhood in town during the winter months will show that there is a big problem with snowmachiners driving through the lawns of homeowners. Most people just don’t understand the damage that is being done by their machines. They think that because the snow is there, the ground underneath isn’t being harmed, but what happens is that the snow becomes so compacted, that air can not get down to the ground, and ends up suffocating the grass and killing it permanently. After the snow melts, it’s easy to identify the areas where snowmachines had spent the winter traveling back and forth.
It’s hard to blame the snowmachiners for this problem when they are simply trying to find places to ride. A lot of snowmachiners and ATV riders have to travel out of town to find good riding areas, and those who ride in town are usually doing so because they don’t have a choice. A lot of the town riders are either too young to drive themselves out of town, or simply don‘t have the money it takes to take trips out to good riding areas. They are forced to live with what they have here within the city limits, and that mostly consists of either cross-country ski trails or private property where they are not welcome.
The city of Fairbanks isn’t entirely to blame for the lack of good riding trails. The people who live in the area simply are not getting involved in making any changes. Sure, there are private conversations between riders who wish there were better places to go riding, and the hikers/skiers are sure letting the riders know what they think, but not enough people are stepping up to talk with local government about fixing the problem. Most people probably think that their voice wont make a big enough impact to change anything, but similar arguments have brought about changes in other areas around Fairbanks. For instance, last summer there was a bike path put in from Geist Rd. going out towards Ester. The project took all summer, and undoubtedly consumed a large amount of city budget, but the city was willing to invest in the project because it improved safety for it’s citizens. If enough people went to the city government, or even just signed a petition, I believe there would be a good chance of seeing new recreational trails being built in the near future.
We need to make the city understand that it would be beneficial to everyone if their were a few trails where riders could go have fun without harming land or endangering other people. It would cost the city some extra money, but the money would be well spent if put towards recreational trails. After all, one of the duties of a city government is to keep it’s citizens safe and happy, and these trails would do just that. With a city full of people who enjoy riding their ATVs and snowmachines, it only makes sense to build them a place to do so safely, and out of the way of pedestrians and road traffic.
Grammar Girl Response: Episode 45
For episode number 45, Grammar Girl talks about the over use of commas. When I first started reading the article, it brought a smile to my face because I know I am very guilty of that particular crime. I don't know if it's something that I have always done, or if it is a habit that I just recently got in to. For this entire school year I have noticed that I use a lot of commas, but when I would look over my papers it seemed like they were in the right places. After reading Grammar Girls article however, I realize that I am in fact using them far too often.
I thought the article was good because it made me realize that I do use commas too much, but I was hoping that Grammar Girl would have had more tips in recognizing those excessive commas. She explains when you should and shouldn’t use them, but doesn’t really give tips on how to spot them once they’re already there - which is what I have the biggest problems with.
I thought the article was good because it made me realize that I do use commas too much, but I was hoping that Grammar Girl would have had more tips in recognizing those excessive commas. She explains when you should and shouldn’t use them, but doesn’t really give tips on how to spot them once they’re already there - which is what I have the biggest problems with.
Solution Essay Responses
The first essay, “A Modest Proposal,” was actually a satire piece written by Jonathan Swift. He proposed that the country of Ireland eat 1-year-old babies that come from families of poverty. He said that the solution would help poor parents earn money, and would also help the economy of Ireland. The solution isn’t very effective because this type of idea would never gain ground in nearly any society, the though of carrying out Swift’s suggestions would hopefully sicken any normal person. As ridiculous as the proposal is, Swift does about as good a job at actually being persuasive as anyone could hope to be in making this proposal. He has a lot of good points, and a solution that would probably work (if it weren’t so disturbing). Swift used a lot of sarcasm, and because of this, I would assume that he was trying to make an argument. It most likely had something to do with Ireland’s economy, or with how the rich viewed the poor.
In the second essay, Scott Carney proposes the idea of making organ donation mandatory upon death. He says that there is a high demand for organ donors, and he offers his proposal as a solution to the problem. In my opinion, I think that his solution has the potential to be very effective. He proposed that people will be automatically enrolled to be organ donors, but would have the choice to opt out if they wanted. I see nothing wrong with this solution because the people are still given a choice of what they want to do, and the government wouldn’t be forcing anything upon anyone. Carney is very persuasive in his argument, and he achieves this by using a bunch of quotes and facts from people with experience in the matter at hand. The target audience for this essay would most likely be people who are interested in finding a solution to the problem. The essay probably wouldn’t be an effective argument tool, but would make a good reference for people who are trying to learn more about the subject.
In the second essay, Scott Carney proposes the idea of making organ donation mandatory upon death. He says that there is a high demand for organ donors, and he offers his proposal as a solution to the problem. In my opinion, I think that his solution has the potential to be very effective. He proposed that people will be automatically enrolled to be organ donors, but would have the choice to opt out if they wanted. I see nothing wrong with this solution because the people are still given a choice of what they want to do, and the government wouldn’t be forcing anything upon anyone. Carney is very persuasive in his argument, and he achieves this by using a bunch of quotes and facts from people with experience in the matter at hand. The target audience for this essay would most likely be people who are interested in finding a solution to the problem. The essay probably wouldn’t be an effective argument tool, but would make a good reference for people who are trying to learn more about the subject.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Plagiarism assignment.
The plagiarism and paraphrasing pages that were assigned were very good learning tools for people who don't know what plagiarism and paraphrasing are. I know that I could have used these references back when I was in high school because the teachers all made plagiarism sound like you only got in trouble if you copy and pasted someone's work. I would be guilty of taking someone’s written work and changing a few thing here or there or changing the order of the ideas, but only because I didn't realize that it was still plagiarism. I finally learned the correct way to put information in my papers when I was in my junior year of high school, and my teacher made us do an assignment much like this one. Since then, I like to think I do a pretty good job of getting information out of resources without committing plagiarism...and I "promise to NEVER EVER do it." (Sullivan)
Postsecrets Response
I visited the site, postsecrets.blogspot.com, and found it very interesting. I think the concept is pretty intriguing, that people send in their “postcards” that have some of their biggest secrets on them, and they are read by thousands of people. I suppose having a secret you’ve kept inside for so long, and then telling it to the world, would be relieving to some. I don’t know if I would personally get any gratification out of sending one of these cards in, but if it helps other people, than I think the site is doing a good thing. I’m sure that there are a few people that would send in a card that wasn’t truthful, but I’m sure that most people who send in the cards are telling the truth. Someone would have to have a real problem to send in a fake card to these people.
One of the cards that had the biggest impact on me is the one which said, “ I love my husband more than I love my daughter. I often wish she was NEVER born.” I don’t really know why it had such a big affect on me, but when I read it I became really saddened knowing there was a little girl out there who’s mother didn’t love her. I know that when I’m having a hard time, it’s the love I get from my family and friends that helps me get through it, and it’s sad knowing she doesn’t have that. My favorite card out of the bunch was the “I NAIR my butt” card because I thought it was really funny at it made me laugh.
One of the cards that had the biggest impact on me is the one which said, “ I love my husband more than I love my daughter. I often wish she was NEVER born.” I don’t really know why it had such a big affect on me, but when I read it I became really saddened knowing there was a little girl out there who’s mother didn’t love her. I know that when I’m having a hard time, it’s the love I get from my family and friends that helps me get through it, and it’s sad knowing she doesn’t have that. My favorite card out of the bunch was the “I NAIR my butt” card because I thought it was really funny at it made me laugh.
Essay 2 Workshop: Ryan Cary's "A Case For Glass"
Thesis:
1. Restate the thesis in your own words. If the thesis is a question and not an assertion, make it an assertion. Make sure the words “although” and "because" are in it.
Although Fairbanks has good recycling programs, it needs to build a glass recycling program because large amounts of glass are going to the landfill, littering is increasing, and glass can be easily recycled with the right resources.
2. Does the thesis state the author's position on a controversial topic? Is it at the end of the first paragraph?
Yes, the thesis states his position on the topic of recycling glass, and it is at the end of the first paragraph.
Reasons:
List below the author's reasons for holding his or her position. Are they listed in the thesis, or in the body of the paper? They should be listed in the thesis, and expanded upon in the body of the paper.
1. “there is a large amount of glass that is going straight into landfills”
His first reason is listed in the thesis, and is expanded upon in the first paragraph in the body of the paper.
2. “littering is increased due to a lack of places to recycle”
The second reason is listed in the thesis, and expanded upon in the second paragraph in the body.
3. “and because glass is a material that is easily recycled given the correct resources.”
This third reason is in the thesis also, and is expanded upon in the final paragraph of the body.
Audience:
Who is the author's audience? Do they already agree with the author, or is the author writing to the opposition? How can you tell? Give specific examples.
The audience for this essay would primarily be people living in Fairbanks, and people who are interested in recycling within the community. I would imagine that some people reading this essay would agree, and some would probably disagree, depending on their views on recycling. The essay is highly informational, and could be used as an argumentative tool against those apposed to a recycling program. For example he gives an example of the UAF recycling program being canceled after one year, and defends against an argument the opposition might have.
Counterargument:
List the counterarguments (arguments of the author’s oppositions) used in the paper (there should be at least three). Does the author adequately address these arguments? Do you think there are other arguments that could be addressed? Do you see any logical fallacies?
1. The only counterargument I found in the paper was the one about the UAF program, and not starting it back up because it failed once. He defends the argument by saying that there is no proof, and that the statement is a logical fallacy.
Even though there is only one example, I don’t really understand why there would need to be three counterarguments for this paper. Counterarguments would be important in position papers such as our first one, but I think too much energy would be used coming up with counterarguments instead of coming up with a problem and a good solution.
Title:
Does the paper have an interesting title? If not, help author come up with one.
I think the title, “A Case for Glass” is a pretty good title, the only thing I would worry about is the fact that a reader wouldn’t know what the paper is about, and someone who would enjoy a recycling article might skip over it. When I first read the title, I wasn’t sure what the paper was going to be about.
Introduction:
Is there a catchy lead sentence? What is it? If there isn't one, what would you suggest?
The lead sentence is good, with a “shock and awe” effect. The lead sentence is, “The landfills are filling up and soon the earth will be one large garbage heap.”
Conclusion:
How does the author conclude the paper? What do you think of it?
The conclusion is very good also. It leaves the reader, especially Fairbanks residents, thinking about their environment, and their responsibility to maintain it.
Flow/Transitions:
Does each paragraph expand upon the thesis? Do the paragraphs flow? Which paragraphs have bumpy transitions?
He did a good job of making the paper flow. All of the thesis supporting topics came in order through the paper, and the paragraphs flowed together fairly well. The transition between the second and third paragraph might need a little changing. The sentences go from the landfill problem to littering without much of a transition. I might suggest something along the lines of, “unfortunately, glass that doesn’t end up in the landfill is ending up as litter in the streets.” ….just a suggestion! The rest of the paper looks good. Good luck on the final draft!
1. Restate the thesis in your own words. If the thesis is a question and not an assertion, make it an assertion. Make sure the words “although” and "because" are in it.
Although Fairbanks has good recycling programs, it needs to build a glass recycling program because large amounts of glass are going to the landfill, littering is increasing, and glass can be easily recycled with the right resources.
2. Does the thesis state the author's position on a controversial topic? Is it at the end of the first paragraph?
Yes, the thesis states his position on the topic of recycling glass, and it is at the end of the first paragraph.
Reasons:
List below the author's reasons for holding his or her position. Are they listed in the thesis, or in the body of the paper? They should be listed in the thesis, and expanded upon in the body of the paper.
1. “there is a large amount of glass that is going straight into landfills”
His first reason is listed in the thesis, and is expanded upon in the first paragraph in the body of the paper.
2. “littering is increased due to a lack of places to recycle”
The second reason is listed in the thesis, and expanded upon in the second paragraph in the body.
3. “and because glass is a material that is easily recycled given the correct resources.”
This third reason is in the thesis also, and is expanded upon in the final paragraph of the body.
Audience:
Who is the author's audience? Do they already agree with the author, or is the author writing to the opposition? How can you tell? Give specific examples.
The audience for this essay would primarily be people living in Fairbanks, and people who are interested in recycling within the community. I would imagine that some people reading this essay would agree, and some would probably disagree, depending on their views on recycling. The essay is highly informational, and could be used as an argumentative tool against those apposed to a recycling program. For example he gives an example of the UAF recycling program being canceled after one year, and defends against an argument the opposition might have.
Counterargument:
List the counterarguments (arguments of the author’s oppositions) used in the paper (there should be at least three). Does the author adequately address these arguments? Do you think there are other arguments that could be addressed? Do you see any logical fallacies?
1. The only counterargument I found in the paper was the one about the UAF program, and not starting it back up because it failed once. He defends the argument by saying that there is no proof, and that the statement is a logical fallacy.
Even though there is only one example, I don’t really understand why there would need to be three counterarguments for this paper. Counterarguments would be important in position papers such as our first one, but I think too much energy would be used coming up with counterarguments instead of coming up with a problem and a good solution.
Title:
Does the paper have an interesting title? If not, help author come up with one.
I think the title, “A Case for Glass” is a pretty good title, the only thing I would worry about is the fact that a reader wouldn’t know what the paper is about, and someone who would enjoy a recycling article might skip over it. When I first read the title, I wasn’t sure what the paper was going to be about.
Introduction:
Is there a catchy lead sentence? What is it? If there isn't one, what would you suggest?
The lead sentence is good, with a “shock and awe” effect. The lead sentence is, “The landfills are filling up and soon the earth will be one large garbage heap.”
Conclusion:
How does the author conclude the paper? What do you think of it?
The conclusion is very good also. It leaves the reader, especially Fairbanks residents, thinking about their environment, and their responsibility to maintain it.
Flow/Transitions:
Does each paragraph expand upon the thesis? Do the paragraphs flow? Which paragraphs have bumpy transitions?
He did a good job of making the paper flow. All of the thesis supporting topics came in order through the paper, and the paragraphs flowed together fairly well. The transition between the second and third paragraph might need a little changing. The sentences go from the landfill problem to littering without much of a transition. I might suggest something along the lines of, “unfortunately, glass that doesn’t end up in the landfill is ending up as litter in the streets.” ….just a suggestion! The rest of the paper looks good. Good luck on the final draft!
Recreation Trails (Essay 2 RD)
Try driving around the town of Fairbanks, Alaska for a day and you are sure to see at least a couple people riding around on snowmachines or ATVs. There’s nothing wrong with people having fun riding these machines, the only problem is that they are often riding within a few feet of fast moving road traffic, or riding on trails not designed for recreational use. It seems like every year there is at least a couple deaths here in the Interior due to accidents involving recreational vehicles and automobiles. Although it may cost the city some extra money, Fairbanks needs to build its residents a recreational trail system because it would provide a safer riding environment, plus help both local land owners, and recreational riders.
It’s funny to think that a city packed full of ATV and snowmachine owners, not to mention an abundance of unused land, doesn’t really have any type of established trail system for recreational riders. There are a few trails throughout town that riders use, but these trails are supposed to be cross-country ski trails in the winter, and hiking/walking trails in the summer. There have been many arguments from skiers who are upset because their trails are getting torn up by snow machine tracks, and both skiers and hikers are upset when riders come flying by, barely avoiding them on the narrow trails. Their frustration is completely understandable. These encounters are often very dangerous, and are largely due to the absence of trails for the recreational riders.
If the city would be willing to build its citizens a good recreational trail system, It would greatly reduce the dangerous encounters between riders and pedestrians. Head out of town for five minutes in nearly any direction and there is an endless supply of unused land. This land would provide perfect riding conditions for riders, and would keep snowmachiners and ATV riders off of hiking trails and bike paths. This way, riders could enjoy nice trails without having to worry about coming across hikers or skiers, and the pedestrians would be able to enjoy their trails without having to jump out of the way of high speed machines.
It would probably be safe to assume that the biggest reason there is no trail system is because of the cost. While the initial laying out of the trail system would indeed cost the city quite a bit of money, the fallow up costs would be minimal. During the summer months there would be almost no expenses except for maybe the occasional clearing of timber. During the winter, the city could choose to pack and smooth the trails, but with the high amount of traffic that would likely be on the paths, this wouldn’t really be necessary. Spending a bit of money over one summer clearing out trees and establishing trails would be well worth many years of increased safety for the people of Fairbanks.
Another big problem with the current riding situation in the interior is that local land owners are having trouble keeping riders off of their land. Driving through nearly any neighborhood in town during the winter months will show that there is a big problem with snowmachiners driving through the lawns of homeowners. It’s easy to understand that people don’t realize the damage that is being done by their machines. They think that because the snow is there, the ground underneath isn’t being harmed, but what happens is that the snow becomes so compacted, that air can not get down to the ground, and ends up suffocating the grass and killing it permanently. After the snow melts, it’s easy to identify the areas where snowmachines had spent the winter traveling back and forth.
It’s hard to blame the snowmachiners for this problem when they are simply trying to find places to ride. A lot of snowmachiners and ATV riders have to travel out of town to find good riding areas, and those who ride in town are usually doing so because they don’t have a choice. A lot of the town riders are either too young to drive themselves out of town, or simply don‘t have the money it takes to take trips out to good riding areas. They are forced to live with what they have here within the city limits, and that mostly consists of either cross-country ski trails or private property where they are not welcome.
It would be beneficial to both the land owners and the recreational vehicle riders in Fairbanks if their city would build a few trails where riders could go have fun without harming land or endangering other people. It would cost the city some extra money, but the money would be well spent if put towards recreational trails. After all, one of the duties of a city government is to keep it’s citizens safe and happy, and these trails would do just that. With a city full of people who enjoy riding their ATVs and snowmachines, it only makes sense to build them a place to do so safely, and out of the way of pedestrians and road traffic.
It’s funny to think that a city packed full of ATV and snowmachine owners, not to mention an abundance of unused land, doesn’t really have any type of established trail system for recreational riders. There are a few trails throughout town that riders use, but these trails are supposed to be cross-country ski trails in the winter, and hiking/walking trails in the summer. There have been many arguments from skiers who are upset because their trails are getting torn up by snow machine tracks, and both skiers and hikers are upset when riders come flying by, barely avoiding them on the narrow trails. Their frustration is completely understandable. These encounters are often very dangerous, and are largely due to the absence of trails for the recreational riders.
If the city would be willing to build its citizens a good recreational trail system, It would greatly reduce the dangerous encounters between riders and pedestrians. Head out of town for five minutes in nearly any direction and there is an endless supply of unused land. This land would provide perfect riding conditions for riders, and would keep snowmachiners and ATV riders off of hiking trails and bike paths. This way, riders could enjoy nice trails without having to worry about coming across hikers or skiers, and the pedestrians would be able to enjoy their trails without having to jump out of the way of high speed machines.
It would probably be safe to assume that the biggest reason there is no trail system is because of the cost. While the initial laying out of the trail system would indeed cost the city quite a bit of money, the fallow up costs would be minimal. During the summer months there would be almost no expenses except for maybe the occasional clearing of timber. During the winter, the city could choose to pack and smooth the trails, but with the high amount of traffic that would likely be on the paths, this wouldn’t really be necessary. Spending a bit of money over one summer clearing out trees and establishing trails would be well worth many years of increased safety for the people of Fairbanks.
Another big problem with the current riding situation in the interior is that local land owners are having trouble keeping riders off of their land. Driving through nearly any neighborhood in town during the winter months will show that there is a big problem with snowmachiners driving through the lawns of homeowners. It’s easy to understand that people don’t realize the damage that is being done by their machines. They think that because the snow is there, the ground underneath isn’t being harmed, but what happens is that the snow becomes so compacted, that air can not get down to the ground, and ends up suffocating the grass and killing it permanently. After the snow melts, it’s easy to identify the areas where snowmachines had spent the winter traveling back and forth.
It’s hard to blame the snowmachiners for this problem when they are simply trying to find places to ride. A lot of snowmachiners and ATV riders have to travel out of town to find good riding areas, and those who ride in town are usually doing so because they don’t have a choice. A lot of the town riders are either too young to drive themselves out of town, or simply don‘t have the money it takes to take trips out to good riding areas. They are forced to live with what they have here within the city limits, and that mostly consists of either cross-country ski trails or private property where they are not welcome.
It would be beneficial to both the land owners and the recreational vehicle riders in Fairbanks if their city would build a few trails where riders could go have fun without harming land or endangering other people. It would cost the city some extra money, but the money would be well spent if put towards recreational trails. After all, one of the duties of a city government is to keep it’s citizens safe and happy, and these trails would do just that. With a city full of people who enjoy riding their ATVs and snowmachines, it only makes sense to build them a place to do so safely, and out of the way of pedestrians and road traffic.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Sources
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/06-07/overfishing-article.htm
Grinning planet is an organization that takes a look at environmental issues from a little lighter side. They use family-friendly jokes and cartoons to spread the message about different issues. Mixed in with the jokes are serious articles such as this one about the cause and effect of overfishing. This article will be useful for me because it breaks the topic of overfishing down to a problem and a solution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overfishing
Haha, what can I say, it’s Wikipedia! I liked this entry because it talked about overfishing in a different way than most of the other articles I found. It actually talks about how overfishing can be broken down to two different categories. First, is the more popular category of “biological overfishing” where the reproduction of fish is effected. The article also looks into what they call the “economic overfishing” which is the effect on the profitability of fishing due to the current rate of fish being taken out of the sea.
http://www.un.org/events/tenstories_2006/story.asp?storyID=800
I thought this would be a good article to read because it actually comes from the UN. The story falls under the organization’s, “10 Stories the World Should Hear More About.” I thought this would be a great way to back up my opinion, and the article states a few good facts as well. It talks a lot about the impact overfishing will have on the “200 million people” that rely on fish for livelihood and food security.
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/problems/problems_fishing/index.cfm
I liked this site because one, it was from the World Wild Life Foundation, and two, it is packed with tons of facts that I will be able to use to back up my opinion. I also liked the fact that the site is well organized and is easy to read. They state a few straight forward facts, such as “ technological advances that have made large-scale fishing easier.” The cool thing is that there is a hyperlink on the words “technological advances” that takes me to a whole other article about technological advances of fishing boats.
http://www.alaskaoceans.net/facts/overfishing.htm
This site was good for me because it has to do specifically with the overfishing problem in Alaska. I am hoping to be able to talk a little bit about the fishing problems in Alaska, and this will probably turn out to be a great source for that. The article delves into the history of Alaska commercial fishing, and also gives 3 different deffinitions of overfishing; one political, one legal, and one scientific.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/overfishing
One of the best things about the topic I am doing is that there are a lot of articles from major organizations that I will be able to support my argument with. This article is no different. It comes from the Greenpeace Organization, and is a little smaller than most of the other articles, but is filled with facts. One of the key points in this article is the example of cod fishing off of Canada, which has gone through a major decline in the last few years.
http://whyfiles.org/139overfishing/
I liked this article because it was a little different than the rest, and it brought up a good point that none of the others had thought of or talked about. It talks about the increasing number of shark attacks, and relates them to the fact that the sharks are being pushed closer to shorelines because of deep sea overfishing. It’s a fairly short article, but I thought it’s topic was interesting.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/24/magazines/business2/Prob6_Overfishing.biz2/index.htm
This was a neat article from a contributor I would have never thought of (thanks Google!). It actually came from CNN’s Money section, and it talks about the effect overfishing will have on the fishing economy. I liked this article because rather than concentrate only on the negative, it talks mostly about the solution to the problem. I will definitely fit this somewhere into my paper!
http://www.bookrags.com/news/big-eye-tuna-stocks-near-collapse-moc/
This is actually a newspaper article from the Reuters North American News Service. This particular article is strictly about the depletion of Bigeye Tuna, which is a major ingredient in many Japanese restaurants. The point that I will most likely use is the fact that the bigeye tuna is starting to become depleted only because the bluefin tuna has already been fished to a dangerously low level.
http://www.bookrags.com/news/feature-overfishing-turns-the-moc/
This article is from the International News Service and is about the depleting number of fish in the Mediterranean Sea. There were a couple of interesting things that I would like to take out of the article. One of the pieces I want to use is the article talking about how a lot of the smaller fishing vessels realize that something needs to be done, where the larger fishing companies only see the sea as a source of money.
http://overfishing.org/discuss/index.php?topic=43.0
This is an awesome bank of videos that shows how drag netting works, and what it looks like on the sea floor. A lot of people are against drag netting because it allows boats to take huge quantities of fish, but it also harms the sea floor by destroying coral and other fish habitats. One particular good video is titled “Trawling Debate” and it is a debate done in the late 80s which contains many good points.
http://overfishing.org/pages/Satellite_images_from_bottom.php
This is actually a bunch of pictures that show how drag netting works. I thought it was interesting to see how much area these boats actually cover with their nets. In some of the pictures, there are boats lined up five or six deep, trolling huge areas of water. There are also some descriptions that have a few good facts about drag netting that I will use for the paper.
http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/global/sensem/S98/Tao/bio191cw.html
This is actually an essay by Kenny Tao, and it comes from the University of California, Irvine. I haven’t gotten the chance to read all of the essay yet, but Mr. Tao has included some very good information including statistics, quotes, and even a few graphs. His paper is focused on the North Atlantic, and I am sure I will find many good facts I can use for my paper.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050830072609.htm
This is an article from the publication, “Science Daily.” the title of the article is “Coral Reef Decline - Not Just Overfishing.” As the title suggests, the article talks more about the damage to coral reefs due to global warming, overfishing, and coral disease. I definitely want to talk about the coral reefs in my paper, and this will be a good source for that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKrHjpBUpYs
This is an interesting video titled “Over Fishing - USA.” I clicked on the video and was happy to find out that the video is actually focused on overfishing in Alaska. They talked a lot about the Stellar Sea Lions and their depletion due to the fact that their food source is being wiped out by large fishing vessels.
Grinning planet is an organization that takes a look at environmental issues from a little lighter side. They use family-friendly jokes and cartoons to spread the message about different issues. Mixed in with the jokes are serious articles such as this one about the cause and effect of overfishing. This article will be useful for me because it breaks the topic of overfishing down to a problem and a solution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overfishing
Haha, what can I say, it’s Wikipedia! I liked this entry because it talked about overfishing in a different way than most of the other articles I found. It actually talks about how overfishing can be broken down to two different categories. First, is the more popular category of “biological overfishing” where the reproduction of fish is effected. The article also looks into what they call the “economic overfishing” which is the effect on the profitability of fishing due to the current rate of fish being taken out of the sea.
http://www.un.org/events/tenstories_2006/story.asp?storyID=800
I thought this would be a good article to read because it actually comes from the UN. The story falls under the organization’s, “10 Stories the World Should Hear More About.” I thought this would be a great way to back up my opinion, and the article states a few good facts as well. It talks a lot about the impact overfishing will have on the “200 million people” that rely on fish for livelihood and food security.
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/problems/problems_fishing/index.cfm
I liked this site because one, it was from the World Wild Life Foundation, and two, it is packed with tons of facts that I will be able to use to back up my opinion. I also liked the fact that the site is well organized and is easy to read. They state a few straight forward facts, such as “ technological advances that have made large-scale fishing easier.” The cool thing is that there is a hyperlink on the words “technological advances” that takes me to a whole other article about technological advances of fishing boats.
http://www.alaskaoceans.net/facts/overfishing.htm
This site was good for me because it has to do specifically with the overfishing problem in Alaska. I am hoping to be able to talk a little bit about the fishing problems in Alaska, and this will probably turn out to be a great source for that. The article delves into the history of Alaska commercial fishing, and also gives 3 different deffinitions of overfishing; one political, one legal, and one scientific.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/overfishing
One of the best things about the topic I am doing is that there are a lot of articles from major organizations that I will be able to support my argument with. This article is no different. It comes from the Greenpeace Organization, and is a little smaller than most of the other articles, but is filled with facts. One of the key points in this article is the example of cod fishing off of Canada, which has gone through a major decline in the last few years.
http://whyfiles.org/139overfishing/
I liked this article because it was a little different than the rest, and it brought up a good point that none of the others had thought of or talked about. It talks about the increasing number of shark attacks, and relates them to the fact that the sharks are being pushed closer to shorelines because of deep sea overfishing. It’s a fairly short article, but I thought it’s topic was interesting.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/24/magazines/business2/Prob6_Overfishing.biz2/index.htm
This was a neat article from a contributor I would have never thought of (thanks Google!). It actually came from CNN’s Money section, and it talks about the effect overfishing will have on the fishing economy. I liked this article because rather than concentrate only on the negative, it talks mostly about the solution to the problem. I will definitely fit this somewhere into my paper!
http://www.bookrags.com/news/big-eye-tuna-stocks-near-collapse-moc/
This is actually a newspaper article from the Reuters North American News Service. This particular article is strictly about the depletion of Bigeye Tuna, which is a major ingredient in many Japanese restaurants. The point that I will most likely use is the fact that the bigeye tuna is starting to become depleted only because the bluefin tuna has already been fished to a dangerously low level.
http://www.bookrags.com/news/feature-overfishing-turns-the-moc/
This article is from the International News Service and is about the depleting number of fish in the Mediterranean Sea. There were a couple of interesting things that I would like to take out of the article. One of the pieces I want to use is the article talking about how a lot of the smaller fishing vessels realize that something needs to be done, where the larger fishing companies only see the sea as a source of money.
http://overfishing.org/discuss/index.php?topic=43.0
This is an awesome bank of videos that shows how drag netting works, and what it looks like on the sea floor. A lot of people are against drag netting because it allows boats to take huge quantities of fish, but it also harms the sea floor by destroying coral and other fish habitats. One particular good video is titled “Trawling Debate” and it is a debate done in the late 80s which contains many good points.
http://overfishing.org/pages/Satellite_images_from_bottom.php
This is actually a bunch of pictures that show how drag netting works. I thought it was interesting to see how much area these boats actually cover with their nets. In some of the pictures, there are boats lined up five or six deep, trolling huge areas of water. There are also some descriptions that have a few good facts about drag netting that I will use for the paper.
http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/global/sensem/S98/Tao/bio191cw.html
This is actually an essay by Kenny Tao, and it comes from the University of California, Irvine. I haven’t gotten the chance to read all of the essay yet, but Mr. Tao has included some very good information including statistics, quotes, and even a few graphs. His paper is focused on the North Atlantic, and I am sure I will find many good facts I can use for my paper.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/08/050830072609.htm
This is an article from the publication, “Science Daily.” the title of the article is “Coral Reef Decline - Not Just Overfishing.” As the title suggests, the article talks more about the damage to coral reefs due to global warming, overfishing, and coral disease. I definitely want to talk about the coral reefs in my paper, and this will be a good source for that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKrHjpBUpYs
This is an interesting video titled “Over Fishing - USA.” I clicked on the video and was happy to find out that the video is actually focused on overfishing in Alaska. They talked a lot about the Stellar Sea Lions and their depletion due to the fact that their food source is being wiped out by large fishing vessels.
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