Current Event #5

“The green slime layer at the bottom of Lake Baikal/ PHOTOGRAPH BY VIKTOR LYAGUSHKIN

On November 13th, an article called “Green Slime Invades World’s Deepest Lake” on the National Geographic website was published. The author, Brian Clark Howard, discusses the recent years of a bizarre algae bloom that has taken over the depths of Lake Baikal in Russia (Howard). The algae bloom resembles a “green slime layer” that is covering the bottom of the lake (Howard). Scientists are trying to figure out the cause and/or source of pollution, but as of right now, it is unknown. At this point Howard says that scientists are suspecting that “nutrients are washing into the lake from human sewage or from animal waste used as fertilizer” (Howard). As a result of this algae bloom, scientists are worried that it will negatively affect the biodiversity in the lake. Although there is no call to action in this article, it is very factual and easy to understand which are ultimately the strongest pieces of rhetoric that is used in the article.

Lake Baikal/ PHOTOGRAPH BY VIKTOR LYAGUSHKIN

Howard begins the article by giving the reader and understanding of the area that is being affected by the algae bloom. He says that Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest lake and is located in far eastern Russia (Howard). By using logos here, helps the reader know a little background about Lake Baikal. Howard also at the beginning of the article introduces Stephanie Hampton, who is a lake ecologist at Washington State University. He references Hampton throughout the article. For example, when he states Hampton’s view on what the cause of this algae bloom is. Hampton says, “The mats, resembling green shag carpets, have been popping up in some areas just offshore of towns, which suggests human pollution may be to blame” (Howard). Establishing a strong pathos at the beginning is effective rhetoric because it allows the reader to trust the information being given. One aspect of this article that I really thought impacted pathos and ethos was the use of a photo gallery that was embedded in the article. The photos were professionally taken by Viktor Lyagushkin, a National Geographic photographer. The use of photos helped to visualize what was being said in the article. For example, when Howard was explaining the “green slime layer” the reader was able to see a photo that described what he was talking about. The article was very clean in the sense that there was not a lot of writing and adversitments that could have been distracting. The use of a photo gallery also enhanced the article because most people like to see visuals instead of just reading words. The article was relatively short and concise. The article was brief but very comprehensive. Howard provided information that was often able to be interpreted beyond what he mentioned. For example, Howard says “Algae can reduce oxygen levels and lower nutrient levels” (Howard). By saying this he lets the reader interpret what low oxygen and nutrients can do to animals. There was also brief mention of kairos at the end of the article. Howard brought up another argument about climate change warming the water in Lake Baikal. He says, “Scientists also are concerned that Baikal has been warming due to climate change” (Howard). Here he is making a larger argument about climate change and how it can be detrimental to the Lake Baikal ecosystem.

“A scientist observing the algae bloom in Lake Baikal” PHOTOGRAPH BY VIKTOR LYAGUSHKIN

After reading this article, I personally wasn’t intrigued by the article. Mainly because Howard did not use a lot of pathos by explaining the effects of these algae blooms on humans. It was a very informational article, so I learned quite a lot about Lake Baikal. The issue was not made urgent or something that we should be trying to fix right away. So after reading the article, I felt like I didn’t need to do anything or that I couldn’t do anything. The issue follows the “out of sight out of mind” mentality. Because it is not a problem to my local community or to the United States in general, it doesn’t intrigue me as an issue. Although I understand it is an issue, I just don’t believe I can do anything, so the issue is not important to me. The article overall was quite visually stimulating with the photo gallery, however the overall issue at hand lacked a connection to humans and people who do not live in Russia which as a result, disconnects the reader.

 

Link to the article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151113-lake-baikal-green-slime-algae-photos-water-quality-science/

Current Event #4

Crabs that were collected in California/ Photo by: Paul Anderson for The New York Times

A New York Times article titled “Toxin Taints Crabs and Kills Sea Mammals, Scientists Warn” was released on November 4th 2015. The author of the article, Jonah Bromwich, discusses the recent scare of a toxin that has been found in many crabs off the coasts of California. The Wildlife Algal Toxin Research and Response Network has tested over 36 species of crabs and have found the presence of domoic acid, a toxic chemical produced by a species of algae (Pseudo-nitzschia), in the crabs body system (Bromwich). California Department of Public Health officials are urging people to avoid consumption of certain species of crabs this year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and researchers at the Florida Gulf Coast University blame rising temperature levels in the Pacific Ocean (Bromwich). The warming waters in the ocean are ideal for the Pseudo-nitzschia algae, so they are able to multiple and reproduce much faster (Bromwich). Because of an abundance of this algae, California officials are seeing more and more crabs being contaminated with the domoic acid. 

Dungeons crabs being prepared for cooking (www.wikpedia.com)

Bromwich uses many aspects of ethos, pathos and logos in his article about crabs in California being contaminated with domoic acid. He uses pathos the most throughout the article because he wants the reader to be warned and careful about the consumption of crabs this season. Bromwich uses a lot of words with alarming connotations, for example, “avoid,” “toxic,” “contamination,” and “death” throughout the article. The use of these types of words establishes a strong pathos by making the reader feel scared when reading the article. He also discusses the negative health affects that are associated with domoic acid. “Domoic acid can cause excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory, coma or death in humans” (Bromwich). By including this, the reader is now knowledgable about the health consequence of domoic acid, so as a result, the reader can become fearful of eating crabs. Bromwich effectively used ethos in his article. He references “the lead research biologist at the Wildlife Algal Toxin Research and Response Network, Kathi A. Lefebvre” (Bromwich), The California Department of Public Health, Michael Parsons, a professor of marine science at Florida Gulf Coast University and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By using these well respected sources, he is able to let the reader know that the information given in this article is factual and reputable. He introduces all of his sources professionally, for example he says “Michael Parson, a professor of Marine Science at Florida Gulf Coast University” (Bromwich), rather than saying “Michael Parson.” NOAA was also cited in this source which establishes strong ethos because of all the research and highly educated scientists that work for NOAA. One thing that degraded the effectiveness of ethos in the article was the presence of advertisement around the article. I remember seeing an advertisement about a book called “Super Genes” and a movie called “Brooklyn” that was convincing the reader to buy tickets to see the movie. This was quite distracting from the article and as a result, it distracts the reader from the purpose of the article. Logos was present in the article, but not as strongly established compared to ethos and pathos. Bromwich used evidence and statistics to back up the claims he made. For example he says that “Domoic acid has been found in 36 species of crabs” (Bromwich). He uses numbers to show the reader the seriousness of the issue. He also explains how and why the Pseudo-nitzschia algae produces the toxic chemical, domain acid. He discusses about the rising warm ocean temperatures is causing the algae to reproduce much faster and as a result, they are producing more toxic chemicals (Bromwich). The effectiveness of ethos, pathos and logos definitely helped Bromwich establish an effective argument and article about the dangers of eating crabs this season.

Washed up crabs on the California coast (www.wikipedia.com)

After reading the article, I honestly was concerned. I personally do not eat crab, but my family does. Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean and is not terribly far from California. If rising warm ocean water is happening in California, it certainly must be happening everywhere else. While I do agree that everyone should avoid consuming crab this season, I also think scientists should be working on a technique to reduce the number of this algae for next crab season. If this toxic chemical is affecting crabs, just think, it probably is affecting other marine species. What about the fish we eat? Is it safe to eat fish found in these areas where the crabs are in California? While Bromwich does a great job convincing the reader to not eat crab this season, I found myself asking lots of questions after reading this article. Food is very important to us, and if our marine food sources are being depleted and contaminated, there will be less food. And what about the countries like Asia, where they are dependent on seafood? This is a very concerning problem and I hope that scientists are working now to come up with some sort of solution.

Link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/science/toxin-taints-crabs-and-kills-sea-mammals-scientists-warn.html?ribbon-ad-idx=9&rref=science/earth&module=Ribbon&version=origin&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Environment&pgtype=article

Current Event #3

On October 16th, 2015 an article on the Forbes website about world hunger and how genetically modified crops can help reduce hunger. The author of the article, Kate Hall who managing director of the Council for Biotechnology Information, says although the total number of global hunger as been decreasing over the past several years, there are still nearly 800 million people (many of them children) who are still affected by it (Hall). Kate Hall discusses “hidden hunger,” which is when there is “inadequate access to quality calories and important nutrients in a food product” (Hall). So what this means is that there are many people in developing countries who have access to food, however the food that they are eating lacks calories and important nutrients. Hall gives some examples of crops that are associated with hidden hunger like rice in Asian countries and cassava in African countries. These staple crops lack the essential nutrients and calories people need and as a result are causing health problems like impaired immune systems, blindness and even death. Hall suggests that we use genetically modified crops to solve this problem of hidden hunger. And to do so, we must start vocalizing the GMO safety and contributions it will have to help end hunger.

The author, Kate Hall, effectively establishes ethos in her article right away. She uses studies from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to incorporate meaningful statistics into the article. Hall even hyperlinks her sources which gives the reader an opportunity to learn more about where the information is coming from or to evaluate the validity of the research. All the hyperlinks worked properly and I was able to learn more about where the research and data was coming from. Throughout the article, Hall specifically refers to children who are suffering the most from hunger. This helps to make people feel sorrow and pain towards the children, which is good use of pathos. She uses the statistic from the FAO, “almost five million children under the age of five die of malnutrition-related causes every year” (Hall) which incorporates both a logos and pathos approach. By giving an image of how many children are suffering helps the reader to better understand the importance of global hunger. Also by stating the amount of children, rather than the amount of adults, pulls more of an emotional appeal because most people hate to hear about children suffering or dying. A major critic I have of this article is that Hall never address who should be responsible for implementing GMOs in developing countries as well she does not address how these products would be transported there. There is a lot money and thought to be considered when developing crops and shipping them across the world. Where would the money or funding be coming from? How long would it take to transport the crops? These are all important topics that are associated with her plan to use GMOs to end world hunger that she never addresses which would have added more logos and ethos. The article contains strong logos throughout, for example she says, “Countries like China, India and Indonesia are dependent on rice for as much as 80 percent of their caloric intake” (Hall). We can imply that if we genetically alter rice by adding nutrients such as vitamin A or iron, we could greatly reduce the number of hidden hunger. Hall suggests that “Golden Rice” would be a great way to start to reduce hunger. The IRRI has already done research and has been able to successfully add beta-carotene (which is converted to vitamin A in the body) to rice. Halls most effective use of pathos comes towards the end of the article where she discusses why her idea is not being used right away. She says that the fear of the unknown and uncertainty of GMOs is preventing researchers from continuing to produce these GMOs. Hall’s reaction to fear and uncertainty towards GMOs is “It’s important to understand what’s at stake: Malnutrition contributes to sickness, lost productivity and poverty, and death” (Hall). She argues that what is more important, letting people die and suffer from malnutrition or combating a way to provide help to these people. Anytime you reference death, starvation, or any word with a negative connotation, this dampens the mood of the reader. Overall Hall used a good variety of ethos, pathos and logos throughout her article. She did briefly touch on kairos towards the end of the article when mentioning her suggested course of actions to end hunger. She argues that we should shed more light on the benefits of biotechnology through public talk so that we can make this a global effort to end hunger.

After reading the article, I felt the urge to want to do something about the issue of world hunger. The article ended by saying, “We have a goal; we have solutions. Now let’s work together to solve this problem” (Hall). Hall ensures us that we have a goal (which is to end hunger) and a solution (to incorporate the use of GMOs) so all we have to do is work together and we can end this problem. Before I read this article I did not realize how big of an issue world hunger is. The average American doesn’t think about people starving in places like Africa or Asia, instead we think about relevant things in our life. Many of us have the mind set of “out of sight out of mind.” Because we don’t see the problem directly, we don’t ever think about it. However I think Hall does a great job of making the issue of global hunger more visible to the reader. I hate to see people suffer, especially children. This article definitely made me more aware of the issue and importance of global hunger.

Link to the article:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gmoanswers/2015/10/16/world-food-day-hidden-hunger-biotechnology/

Current Events Blog Post #2

Iceland 2014 Volcanic Eruption (wallpaperbang.com)

This article is about a recent study, conducted by European scientists from the University of Leeds and Edinburg, which revealed that the 2014 volcanic eruption in Iceland “emitted on average three times as much toxic gas as all European industry combined” (Schmidt).

Sulfur dioxide structure (wikimedia.com)

The article just gives statistics and many facts about the volcanic eruption. So I would say that logos is the most dominant appeal in this article.  The article reads, “Discharge of lava from the eruption at Bárðarbunga volcano released a huge mass — up to 120,000 tonnes per day — of sulphur dioxide gas” (Schmidt). Giving the reader a perspective of the amount of toxic gas that was released strengthens the viewers logos that is obtained. All of the logos in the article pertained to relevant topic of volcanoes, which keeps the article concise. One aspect of logos that I would have liked to seen is some background information about the volcanic eruption. Establishing the scene/setting is very important for the reader to understand what the context of the article is about. If the article discussed when this occurred, how long it lasted and the impact/effects of it, I would have understood the importance and/or significance of this article. Karios was not apparent; there was no underlying argument being made, at least that I could interpret. There was a strong use of ethos, which made the article credible. Before any statistics or information is given, there is always a citation of where/who it was supplied by. For example, “Dr Anja from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, who led the study, said” (Schmidt). All the scientists mentioned in this article all obtain PhDs in their field. For example, “Dr John Stevenson, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences” (Schmidt). It is also stated that the study was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research and was supported by The Natural Environment Research Council and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. There is a limited amount of pathos present. Because the article was so heavily based on logos, there was not a lot of information that the reader could interpret and feel moved by. There was one part of the article that clearly appealed to pathos. The journalist discussed the health affects that sulphur dioxide gas has on the human body. Although the article was short, it was concise and to the point. The article effectively got its information across to the viewer.

Iceland eruption (wikipedia.com)

When reading at the article, I found it hard to focus on the article itself. There was a lot of “busy” and “distracting” advertisements being displayed on the website. I remember seeing an advertisement about Chegg books and a Dallas real estate company. The fact that the article said Dallas, distracted me right away. On the right side of the website, there was a list of related articles. In a way, that could be nice to see, so that the reader knows that the topic is of importance. However, it was very overwhelming to see all the related articles because there was so much text on the page. There was only one photo for the article, which was a photo of the volcanic eruption. Everything else was either text or advertisements on the page.I found the information and context of the article to be interesting, however, I did not like all the advertisements and text that was on the page. It was quite distracting and hard for me to just focus on the main article I was reading. The issue about the toxic gases, is an important issue. But, the article did not mention any sort of action that could be done to help with the problem. Instead there is only statistics and information given about the problem. I learned a lot about the volcanic eruption and its dangerous effects. I just would have liked to seen more about what is being done now about it.

Link to the article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150924104112.htm

Essay 1: Instagram link

https://instagram.com/tcu_hello/

Enjoy!

Current Event Blog Post #1

(PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images)

“Study Links Polluted Air in China to 1.6 Million Deaths a Year,”

A recent article posted on August 13th, 2015 on the New York Times website has linked China’s air pollution to be responsible for about 1.6 million deaths per year. With the 2022 Winter Olympics coming up in Beijing, the Chinese government is receiving many concerns about the air quality during the time that the Olympics will be held. An independent, non-profit organization, Berkeley Earth, just released a study in July of 2015, in which two researchers tested the air quality in China, Taiwan, the United States and a few countries surrounding China. The data in the study stated that “about three-eighths of the Chinese population breathe air that would be rated ‘unhealthy’ by United States standards” (Berkeley Earth). Not only did the article provide numerical data, such as the number of death per year, the researchers also evaluated and commented on some of the dangerous pollutants that were present in the air samples that were collected. For example, “particles that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter are known to cause health problems to humans when inhaled” (Berkeley Earth). The title of the article, “Study Links Polluted Air in China to 1.6 Million Deaths a Year,” really intrigued me as I was scrolling through the NY times online website. I knew that China has be having an ongoing problem with air pollution so it was interesting to learn more about the issue of air pollution.

The journalist who wrote this article, Dan Levin, implemented the use of ethos, logos, pathos and karios. Of the four, Levin did not incorporate a strong use of ethos. Levin did use some credibility when describing the study used from Berkeley Earth. For example Levin stated, “ Berkeley Earth, a research organization based in Berkeley, Calif., that uses statistical techniques to analyze environmental issues” (Levin). He stated a lot of the data from the study conducted by Berkeley Earth, however I thought he would have explained more throughly who specifically conducted the study on air pollution in China. It would have made the article more credible if Levin included the specific researchers and their academic background. Logos was the most apparent through out this article. There was an abundance of facts and statistics stated which enhanced the article. Much of the logos included in this article pertained to air pollution in China which was quite interesting. For example, there was some additional information given about the current status of air pollution in China to give the reader an idea of how bad the situation is. “Of 360 cities in China, more than 90 percent failed to meet national air quality standards” (Levin). Including background knowledge and information about China’s past and current problems with air pollution is a great use of logos for the reader to be informed about. In this article, Levin did appeal to pathos. In the fourth paragraph, he discusses how air pollution, specifically “air-born particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter,” can lead to serious health concerns. Lung cancer, asthma, strokes and heart attacks are just a few to name. If someone discuss the dangerous health effects of any products, places, etc. this can create fears or anxiety in some people. So the use of pathos, or emotion, is definitely used in this article. Levin also uses several words with negative connotations like death, dangerous, killing and pollutants. Finally, there was brief use of karios. The article mentioned the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China a few times. There was mention that government officials and the Winter Olympics committee want something to be done about China’s bad air quality by 2022. The Olympics bring thousands of athletes and tourists to its destination, so with the 2022 Olympics being held in China, many are concerned about their health. There wasn’t a huge argument being made but there was strong opinions about doing something about the air pollution before the Olympics in 2022.

After reading this article, I felt disgusted that people in China are living in polluted air and there is little to nothing being done to try and fix this environmental health hazard. I would never want to live or raise a family in a place that is known to cause health problems. This article also made me quite upset that the Chinese government isn’t being very proactive, I would want some short term solutions as well as long term solutions being made. If I lived in China I would also want the government to inform the public of things they could do to decrease the amount of air pollution because it seems like there is not much being done. We only have one earth, we cannot keep polluting our air. I also looked up the actual study to try and find more credibility because I was not content with knowing that an organization from California conducted the study. I found that two men conducted this study. Their names are Richard A. Muller, an American professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley and his former student, Robert A. Rohde, who currently holds a Ph.D in experimental/theoretical physics. Overall this article was fun to read but also very upsetting to read and learn about the number of deaths in China caused by air pollution. I hope that the Chinese government becomes more proactive now with this recent release of information from the study conducted by Berkeley Earth.

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/world/asia/study-links-polluted-air-in-china-to-1-6-million-deaths-a-year.html?ref=topics&_r=0

Here is the link to the study conducted by Berkeley Earth:

http://berkeleyearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/China-Air-Quality-Paper-July-2015.pdf

Aloha :)

Hi! My name is Kelly. I am a sophomore Nursing major. I was born and raised in Hawai’i. I love to be outside and enjoy the beauty of the area around me. Growing up in Hawai’i, I was always outside, whether it was hiking, going to the beach, chasing water falls, exploring Hawai’i’s natural beauty or going to the local farmers markets. I have a strong passion towards the environment. I love to learn about the environment and how to become a better steward! Ever since I was a child, my parents, teachers, aunties and uncles have always taught me to help protect and take care of our environment. I am very excited to learn more about the environment in this English 20803 class and as well as improving my writing ability! 🙂