The World Bank advocacy proposes shifts in the economic incentives away from opium and toward the legal economy by changes in agriculture, irrigation and livestock, rural enterprise development, rural infrastructure, and local governance. The intervention of agriculture, irrigation, and livestock will impact the rural households, bringing income and employment to the poor. Funding could be directed in enhancing these aspects of farmers’ lives rather than the temporary attacks on opium such as eradication. In the long term, new crops will thrive and drive opium away permanently as they replace the poppy plant.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
World Bank Advocating Opium
To resolve the opium problem in Afghanistan
The World Bank advocacy proposes shifts in the economic incentives away from opium and toward the legal economy by changes in agriculture, irrigation and livestock, rural enterprise development, rural infrastructure, and local governance. The intervention of agriculture, irrigation, and livestock will impact the rural households, bringing income and employment to the poor. Funding could be directed in enhancing these aspects of farmers’ lives rather than the temporary attacks on opium such as eradication. In the long term, new crops will thrive and drive opium away permanently as they replace the poppy plant.
The World Bank advocacy proposes shifts in the economic incentives away from opium and toward the legal economy by changes in agriculture, irrigation and livestock, rural enterprise development, rural infrastructure, and local governance. The intervention of agriculture, irrigation, and livestock will impact the rural households, bringing income and employment to the poor. Funding could be directed in enhancing these aspects of farmers’ lives rather than the temporary attacks on opium such as eradication. In the long term, new crops will thrive and drive opium away permanently as they replace the poppy plant.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Tea proposal
I have previously researched the world governments' negligence to fair trade policy and their attempt to cover up any unfair trade they conduct for my two papers. I have already mentioned problems associated with tea trade being the direct cause of WTO's current trade policies. In my proposal, I would be using the Public Citizen's proposal to the U.S congress given on April 19th 2007 to present a solution to the fair trade problems associated with tea trade. The proposal itself does not talk about tea trade but it proposes the u.s government from taking control of the WTO. Public Citizen brings up the U.S's "strategic tariff" on agricultural goods as a part of developmental tools. They oppose president Bush's plan to directly control the WTO by using the Doha resolution. This proposal is confusing to understand without any knowledge of any resolutions they mention and they do not propose a specific plan that is unnecessarily helpful to the fair trade. However, they are one of the first groups to come directly to congress to criticize the government. It shows that the public is taking a right step to correct the problem the government wants people to forget about.
Opium Policy
The policy I plan to advocate in my essay is proposed by two students (Doctoral and Masters) that are members of a think tank called Foreign Policy in Focus. They propose a solution that is not as simple as aerial spraying of opium crop etc., but they approach it in a more logical way and from a political perspective.
They suggest that the first thing to do is give the Afghan farmers incentive to farm crops other than opium. They say that one of the main reasons the Afghani farmers choose to farm opium is because they need the money. They further discuss that money is donated to the farmers to aid them, but it never reaches them because of the corrupt officials in Afghanistan. Their policy calls for the president of Afghanistan to "clean up" his political system, to ensure that the farmers will recieve the money that they so desperately need.
Another aspect of the solution they present is to draw farmers away from Taliban involvement or being recruited into the Taliban by Taliban recruiters. The proposal is that the Taliban can be brought out of the farming Industry, and then it is up to the Afghan government how they want to deal with the Taliban.
This seems to me like it is the best solution, because it is totally reasonable and there is no great error with the logic involved. The other solutions, such as legalization or aerial spraying have bad side effects. There is no quick and easy solution to this problem, and it will take a lot of bargaining and dealing with the farmers, government and Taliban, but this way a solution can be met.
They suggest that the first thing to do is give the Afghan farmers incentive to farm crops other than opium. They say that one of the main reasons the Afghani farmers choose to farm opium is because they need the money. They further discuss that money is donated to the farmers to aid them, but it never reaches them because of the corrupt officials in Afghanistan. Their policy calls for the president of Afghanistan to "clean up" his political system, to ensure that the farmers will recieve the money that they so desperately need.
Another aspect of the solution they present is to draw farmers away from Taliban involvement or being recruited into the Taliban by Taliban recruiters. The proposal is that the Taliban can be brought out of the farming Industry, and then it is up to the Afghan government how they want to deal with the Taliban.
This seems to me like it is the best solution, because it is totally reasonable and there is no great error with the logic involved. The other solutions, such as legalization or aerial spraying have bad side effects. There is no quick and easy solution to this problem, and it will take a lot of bargaining and dealing with the farmers, government and Taliban, but this way a solution can be met.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
A Better Cattle Industry
The policy I am advocating for is being proposed in the Netherlands by a group called the Animal Freedom Foundation. It calls for a movement for vaccination on all organic farms and it is against exportation, which is selling goods to other countries. The proposals specifically calls for, “vaccination for all cattle at the organic and/or free-range cattle-breeding farms. Complete trace ability of meat, with 4 identifying marks: the country in which the animal was born, the country in which the animal lived, the country in which the animal was slaughtered, and the country in which the meat was processed.” Also, this proposal has a unique characteristic, because it proposes labeling of the meat products in the store, which eventually holds the consumer responsible. The proposal of labeling meat states, “Mentioning on the packing of meat the age in weeks of the animal that was slaughtered. People have to have the choice to buy meat from an animal of a certain age. Mentioning on the packing of meat a score on a welfare scale of the farm on which the animal lived. This welfare scale is based on some twenty features that determine the well-being of the animal. The higher the score, the higher the well-being of the animal during its life.” It would hold the consumer responsible, because they would be imparted with knowledge about the cattle’s life and whether they decide to purchase the meat or not.
The activist group, the Animal Freedom Foundation, has been around for many years, promoting safer practices in the cattle industry. They pride themselves on only supporting only realistic and legitimate solutions for animals rights. They realize there is no quick fix to such a large problem, but there are many things that can be done to move in a more positive direction. Their proposal would help alleviate the misrepresentation of what happens at organic farms, because would be more knowledgeable about what they are purchasing. It would also aide in the safety of the animals on the farm and the products they produce, because they would be vaccinated. We have to be careful though, when giving organic farmers the okay to vaccinate, because they may cheat the system. There would have to strict regulations on what vaccinations they are allowed to give and when. The Animal Freedom Foundation’s proposal would be a huge step towards safer practices in the cattle and meat industry.
The activist group, the Animal Freedom Foundation, has been around for many years, promoting safer practices in the cattle industry. They pride themselves on only supporting only realistic and legitimate solutions for animals rights. They realize there is no quick fix to such a large problem, but there are many things that can be done to move in a more positive direction. Their proposal would help alleviate the misrepresentation of what happens at organic farms, because would be more knowledgeable about what they are purchasing. It would also aide in the safety of the animals on the farm and the products they produce, because they would be vaccinated. We have to be careful though, when giving organic farmers the okay to vaccinate, because they may cheat the system. There would have to strict regulations on what vaccinations they are allowed to give and when. The Animal Freedom Foundation’s proposal would be a huge step towards safer practices in the cattle and meat industry.
The policy that I think will work best to stop the illegal distribution of opium from Afghanistan is to turn the opium into medical morphene rather than heroin, and to pay the farmers well enough to do it. This proposal has been advocated by the Italian Red Cross and the Afghan Red Crescent. More than 12% of the Afghani population is directly involved in the cultivation of opium, and much more depend on its indirect financial affects to live. Therefore, it is not reasonable to go in and burn their fields, or arrest the farmers - that will only breed more contempt for the US, which would in turn only support the terrorist agenda. The proposal to legitimize the opium by turning it into morphene rather than heroin would not take the financial gains away from the farmers, help the Afghani economy, and reduce crime involved in the opium trade. It is the best option available, not only for Afghanistan, but for all the countries affected by heroin
Saving Bananas
My advocacy essay about the extinction of bananas, and the policies proposes some way to save bananas. Scientists are discovering that the Cavendish banana, the bananas that we eat today, are under attack by the Panama Disease, a deadly fungus, in some Asian countries. However the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have declared some policies that would prevent the bananas from being severely attacked by the disease. FAO has called for the "development of more diversity in the banana, especially for export bananas, promoting awareness of the inevitable consequences of a narrow genetic taste in crops and the need for a broader genetic base for commercial bananas, and strengthening plant breeding programmes in developing countries for banana and other basic staple crops" (FAO). This is important for the bananas to have a diversity because farmers need new methods to resist the disease. There have been issues about the new use of transgenics, that people are questioning if it is healthy for some consumers, but FAO is calling for more healthier ways to save the cultivation.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Water in rice production
My advocacy essay will address a proposal providing three solutions, addressed by B.A.M. Bouman, to decrease water usage in rice production in order to avoid a water shortage predicted to hit
banana workers
My essay is advocating a policy that protects workers who spray pesticides on bananas. I am advocating a policy already implemented in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency. It involves steps for educating and protecting workers. I think this policy will work because it is from a credible agency, the EPA, and has already been successfully implemented in the United States, where it protects 2.5 million agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. The policy involves educating workers with safety classes and using protective gear while using the pesticides. It also requires notification of when pesticides are being sprayed, which allows for restricted entry into areas where pesticides are present. In order to protect workers the policy also involves the use of decontamination equipment and the use of emergency medical services in the event of contamination.
This policy would work well in the banana industry because it protects workers from injuries incurred while in contact with pesticides, while still allowing for the necessary use of pesticides on the fruit. Other policies suggest the eventual fade out of pesticides but this does not seem plausible for the banana industry. Bananas are usually grown in poor countries, where the discontinuance of pesticide usage would lead to a loss in jobs, hurting the economy in such countries. Additionally, the breeds of bananas popularized around the world are stemmed from a rhizome that is over one hundred years old. This means that pests have had over one hundred years to adapt to effectively attacking this breed. There is no way the bananas could survive and meet health standards without the use of pesticides to protect them. For this reason, the EPA policy of taking measures to protect the workers would work best for the banana industry.
This policy would work well in the banana industry because it protects workers from injuries incurred while in contact with pesticides, while still allowing for the necessary use of pesticides on the fruit. Other policies suggest the eventual fade out of pesticides but this does not seem plausible for the banana industry. Bananas are usually grown in poor countries, where the discontinuance of pesticide usage would lead to a loss in jobs, hurting the economy in such countries. Additionally, the breeds of bananas popularized around the world are stemmed from a rhizome that is over one hundred years old. This means that pests have had over one hundred years to adapt to effectively attacking this breed. There is no way the bananas could survive and meet health standards without the use of pesticides to protect them. For this reason, the EPA policy of taking measures to protect the workers would work best for the banana industry.
Coffee Addiction
Many coffee drinkers would deny that consuming caffeine can become a drug addiction because it is a popular energy boost exercised by people of all ages. However, at least half of caffeine drinkers experience symptoms of withdrawal (
On July 31, 1997, the Center for Science and the Public Interest proposed to politicians in Washington as well as to the Food and Drug Administration, a new policy surrounding the topic of caffeine levels in foods and beverages. The organization called for all products that contain caffeine, such as coffee drinks, to be required to exhibit a surgeon general's warning due to the adverse health effects surrounding the consumption of caffeine. This is the best policy in dealing with the social problem of increasing negative health concerns among society's members due to the excessive consumption of coffee because it is not too extreme yet does not ignore the threats of caffeine. It gives individuals more knowledge of the harms that caffeine can cause the body and allows a person to decide appropriate levels of intake without completely banning consumption of coffee beverages. A ban would not be plausible due to economic as well as free choice factors. By including a warning on coffee beverages, members of society will not as easily brush aside the information regarding the detrimental effects of coffee to human health. The proposal would additionally be able to break down the preconceived ideas that coffee is beneficial to an individual's health and does not have to be limited. The Lehigh Valley Committee Against Health Fraud is another organization that appealed to the FDA for a warning to be placed on products with caffeine due to the potential dangerous effects of caffeine on pregnant women. One source that might challenge this proposal is the FDA themselves and the fact that in 1958, it labeled and classified caffeine as Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS). Since this time, the FDA claims that caffeine has been used in many foods and beverages safely and a warning would be unnecessary. Additionally, the World Health Organization is another group that believes that there is no strong medical evidence to conclude that there are significant health consequences involved with caffeine intake and would be in opposition to this policy set forth by the CSPI.
Friday, February 22, 2008
opium... politics conflict goal
During the mid-1950’s, in World War II, the opium poppy plant slipped passed the eyes of the Commission of Narcotic Drugs when a determined anti-communist commissioner, Anslinger, accused the communist party in China of illicit drug trading. Out of fear of communism, Anslinger blurred the UN’s focus of locating the opium poppy production which was in the hands of the nationalists. Instead of concentrating on the drug, the UN was more focused on politics, which resulted in assisting the flow of opium trade around the world. The
This event with
Starbucks Boom
In 1971, Starbucks was founded by three ingenious businessmen in
In the next five years, Starbucks went international and opened stores all around the
Transition of family to factory farms
The first signs of animal domestication date back to 4000 – 6000 years ago, when they were used to for their ability to do work for humans. During this time, it was environmentally sustainable to raise and use cattle power on a small-scale. Family farms functioned efficiently with the help of livestock, specifically cattle, to assist them with grunt work around the land. Cattle were seldom used as food because the value as equipment greatly outweighed the value of using their meat for protein and food. Having cattle on the farm was more important as an investment rather than as a food source.
This sustainable way of life on a family farm slowly transitioned to larger scale operations. These operations focused solely on cattle herding, with cattle grazing open pastures. Cowboys emerged, and this turned into a business. This is when the beginnings of a detrimental environmental impact started being felt. Cattle would pollute streams and water sources from point, causing problems with water quality and marine life. This did not pose a problem to the herders, as they could bring their herds elsewhere to graze and enjoy fresh water.
This then again transitioned into the recent, most well known as factory farms, but more officially referred to as “concentrated animal farming operations” or CAFO’s. These farming operations house hundreds of animals in confined spaces, therefore cutting down on overgrazed land, land prices, equipment, and maximizing product and efficiency, while ignoring obvious environmental threats. CAFO’s are operations, existing on the intent of growing and earning income. Pollution in these factories have a huge impact on surrounding environment because of the common leaks in waste lagoons.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Tea
In 1962, The great Britain left Jamaica signifying the end of an era. With British Imperialism closing and public awareness of inhumane treatment of former Britain's colonies rising, tea workers' fortunes seemed to have changed for better. Britain's former colonies got their nations back but British have left the colonies too fast and too soon leaving her former colonies with nothing but poverty and mountains of problems. Tea workers since the 1600s were not directly hired by the westerners. The general public's concern were white westerners oppressing their colonists but in reality, cruelties that the workers faced came directly from the tea harvesters who had the same color of skin as the workers. When the British left her colonies, overseers of the tea harvest farms became the masters which were only reserved for the white westerners before. For the overseers of the tea harvest farms, end of British imperial rule was good but for the workers, Nothing has changed since the first shipment of tea were shipped to the West in 1610. Inhumane conditions continued while the image of tea trade tricked consumers into thinking that tea workers are happy for their new found independence.
The Extinction of Bananas
The Panama disease is leading to the extinction of bananas. The Big Mike or also known as the Gros Michael banana were very popular to consumers, but was soon hit by the Panama epidemic after World War II. Americans loved the creamy texture, scrumptious flavor, and thick skin of the Gros Michael bananas. However, “a disease began to ravage banana crops not long after the first banana trees were planted in Central America” (Koeppel xiv-xv). The disease spread like wildfire that it began to kill every plantation, one after the next. The Gros Michael bananas soon became extinct, and led to a new banana in Malyasia. However, the new banana died as well, and scientists discovered that there was a tragic discovery of the infectious disease. “An unknown pathogen was working its way into the roots of the plant, discoloring leaves, and choking off water supplies” (Koeppel xvii), which shocked scientists because the new banana was supposed to be “untouchable.” Scientists wanted to find a way for to preserve the banana and to save it from becoming extinct. “For the past five years, banana scientists have been trying-in a race against time-to modify the fruit to make it resistant to Panama disease” (Koeppel xviii). Consumers do not know that America’s favorite fruit would soon become extinct if scientists do not find a way to help these bananas become resistant to the deadly disease.
opium smoking
Although the drug was creating addicts, the numbers were still limited. It was not until smoking through tobacco pipes was introduced to China, that the true problem with the cultivation of this plant began. Early 17th century brought about a new form of recreation, smoking tobacco mixed with opium through pipes. Smoking opium gives the body a high within one minute of inhaling and was seen as a much more appealing way of using the drug. The opium pipe drew more people to use the drug than ever before. Common people and even women were smoking opium, which was a drastic change from the rich and elite who originally used it. This new form of using opium caught on quickly and spread so fast the Chinese government couldn’t keep it under control. The high demand for the drug made many countries reliant on importing to opium China and created much competition between them. The amount of opium imported to China grew from two hundred chests in 1729 to ten thousand in 1830, and even forty thousand in 1838 (Britannica). The record-breaking amounts of imported opium began causing other nations, such as Afghanistan, to take notice of the desired cash crop.
The Rise of Opium
The current problem with opium is that it is distributed majorly by Afghanistan. The only reason that Afghanistan is able to make such a great profit on opium is because it has developed into a highly addictive drug that has accumulated a phenomenal amount of users over the course of its history.
Opium use in China began as a recreational event for the upper class, but it was eaten for the most part, which was a less harmful use of the drug. Eventually sailors brought tobacco into China, and introduced the activity of smoking tobacco to the Chinese. Smoking became such a big hit in China that the Emperor decided to ban it to prevent it from damaging the population. With the ban on tobacco smoking, the Chinese decided to begin smoking opium in its place. They did not know that smoking opium was a much more effective way to intake the drug. This led to a higher rate of addiction, and essentially created the path to the world's use of opium derived drugs. The opium trade spread around the world, and many people became hooked, mostly to the derivative of it known as heroin. Eventually, two of the main players in the trade triangle that had the most control had fall outs within their government, and the trade was disrupted. This led to the shift of the trade to Afghanistan, and the rise to their power in opium trade.
Opium use in China began as a recreational event for the upper class, but it was eaten for the most part, which was a less harmful use of the drug. Eventually sailors brought tobacco into China, and introduced the activity of smoking tobacco to the Chinese. Smoking became such a big hit in China that the Emperor decided to ban it to prevent it from damaging the population. With the ban on tobacco smoking, the Chinese decided to begin smoking opium in its place. They did not know that smoking opium was a much more effective way to intake the drug. This led to a higher rate of addiction, and essentially created the path to the world's use of opium derived drugs. The opium trade spread around the world, and many people became hooked, mostly to the derivative of it known as heroin. Eventually, two of the main players in the trade triangle that had the most control had fall outs within their government, and the trade was disrupted. This led to the shift of the trade to Afghanistan, and the rise to their power in opium trade.
Rice production history in Asia
Rice grew to be a necessity in Asian cuisine since it was able to adapt the diverse temperatures and regions throughout
Coffee's Rise in Popularity
One main event in the history of the rise in popularity of coffee in the United States was the advent of instant coffee. In 1938, a scientist by the name of Max Mortgethaler of the Nestle Company formulated a technique of freeze-dried instant coffee in order to expand consumption of coffee throughout the world. At this time, Brazil, the major exporter of coffee, experienced the dilemma of a coffee surplus. Instant coffee needed to be invented in order to help aid the Brazilian government with this surplus problem by making coffee more accessible. This would allow the exportation of a greater quantity of coffee beans distributed throughout the world, following with an increase in consumption within various countries. Specifically in the United States, this invention significantly effected the consumption and popularity of coffee among the citizens. In 1940, the U.S military used instant coffee as a staple beverage during World War II because it was simple to make. During this time, the producers of the coffee plant in the United States reserved the one million cases per year of coffee for military purposes. After the war, Nestle decided to introduce their product of instant coffee to the general United States consumer population. Instant coffee's presence in the military of the United States caused a greater exposure of this new way of making coffee to more American citizens and therefore caused consumption of this beverage to rise. Individuals learned that this technique made coffee soluble in hot water while still retaining flavor, two aspects that appealed to the coffee consumer. Not only did the advent of instant coffee make coffee easier to make and more accessible, but its presence in the United States military also invoked a sense of nationalism, further increasing its popularity and consumption. Instant coffee directly caused a rise in the intake of coffee by the citizens of the United States and therefore factors into the present social problem surrounding coffee. Large amounts of coffee consumption prove to cause harmful health effects. Due to an increase in popularity of coffee throughout its history in the United States, coffee consumption rates increased, leading to the current social matter of a heightened number of individuals in American society at risk to major health problems.
One of the Problems With Cattle
The Humane Slaughter Act of 1958 was an important movement in the cattle industry. The act required farmers to treat their cattle more humanely at the time of their death. This included animals being “stunned into unconsciousness prior to their slaughter to ensure a quick, relatively painless death” (Humane 3). People were concerned with what was happening to the animals they were eating, prior to be being on their plate. The cattle industry took notice of this change and began moving towards different advertising strategies. In 1978 the Humane Slaughter Act was reformed, and the movement towards different advertising for cattle continued. The reformation called for even stricter humane requirements of cattle.
Consumers that helped the act become reformed wanted the healthiest meat possible, while still protecting the animals. Advertising and marketing for cattle pushed the labels of “organic” and “free-range” farms on these caring consumers. The advertisements lead consumers to believe that the products with these labels mean the meat is healthier, because it is hormone free. Also, consumers believe it is better for the animals since they are raised on a “free-range” farm. Neither of these beliefs are actually true. However, the cattle companies are doing nothing to correct the image of “healthier” or “safer” meat, because they are making a large profit.
Consumers that helped the act become reformed wanted the healthiest meat possible, while still protecting the animals. Advertising and marketing for cattle pushed the labels of “organic” and “free-range” farms on these caring consumers. The advertisements lead consumers to believe that the products with these labels mean the meat is healthier, because it is hormone free. Also, consumers believe it is better for the animals since they are raised on a “free-range” farm. Neither of these beliefs are actually true. However, the cattle companies are doing nothing to correct the image of “healthier” or “safer” meat, because they are making a large profit.
opium problem
The main problem today with opium is that it is fueling terrorists. Specifically, the fact that our anti-terrorist actions as a country are working counter-productively to fuel the hatred of the US and to fund the people who hate us. This problem really began after September 11 when president Bush declared a war on terror, which meant a war in Iraq, which meant occupying forces everywhere in the middle east, including Afghanistan. The occupying troops in Afghanistan and the occupation in general of the middle easy caused chaos and led to many taliban members to flee afghanistan to go into hiding. Before this happened, the Taliban controlled the production of opium very much like gangs control the distribution of drugs in America. With many Taliban members gone, more and more farmers could take up growing and selling Opium, the most lucrative thing to grow as a farmer. In addition, these farmers and others in Afghanistan began to change their ideological way of thinking. Farmers who were once very non-political or moderate have now gotten very angry that their homeland is being taken over by foreign forces, and now that they are making decent money selling opium, are more inclined to contribute some of their income to the Taliban and their Anti-American efforts.
Need for Pesticides
The popularization of a single breed of banana is directly linked to the current problem of workers rights in the banana industry. Currently, workers are not being properly informed of the dangers of working with pesticides, and are not being provided proper protection by their supervisors when they are in contact with pesticides.
The breed of banana popularized in the United States is derived from a line of bananas first pioneered by a Jamaican man named Jean Pouyat in 1837. This breed line has the Gros Michel rhizome in it, which is a genetically inherited component. Due to the genetic need for bananas to be related in order to inherit this component, the line of bananas has very little gene variation. The lack of gene variation in a plant does not allow it to evolve along with its predators, thus making it more susceptible to diseases and pests. Since this same gene pool for bananas has been in circulation for over a hundred years, these plants are susceptible to a variety of diseases that have perfected the art of attacking them, the main two of which are Panama disease and Sigatoka disease. This low gene variation is significant because it causes them to need extra human care. In order for the bananas to survive these diseases, they must be sprayed with pesticides by workers. These pesticides can cause harm to the workers if they are not properly equipped with protection. If it were not for the popularization of a particular banana breed, then there would be no need for workers to be put in harm’s way to spray the plants, because the bananas would be allowed to naturally co-evolve with their pests.
The breed of banana popularized in the United States is derived from a line of bananas first pioneered by a Jamaican man named Jean Pouyat in 1837. This breed line has the Gros Michel rhizome in it, which is a genetically inherited component. Due to the genetic need for bananas to be related in order to inherit this component, the line of bananas has very little gene variation. The lack of gene variation in a plant does not allow it to evolve along with its predators, thus making it more susceptible to diseases and pests. Since this same gene pool for bananas has been in circulation for over a hundred years, these plants are susceptible to a variety of diseases that have perfected the art of attacking them, the main two of which are Panama disease and Sigatoka disease. This low gene variation is significant because it causes them to need extra human care. In order for the bananas to survive these diseases, they must be sprayed with pesticides by workers. These pesticides can cause harm to the workers if they are not properly equipped with protection. If it were not for the popularization of a particular banana breed, then there would be no need for workers to be put in harm’s way to spray the plants, because the bananas would be allowed to naturally co-evolve with their pests.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Week 5: Pulling Teeth
Having taken this course multiple times, I could write a good deal about what I like and do not like about it. But I will restrict myself to just a few.
Firstly, I am very, very glad that they have allowed the option of taking this course online. From the first time I took this course, I thought it should be available online rather than in class as so much outside time is necessary to complete the course. I took a writing course at my community college online and it was the greatest thing ever because we only met once at the start, during the middle, and at the end of the semester. In saying that I am I glad this course is online, I do not agree that we should have a mandatory meeting every week. I think that still slightly defeats the purpose of having the course online. I think that if students want help figuring things out, they should just be able to contact the instructor individually and keep open communication with their fellow students. I also believe that instructors’ office hours can add to that help; students can visit their instructor if they need to.
Secondly, we’ve been told as students that a letter grade is what it is regardless of the symbols that follow it (e.g. an A is technically still an A whether it has a + or – or nothing after it). Therefore, I think it is superfluous that the prerequisite grade for this course in 39B or any equivalent course is a B or better, not B- or better. I received B- in 39B, and was not concerning by grades in my coursework, but my attendance. As with this course, I felt in 39B my time was better used outside the classroom doing my work on my time and not having to be involved with redundant discussions about a website that we did not have to use every function for, and could explore and ask questions about on our own. Also, I did not (and still do not) feel it necessary to take every class to review every bit of the syllabus and everything to do with the entire course when that time could be used to work on our assignments.
Also, on a more personal level, I unfortunately have not been interested in any of the reading that I have been given. It took me a few times to read the initial book I was required (Nickel and Dimed) before I retained any information from it. I eventually bought the book-on-CD to help me. And I was really ready at this point to take the course for one last time, and then I was given another book that I again was uninterested in. I could go on for a lot longer, but the bottom line is this course has been like pulling teeth without being sedated--for me anyway.
Friday, February 15, 2008
so far...
I first want to start with what I absolutely love about this class and highly appreciate, less busy work. My roommate is also in a hybrid 39C class right now, but every night it seems she has random busy work assignments that we never do. I really appreciate that we don’t have these assignments because it allows me to focus on the bigger assignments. However, I’m not sure if it’s the way the class is designed, but I always feel very confused when it comes to writing the papers. I was more confused on the last one than this one, but I feel like there isn’t enough direction. Personally, I would rather spend class time on the structure and content of the paper, rather that what not to do, or reading others examples. While those are both very helpful, I feel like they are things we could do on our own time to help ourselves. Another thing, that I am sure is just part of the class, is the fact that the plant we pick the first day is the plant we are stuck with. I just feel like even though all of the essays are based on different aspects of the plant, after a while of researching, it all blends together. It is becoming very difficult to differentiate the two, while trying to not be repetitive. I like the weekly blog topics much much more than the 39B topics because I feel like these are more personal and less structured. Overall, I am slightly struggling to keep up, which is something very new for me. I need to prioritize more because meeting once a week is actually causing me fall behind. Hopefully it will all work out in the end.
Monday, February 11, 2008
So far..
Hey guys,
Well, so far this writing class "owns" all my previous writing classes, wwith majority of the reason being the sudden change of the in-class essay to in-home essay. This also happens to be my first online course, and although i've slacked a little bit (and i can totally see how easy it is to slack..) its still a lot better than walking to class three times a week and staying in class. The blogger idea, while pretty unique and cool, is still pretty hard for me to get used to. I was never a blogging-type of person, so i guess checking this every week can be quite a responsibility. Either way, this is probably as good as a writing class gets. I mean, not many people get to choose topics to write and research on, and yet alone write the assignments at home!? nice.
My favorite part so far was the video clips we watched in class. Not many people get to watch clips on wikiality from the Colbert Report and disney films, with it being related to class material!
Some things that are hard about the class is still the rigorous research that i've still not perfected, the blogging that i constantly forget about until the night its due, and also the fact that i dont use gmail, so i have to try extra hard to remember my gmail and writing studio passwords. Other than the work that i dont want to do, the technological difficulties, and laziness, this is the best writing class i've taken so far. SO FAR.!
Well, so far this writing class "owns" all my previous writing classes, wwith majority of the reason being the sudden change of the in-class essay to in-home essay. This also happens to be my first online course, and although i've slacked a little bit (and i can totally see how easy it is to slack..) its still a lot better than walking to class three times a week and staying in class. The blogger idea, while pretty unique and cool, is still pretty hard for me to get used to. I was never a blogging-type of person, so i guess checking this every week can be quite a responsibility. Either way, this is probably as good as a writing class gets. I mean, not many people get to choose topics to write and research on, and yet alone write the assignments at home!? nice.
My favorite part so far was the video clips we watched in class. Not many people get to watch clips on wikiality from the Colbert Report and disney films, with it being related to class material!
Some things that are hard about the class is still the rigorous research that i've still not perfected, the blogging that i constantly forget about until the night its due, and also the fact that i dont use gmail, so i have to try extra hard to remember my gmail and writing studio passwords. Other than the work that i dont want to do, the technological difficulties, and laziness, this is the best writing class i've taken so far. SO FAR.!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Class is .... "whatevers" .... o.o
Hey!
We're halfway done guys! Five more weeks to go... So far, this class has been cool. I think Diana is a pretty "sick" teacher (that's a good thing). I enjoyed writing my in-class essay on my couch... who wouldn't? There was less pressure and the atmosphere was a lot more comfortable. The research so far has been ... miserable, but it's not that bad. I'm learning a lot about the drug and its history from different countries, but findings tend to get repetitive. I do wonder what kind of grade I'm getting so far though because we don't turn in many things so our grades aren't posted. This is the "chill-est" class I have this quarter, so I guess you can say it is my favorite class for spring quarter. Yay for writing! I also really enjoy the little comedy clips we watch in class. All of those have been quite entertaining so far... keep it up "teach." The class in general is pretty cool, all of you guys are cool from what I see. We don't really know each other that well even for a small class, since we only see each other once a week. I was wondering, "Do any of you go online and chat on gmail?" I don't even know how to use gmail chat, but if any of you do chat on it, tell me so I can try to make an attempt. ( I don't want to use gmail if there's no point.) Lastly, I really like this way of blogging better than using the writing studio. This is so much more convenient and practical. Yay for gblogger!!!
We're halfway done guys! Five more weeks to go... So far, this class has been cool. I think Diana is a pretty "sick" teacher (that's a good thing). I enjoyed writing my in-class essay on my couch... who wouldn't? There was less pressure and the atmosphere was a lot more comfortable. The research so far has been ... miserable, but it's not that bad. I'm learning a lot about the drug and its history from different countries, but findings tend to get repetitive. I do wonder what kind of grade I'm getting so far though because we don't turn in many things so our grades aren't posted. This is the "chill-est" class I have this quarter, so I guess you can say it is my favorite class for spring quarter. Yay for writing! I also really enjoy the little comedy clips we watch in class. All of those have been quite entertaining so far... keep it up "teach." The class in general is pretty cool, all of you guys are cool from what I see. We don't really know each other that well even for a small class, since we only see each other once a week. I was wondering, "Do any of you go online and chat on gmail?" I don't even know how to use gmail chat, but if any of you do chat on it, tell me so I can try to make an attempt. ( I don't want to use gmail if there's no point.) Lastly, I really like this way of blogging better than using the writing studio. This is so much more convenient and practical. Yay for gblogger!!!
This is as good as it gets, I guess
This class is awesome….or at least as awesome as it can get for being a writing class. I’ve taken online classes before, but never a hybrid one, and I like the idea of it. I like how we don’t waste time in class, and how the group work is quick and painless. I feel like class time is more like clarification time, and is more fun than a normal class would be. This is good because class seems to move along quickly, probably because we have no time to waste, and we are guided in our research process without having to turn in every step along the way. This works well because I think this course, itself, lends itself to a hybrid environment in that we are all expected to write on different things, and there is a very independent course of study for each of us. As far as the technical aspects of the class go, I like that we use blogger instead of writing studio, and I also like how there are different media incorporated into each meeting. For example, in a single class session we will watch a video online, write on the white board, and work individually on the computer. I think this keeps things moving and keeps us alert. The things I don’t like about this class are things that are not about to change: the amount of research, the drafts of papers, the fact it is a writing class….but since none of this is about to change anytime soon, I’d have to admit that this class is as good as it gets, and actually feel like I’m improving my research skills.
writing class
Taking this class has been pretty good for me so far. I wanted to take it because I wanted to be able to fit in 20 units this quarter and that can be hard to do when you're trying to find a time for specific classes to fit in somewhere. So for me, the idea of a hybrid was perfect. I really like the fact that the one time a week we do meet I haven't felt like any of the time was wasted doing what I would consider "busy work" or activities that don't really help improve my writing skills. I really like the fact that we have so much time to do things on our own independent schedules, which of course is incredibly convenient. The only downside for me in taking a once a week hybrid class has been feeling like I sometimes am unsure of what's due or where I should be at in my research, things like that, because in a regular 3 times a week, or even 2 times a week class you get constant reminding of when papers are due, etc. Sometimes if there isn't a paper due or if I've already finished the work for that week I almost forget that I will have class on Tuesday, because it's not a regular thing like all of my other classes. Overall, though, the pros of this class definately outweigh the cons and I think that having a class like this is a really good idea - I think that it sort of forces you to be more independent and be responsible for yourself.
I like Writing........... NOT!
I don't really like writing classes in UC Irvine because of strict preset course syllabus. I am fortunate to have instructors in 39B and 39C that think the syllabus stinks and are there to actually help us to improve writing opposed to just to meet the requirements. My 39A instructor sucked because we had to cover every single things in the syllabus and i didn't really learn anything. I don't really have any problems with the class because anything that's better than my 39A class, I am happy. I like the fact that we only meet 10 times per quarter and the instructor tries very hard to make the meetings as dense as possible. It feels like we haven't wasted any time yet. Hybrid class is a type of class that fits me because it allows me to work more for the class than I normally do.
In this class, I learned a lot of valuable tools because I am applying what i learn in the class to my other classes already. I have to write research papers for my art history classes and this class was very helpful in assisting me to obtain credible sources. Even though we do different types of research, it helped me tremendously in doing research and it saved me a lot of time. I am mad at different formatting because not everyone uses MLA formatting and it varies professor to professor but they all think its universal. Anyways, this class is crucial to my college learning experience and it is a useful knowledge that I have in my arsenal.
Only problem I have in the class is the blogging. I hate this blogging thing because its worth so much points. If it was only worth like 2%, I would definitely not do it but 10% is too much for me to not care. I don't really see the point in blogging and it ruins my weekend. I don't want to think about school on Saturdays and Sundays but I have to turn my computer on and write about something i don't care about every Sunday night. Plus, I don't learn anything. Good thing theres only 10 of them but its type of busy work that i don't enjoy. I'm sure instructors grading this don't enjoy it and see any sort of point in it. Therefore, I see it as a complete waste of time that's just thrown in the syllabus to make sure that students have something to do and instructors earn their money to make department heads feel like they're doing something. However, I like how in this class we don't really care about blogging as much as other classes. My be I'm wrong but I don't treat this like an assignment. I don't proof read, I just write what I feel like writing. Hopefully I get at least half credit every time I do this.
I don't like WR39 series but instructors who teach them make it better and worth it. I like this class because my instructor actually cares about me and she seem to enjoy teaching it as much as i am "thrilled" to take this class. It makes this class that much easier to get through and help me to actually use it in my advantage. I'm beginning to see why the university require me to take this class, sort of.
In this class, I learned a lot of valuable tools because I am applying what i learn in the class to my other classes already. I have to write research papers for my art history classes and this class was very helpful in assisting me to obtain credible sources. Even though we do different types of research, it helped me tremendously in doing research and it saved me a lot of time. I am mad at different formatting because not everyone uses MLA formatting and it varies professor to professor but they all think its universal. Anyways, this class is crucial to my college learning experience and it is a useful knowledge that I have in my arsenal.
Only problem I have in the class is the blogging. I hate this blogging thing because its worth so much points. If it was only worth like 2%, I would definitely not do it but 10% is too much for me to not care. I don't really see the point in blogging and it ruins my weekend. I don't want to think about school on Saturdays and Sundays but I have to turn my computer on and write about something i don't care about every Sunday night. Plus, I don't learn anything. Good thing theres only 10 of them but its type of busy work that i don't enjoy. I'm sure instructors grading this don't enjoy it and see any sort of point in it. Therefore, I see it as a complete waste of time that's just thrown in the syllabus to make sure that students have something to do and instructors earn their money to make department heads feel like they're doing something. However, I like how in this class we don't really care about blogging as much as other classes. My be I'm wrong but I don't treat this like an assignment. I don't proof read, I just write what I feel like writing. Hopefully I get at least half credit every time I do this.
I don't like WR39 series but instructors who teach them make it better and worth it. I like this class because my instructor actually cares about me and she seem to enjoy teaching it as much as i am "thrilled" to take this class. It makes this class that much easier to get through and help me to actually use it in my advantage. I'm beginning to see why the university require me to take this class, sort of.
Writing Class
When I decided to enroll in the hybrid class, I really didn't know anything about the difference between a hybrid and a regular class. Last quarter I had taken a class that met once at the beggining of the quarter, and once in the middle of the quarter for a midterm, and the rest of it was done online. I had originally thought that this class might be like that, but I think its actually better that we meet every week. This class is nice because we have enough in class time to discuss important issues, but not too much in class time which leads to us having to do assignments in class that could just as easily be done at a more convenient time. I liked that we did not have to do the in class essay in class as well, because it relieved a lot of the pressure that is usually associated with an essay "test".
One thing that troubles me about the class is that it is harder to stay connected with what is going on for this class. During the week, I sometimes forget that I'm even in this class, and have to catch up on the work. Sometimes I feel like I don't really know what I should be doing for the class, but I continue with my research and working on the drafts and other various assignments that we are given to do. I am not a very big fan of doing group work, but my opinion of group work has been biased from past years of doing group work. The group work in this class isn't as painful as some other group projects I've done, because what we do in this class are usually short assignments.
Another thing that I am not very fond of is the writing studio, but so far it seems like we haven't been putting very much emphasis on using it. I do like using blogger, it seems straight forward and easy enough. The blog topics that we are given are easy to write about, and also pretty interesting. Overall, I would have to say that I like the way this class is run.
One thing that troubles me about the class is that it is harder to stay connected with what is going on for this class. During the week, I sometimes forget that I'm even in this class, and have to catch up on the work. Sometimes I feel like I don't really know what I should be doing for the class, but I continue with my research and working on the drafts and other various assignments that we are given to do. I am not a very big fan of doing group work, but my opinion of group work has been biased from past years of doing group work. The group work in this class isn't as painful as some other group projects I've done, because what we do in this class are usually short assignments.
Another thing that I am not very fond of is the writing studio, but so far it seems like we haven't been putting very much emphasis on using it. I do like using blogger, it seems straight forward and easy enough. The blog topics that we are given are easy to write about, and also pretty interesting. Overall, I would have to say that I like the way this class is run.
Likes and Dislikes
Thus far, I have many likes and only a few dislikes surrounding this writing class. The fact that this class is a hybrid class is one aspect which I greatly enjoy because I feel that it allows for more productive work that relates to the entire class to be completed during class time and more individualized and personal work to be finished on one's own time. I also like that we don't do assignments in class, which allots more time to discussion that helps us later when writing our papers. Another characteristic of the class that I believe is very beneficial is spending much of the time critiquing a few theses, papers, or ideas, evaluating them and giving input on how to make them better. This helps me critique my own work better and know what questions to ask myself in regards to whether I covered all aspects of the prompt for a specific assignment. So far, one dislike I have is the amount of time I initially spent finding sources in the library but now when I look back, I see that it was actually really helpful.
Group work is probably my favorite part of this class because it aids me in my understanding of assignments by gaining answers and perspectives from my peers. Small groups also create a more comfortable environment for me to feel free to ask my most pertinent questions and focus on the issues most relevant to me. It also allows more of a discussion about the topics of the class and what is desired in the papers so that I am less confused about the requirements and am able to focus more on the information my paper will convey and how I will present it to the reader. I have always struggled with writing so this clarification has made me more confident in my work.
I also enjoy the blog assignments with regard to their focus and format because I am able to write in my own voice and express my own opinions and feelings. I feel more secure with my writing because there is no right or wrong answer. I don't like how we are solely writing on one topic for the entire quarter but the research does help because it gives me a chance to branch out on my ideas. It has also taught me a lot because I am used to only using my own knowledge bank when coming up with ideas in my papers but with additional research, I am able to apply new information to my initial proposals for the assignments.
What I like about writing...
Writing classes have always held an idea in my head of monotony because of the form, structure and group activities that have never appealed to me. While I do enjoy writing, I do not care for most academic writing classes, because I feel like the writing is so contrived and formulated that there is not a lot of room for creativity, which is what I like best. The research we are doing in class does have a structure of what we are supposed to write about, but I feel as though we have more freedom to write however we want, as long as we hit the points we are supposed to. This is in large part due to freedom from the five paragraph essay.
One thing that has been bothersome to me is that I feel like I don’t always know what’s going on; like when things are due, what’s coming up, etc. I know we are moving quickly through the quarter, but I feel confused on what chapters in Pollan we should read and by when, when different papers will be do, and different assignments we have are due. This bothers me because I like to plan things out and know what is due and when. I think I just need to pay more careful attention and infer things more.
One thing I really like about this class is that we meet only once a week for an hour and twenty minutes rather than a three hour lecture, like most once a week classes. I feel as though this really cuts down on the amount of “busy work” activities like we did in 39B. Having class once a week holds me more accountable for getting my work done, which actually helps me budget my time better, because I know I have to get stuff done if there are other things going on that I want to do.
One thing that has been bothersome to me is that I feel like I don’t always know what’s going on; like when things are due, what’s coming up, etc. I know we are moving quickly through the quarter, but I feel confused on what chapters in Pollan we should read and by when, when different papers will be do, and different assignments we have are due. This bothers me because I like to plan things out and know what is due and when. I think I just need to pay more careful attention and infer things more.
One thing I really like about this class is that we meet only once a week for an hour and twenty minutes rather than a three hour lecture, like most once a week classes. I feel as though this really cuts down on the amount of “busy work” activities like we did in 39B. Having class once a week holds me more accountable for getting my work done, which actually helps me budget my time better, because I know I have to get stuff done if there are other things going on that I want to do.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
This Writing Class!
This is my first writing class, and I don’t like writing, but I actually don’t mind coming to this class every Tuesday. I like the way the class is loosely structured, with writing strategies, discussions about the book, fun clips from YouTube or Comedy Central, and class discussions. I enjoy the book we are reading and like that it is easy to actually relate to instead of a stale outdated text. The intimate setting of the classroom allows us to interact with one another, hear one other’s opinions in a discussion setting rather than sitting and listening to the teacher speak for an hour and a half. This allows us to enjoy ourselves, sharing funny ideas and examples. I like the fact that it’s not a traditional classroom. It makes group work seem less tedious, without having to apathetically move around desks to face the stranger next to you.
I dislike Writing Studio, and don’t really understand the point of using it for this class, having to figure it out for only a one-quarter class. I’d much rather use the EEE listserv to get information on assignments since we are already familiar with it as UCI students. The personal nature of our blog assignments are enjoyable, so that we can share our opinions and views, including what we think of the class. I like the set up of Blogger and like that each post is displayed with a place to post comments for each post. I’ve never used it before, but it’s really easy to navigate, unlike Writing Studio. All in all, I like the class thus far. I just don’t enjoy navigating around Writing Studio
Some things I like... some things I don't like
Writing 39C has been a challenging class for me just because I'm not much of a "writing person." I don't like to write and when assigned to write essays, I dread it. The thing that I like about this class is that it's a hybrid class, which only meets once a week. I like the fact that I could save gas (because I commute), have more hours to work, and be more independent. I also like meeting my peers (especially assigned to group projects) and getting to know them. I don't like reading as well when its assigned for school, because I like to read for fun. However, this book, has been pretty good so far. I also don't like researching for hours, but when going to the drop-in-library session, it really helped to know what other peers used for their essays, and how to research, so you don't have to spend hours and hours trying to find a particular topic when helpful databases are given to you. I also like how the blog posts are a way of writing to my peers and professor, and it's a little personal- I can write about my thoughts and how I feel. I also like the fact that the professor shows particular films or videos related to the particular subject or topic that the professor wants to prove or a way that we can understand and learn.
Pros and Cons
Writing 39C is a unique class in that we will only meet ten times this entire quarter. There are both pros and cons to this hybrid writing class. I like the fact that the class meets once a week, and then works independently for the remainder of the week. With work three or four times a week and three other classes, it is nice to get class work done at my apartment. I also like that even though we only meet once a week, it is easy to ask questions and get clarification via email and EEE. I think that communication outside of class is important.
A con that I have found in this class was the focus and start of the in-class essay prompt. Once it was explained a couple times, I caught on and it became clearer. Although it is interesting to learn more and more things about my plant, I wish we could write about other subjects. I believe writing and researching on other subjects would help expand my writing skills. Also, it is sometimes confusing as to when the assignments are due, whether in or outside of class. Lastly, I do not think it is necessary to have Blogger as well as Writing Studio. I find Writing Studio confusing and hard to navigate. However, Blogger has become easier to handle and the format is straight forward.
As the weeks have passed by, I have become more immune to the schedule and routine of the class. I enjoy that the class has a small number; it makes learning more personal.
Blog 5
My favorite thing about this class is only meeting once a week. This allows class to be more productive and informative versus slow and merely busy work. Spending less time in class also provides me with more time to get my studying/homework done and provides more flexibility in my schedule to work. The small class size is great because it’s easier to ask questions and allows us to work in groups. I did not enjoy the library research tutorial. Though the information was useful, the tutorial was time consuming and could have easily been provided in one of our regular class sessions. Blog posts are good assignments because they are generally opinion based and not strict on format. However, the main aspect of this class, the research papers, are somewhat stressful for me since the two main papers are half our grade. Writing is something you cannot study for, you have to do your best to present a good argument and present it convincingly and appropriately to your target audience. However, it’s a good thing that we are turning drafts in first so we can improve our writing and work our way to a good paper.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
O-P-I-U-M
Releasing my frustration: GAARRRR!!! THIS PAPER WAS ..... GGGAAARRRR!!! OK, I've let it all out.
The coolest thing I learned about Opium poppy is that Canadians wear poppies on "Veterans Day" or Remembrance Day. It is a symbol of the author's (Lieutenant John McCrae) friend's death and Canadian school children recite the poem on that particular day. And of course, the fact that opium causes infertility rate to decrease (my thesis.)
I picked opium because it was ok. I mean, I didn't dislike it, so I guess it's ok learning about it. After I heard the other theses from the opium group, I chose to write something different from them. I was researching opium and reading the different titles of the articles, while keeping in mind that I had to write something that would catch the readers' attention. So... " Opium is negatively correlated with infertility rates". I thought that this would catch readers' attention.
I didn't know what about at first, because I had so many options. Because everyone else on Opium was writing about how the plant politically affecting a particular group of people, I wanted to reach out to everyone. I went back and researched on its health effects and came across some studies. So I decided to write about that with a brief history of addictions mentioned in the bible and the Muslim culture. After writing my paper, I felt that something was wrong with my conclusion....like it wasn't strong enough. Sometimes, you get that feeling when you're writing when you want to mention all of these random, but interesting facts that may help sway the readers to your side. I felt that I had a lot of those in my essays, and that my essay wasn't as organized as it could be if I could have spent more time on it. Oh well... did anyone else get the feeling that you were some kind of advertiser as you were writing this paper?
The coolest thing I learned about Opium poppy is that Canadians wear poppies on "Veterans Day" or Remembrance Day. It is a symbol of the author's (Lieutenant John McCrae) friend's death and Canadian school children recite the poem on that particular day. And of course, the fact that opium causes infertility rate to decrease (my thesis.)
I picked opium because it was ok. I mean, I didn't dislike it, so I guess it's ok learning about it. After I heard the other theses from the opium group, I chose to write something different from them. I was researching opium and reading the different titles of the articles, while keeping in mind that I had to write something that would catch the readers' attention. So... " Opium is negatively correlated with infertility rates". I thought that this would catch readers' attention.
I didn't know what about at first, because I had so many options. Because everyone else on Opium was writing about how the plant politically affecting a particular group of people, I wanted to reach out to everyone. I went back and researched on its health effects and came across some studies. So I decided to write about that with a brief history of addictions mentioned in the bible and the Muslim culture. After writing my paper, I felt that something was wrong with my conclusion....like it wasn't strong enough. Sometimes, you get that feeling when you're writing when you want to mention all of these random, but interesting facts that may help sway the readers to your side. I felt that I had a lot of those in my essays, and that my essay wasn't as organized as it could be if I could have spent more time on it. Oh well... did anyone else get the feeling that you were some kind of advertiser as you were writing this paper?
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Paper Progress
When we first went around the classroom and chose our plants, I chose the coca plant mainly because I thought it would be interesting to learn about and easy to research. Well, it turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong. After hours of researching with nothing interesting to show for it, I decided to switch to opium poppy. While researching I found tons of interesting facts, but the most shocking was learning that America’s consumption of opium is funding the Taliban.
I would have never thought in a million that poppy plants would be contributing to the war on terror. I was originally searching the term “opium poppy” on the library database, but everything that popped up was somehow related to Afghanistan. Once I noticed this, I began searching terms related to both opium poppy and Afghanistan, which is where I learned that opium provides 30% of their economy. This topic struck my interest because it is different than the everyday topic, a very current issue that most citizens as well as the government are concerned with, and it is information that the average person does not know.
After I knew the area I wanted to focus on, the problem came with the research. Most of the information that I found was in news articles or magazines. It was very difficult to piece all of my findings together because most of the research was just talking about the current problem in Iraq. I had to look for the events/ history leading up to the problem and Americas role in contributing to the issue.
Eventually, after I got a feel for the timeline of events, I began researching certain topics in depth to fully understand everything. For example, it took me hours of research to understand why the United States couldn’t just spray pesticides on the poppy fields and be done with the problem. After searching various specific terms, such as “pesticide harm in Afghanistan,” I slowly began to find information on how pesticides would hurt the economy, farmers, as well as the environment. Then the problem was finding how the pesticide hurt farmers and why they couldn’t grow other plants. My research basically progressed slowly, but I always eventually found what I was looking for.
I feel like this paper is forcing me to truly understand the difference between legitimate websites and faulty ones. I am now realizing how many different sites there are with bias information that seems true. I am absolutely in love with the online resources the library provides, which I will probably be using for the rest of my life.
I would have never thought in a million that poppy plants would be contributing to the war on terror. I was originally searching the term “opium poppy” on the library database, but everything that popped up was somehow related to Afghanistan. Once I noticed this, I began searching terms related to both opium poppy and Afghanistan, which is where I learned that opium provides 30% of their economy. This topic struck my interest because it is different than the everyday topic, a very current issue that most citizens as well as the government are concerned with, and it is information that the average person does not know.
After I knew the area I wanted to focus on, the problem came with the research. Most of the information that I found was in news articles or magazines. It was very difficult to piece all of my findings together because most of the research was just talking about the current problem in Iraq. I had to look for the events/ history leading up to the problem and Americas role in contributing to the issue.
Eventually, after I got a feel for the timeline of events, I began researching certain topics in depth to fully understand everything. For example, it took me hours of research to understand why the United States couldn’t just spray pesticides on the poppy fields and be done with the problem. After searching various specific terms, such as “pesticide harm in Afghanistan,” I slowly began to find information on how pesticides would hurt the economy, farmers, as well as the environment. Then the problem was finding how the pesticide hurt farmers and why they couldn’t grow other plants. My research basically progressed slowly, but I always eventually found what I was looking for.
I feel like this paper is forcing me to truly understand the difference between legitimate websites and faulty ones. I am now realizing how many different sites there are with bias information that seems true. I am absolutely in love with the online resources the library provides, which I will probably be using for the rest of my life.
Cattle production and water
In researching the effect of cattle on our water supply, finding out how much water goes into the production of such a small amount of meat is definitely interesting. It has been easy finding academic sources specific to this topic because most of the activist-based information centers on the ills of consuming animal products or animal rights, whereas the affect on water supply is mostly scientific, unbiased (for the most part) information. Statistics on energy lost from the production of cattle meat have been pretty interesting. I found that the energy input to protein output ratio for chicken production is 4:1 whereas the ratio for cattle is 54:1, which makes sense considering that the cow is such a larger animal with more brain function.
Roadblocks I’ve run into while researching the effect on the cattle industry on water supply, is that most of the information regarding cattle is directed more towards animal rights. I think I have to look at more books that are specific to this information rather than referring back to articles. A lot of the articles report on the scientific levels of pollution, which is good to have in a paper, but holds a lot of useless information to me. It is also interesting running into websites and organizations that are pro-beef and pro-cattle farming that have scientific research backing up that cattle production is good for the environment, that only 2.6 pounds of grain is used to produce a pound of beef in developed countries and 0.3 pounds in developing countries.
I actually became vegetarian after taking a one-unit course, Water Crisis in the West. A tiny side piece of information I got from the class was the fact that tens of thousands of gallons of water is necessary for the production of a single eight ounce steak. It was actually the only piece of information from the whole course that stuck with me. I grew up eating a lot of meat, but decided afterwards to stop for environmental reasons, though now I am obviously aware of the moral and animal rights for cutting back consumption of animal products.
Banana Research
Researching bananas was a bit of a challenge, but nonetheless, I didn't know that workers had to spray a certian pesticide to have the banana ripen and be sent out to consumers. Also, if you look carefully at the blue sticker on bananas from the Chiquita company, they have that certain Latin American woman on it, which is suppose to represent a famous singer, Carmen. (There were a lot of stereotypes of Latin American woman, and the Chiquita girl got really popular). I can use this information by showing the historical facts and why bananas were popular in my essay just as Polland wrote about Johnny Appleseed. I found this information by researching online at the databases and by looking at the course reserves at ANTPAC. I found all this information by going to the library drop-in session, and saw what other students were using to research bananas last year (course reserve) and by browsing through some of the books by looking at the table of contents and what most suited for my thesis. In class, the professor mentioned something about Carmen Miranda and so, I researched her up looking at historical facts about bananas and how they came to be. I also looked at particular databases like Worldwide Political Science Abstracts and Expanded Academic ASAP. On the essay, I had to keep on reminding myself what my main focus was on the essay and what I was trying to convince my readers. This essay was challenging in a way to not make it a five paragraph essay and be strong and not have a passive voice.
My Opium Research
I chose the Opium Poppy as the plant I would be researching because I presumed that there would be a lot of issues with it, and that most of the issues would be current and interesting. So far, this has been the case. It has been easy to find interesting information. From what I already knew about the plant, I was able to start searching broadly, and when I saw something interesting or relevant in the articles I found in a broad search, I changed my search terms.
I think the most interesting piece of information I have found so far is that opium actually used to be eaten by the wealthy in China, and that way it was not very addictive. I read that they did not start smoking it until they were introduced to tobacco for smoking, which lead to the trend of smoking the opium as well. I think this is valuable information because it shows a major point in the developement of Opium's use as a highly addictive drug, which is the major problem with it today. Another thing that I found out was that the major problem with Opium is that the majority of it is from Afghanistan, and that is mainly what my research is based on now, but I'm not sure what value I would put on that information because it is so widely available and known, but I was just ignorant of it before.
The only frustration I have found in researching the opium poppy is the unreliability of websites that are found via google or yahoo etc. I started to notice that a lot of the sites I found had contradictions, and many of them did not look credible. A lot of the search results were things such as ways to try to get high from making tea out of the poppy seeds you buy in the store, and I don't think any credible source would discuss possible cheap ways to get high. For the most part, I have been using academic sources and books.
I think the most interesting piece of information I have found so far is that opium actually used to be eaten by the wealthy in China, and that way it was not very addictive. I read that they did not start smoking it until they were introduced to tobacco for smoking, which lead to the trend of smoking the opium as well. I think this is valuable information because it shows a major point in the developement of Opium's use as a highly addictive drug, which is the major problem with it today. Another thing that I found out was that the major problem with Opium is that the majority of it is from Afghanistan, and that is mainly what my research is based on now, but I'm not sure what value I would put on that information because it is so widely available and known, but I was just ignorant of it before.
The only frustration I have found in researching the opium poppy is the unreliability of websites that are found via google or yahoo etc. I started to notice that a lot of the sites I found had contradictions, and many of them did not look credible. A lot of the search results were things such as ways to try to get high from making tea out of the poppy seeds you buy in the store, and I don't think any credible source would discuss possible cheap ways to get high. For the most part, I have been using academic sources and books.
Researching Cattle
I chose my topic of cattle, because it is something I feel strongly about and felt as though I could relate to. I am a vegetarian and believe there are a multitude of problems with the meat industry, including cattle. Thus far, I have actually enjoyed researching my topic because I am interested in the information I have been finding. I have never done true research on the treatment and politics of animals, but I have found a plethora of really intriguing information. The information I have found has been eye opening for me, even though I always thought I knew more on the subject of meat production than the average person. What I have learned has solidified my belief in being a vegetarian and almost makes me not want to eat any animal products, but I'm not quite ready to go that far. My hope is to share this information with my reader and make them question the meat industry and its practices. The hardest part with my research has been having too much information, statistics, and examples to work with. When there is so much strong evidence and research it is hard for me to narrow down what information is most pertinent and would best support my argument. Another problem I have been working through is making a really strong case for why people should care and do something about what I am talking about. I have all this information, but if I don't make it personal, no one is going to care. I want to make sure I get people's attention and make them think. It also has been difficult for me not to let my personal feelings in too much. While I know I am supposed to argue a point, I feel like I want to tell my reader, "don't you see why you shouldn’t eat meat?" However, I realize I am not researching vegetarians or advocating that people should become one, just that there is a problem with the cattle industry and something needs to be done. I am happy with the topic I chose because it has been interesting and informative for myself and I hope to be able to share this information with others.
Tea
When I first started my research I couldn't really find any problems distinctive to tea. There are problems with tea such as unfair trade and labor issues but those issues are present in all imported products. I wasn't crazy about my research but as I tried to look for other topics, I ended up with a very narrow perspective. For that reason, I stuck with tea so I can bring attention to global politics by exploring the problems related to tea.
Library session helped me a lot with my research. I could not get any credible sources without using library's online data base because people who are concerned about tea problems tend to be people working for anti G8 or WTO political activist organizations. Through my research I learned to distinguish the intentions of the sources. For example, one of my source came from the CQ researcher article about FTC labeled tea products . The article talked about how much the FTC labeled products are fair to the producers of the tea and they hinted at the fact that the U.S government is doing a really good job. The article didn't directly say anything to promote U.S government, but the facts and voice the article presented made me feel like the U.S government really cares about Sri Lankan tea workers.
So far, I don't really like the work I have to put into but I find that I am learning important things that will help me in the future. I have to write lots of research papers in my art history classes and learning how to obtain valuable sources will save me a lot of time.
Library session helped me a lot with my research. I could not get any credible sources without using library's online data base because people who are concerned about tea problems tend to be people working for anti G8 or WTO political activist organizations. Through my research I learned to distinguish the intentions of the sources. For example, one of my source came from the CQ researcher article about FTC labeled tea products . The article talked about how much the FTC labeled products are fair to the producers of the tea and they hinted at the fact that the U.S government is doing a really good job. The article didn't directly say anything to promote U.S government, but the facts and voice the article presented made me feel like the U.S government really cares about Sri Lankan tea workers.
So far, I don't really like the work I have to put into but I find that I am learning important things that will help me in the future. I have to write lots of research papers in my art history classes and learning how to obtain valuable sources will save me a lot of time.
When I started writing my paper on opium I assumed it would be very straightforward - Drugs are bad, opium makes heroin, etc. As I did my research, though, I discovered things about the opium plant and its affects that were much more complicated and less black and white than my original "drugs are bad" idea. When I started searching I would just use "opium" as the keyword and get a lot of articles about the refinement process, stats on the number of users of heroin, general information on heroin. When I started using the phrase " problems with opium" (which was, after n all, the topic of the paper) I started getting more diverse articles and things that I had never heard of before. I guess I kind of stumbled onto the information that would eventually become the basis for my paper, that is, opium and terrorism and their link and co-dependence. The hardest part of writing the paper was deciding what to have prepared beforehand - what sources I should have ready, what parts of those sources would be the most relevent, and which sources and facts would be the most persuasive in convincing an audience of the severity and importance of my problem. I also wanted to find a newer perspective to use to address the problem. I didn't want to have the same paper as anyone else, so that posed a challenge as well.
Coffee Research
The plant in which I am researching and writing on is coffee. One of the most fascinating pieces of information that I have encountered is that coffee has the ability to magnify one's perceptiveness of stressful situations in his or her life. I always knew that coffee could make people jittery and hyper but I had not previously known that it could actually alter your anxiety levels. I, like the majority of individuals, drink coffee at least once everyday, so I particularly found this fact interesting because it pertains to me and I was able to learn more about how this beverage could be effecting my behavior. This detail also directly relates to the topic of my paper, which involves the negative heath effects associated with the consumption of coffee. It affects the many individuals who consume coffee and therefore grasps the reader's attention and makes him care about the health issues surrounding coffee.
My research process has included the use of the library databases primarily to find scholarly journals, articles, and magazines related to my topic as well as the Google search engines on the Internet, such as Google Scholar. The most helpful sources that I was able to use in my paper came from the library databases because they provided me with a vast amount of worthy and reliable journals and articles that specifically related to the issue of my paper. The Internet was useful as well but it was more difficult to determine the dependability and accuracy of the resulting sources. One of the roadblocks that I encountered was having to endlessly read through a lot of worthless material before finding information that directly relates to the issue and which is worthy of being used as solid evidence in my paper. I also had to continuously come up with and enter different key terms to find adequate sources.
As I found more sources, I would highlight key terms from them and use them in the search engine of the databases. This allowed me to overcome the problem of too many or too few results to read through. I am sure that people have encountered this time issue, but as more research is done, additional key terms come into view that more closely relate to the problem in which you are researching for, thereby allowing you to efficiently and rapidly find new sources.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Water in Rice Production
The most interesting think I have learned about rice so far is the irrigation technique required to grow the plant successfully. Large quantities of water are required to grow rice, and this will lead to a major water shortage in
Research on Bananas
So far in my research on bananas, I have tried to concentrate on the workers rights aspect of my fruit. I find it difficult to locate articles on the subject, since the workers are in third-world countries in South America and Asia. The hardest part about the research process, in my case, is weeding out the information that is relevant to my topic as I am taking a look at articles that are not completely relevant, or are perhaps all-inclusive, and only mention workers rights in one paragraph. The most interesting thing I have found out about bananas is that they are bombarded with a slew of chemicals. There are chemicals for properly ripening them, for keeping pests away, and for making them immune to the diseases in which they are prone. I am including this information into my essay with regard to workers rights because many of these chemicals are dangerous to workers, and they are not being given proper protection when using them. I found out how many chemicals are used on bananas by reading the articles on workers rights. The articles focused on a particular chemical and how it was bad for workers, and I happen to stumble upon the information regarding the purpose of the chemical. I would say that I have discovered most of my information by stumbling across it while reading articles that seemed not to fit with my topic well. This is my biggest roadblock, having to read articles that seem like they wouldn’t really fit my topic, because they are the ones that happen to have information I need. It is frustrating that banana-worker’s rights are only mentioned in about a paragraph of most of the articles I encounter, so I have to sift through all of the uselessness in order to get an article’s worth of information out of ten different articles. So far, though, I have been able to gather enough information to write an essay, and I hope that I am able to continue finding articles that are remotely relevant to my topic.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Researching Coffee
The most interesting point that I have learned about coffee is that when an addicted coffee consumer thinks there is no effect when drinking coffee, it is just that the body’s adrenal glands are exhausted that they have burned out. To me, that is a scary thought especially since I have felt that way before. I chose this piece of information to share because many consumers have felt “immune” to the coffee’s caffeine, but do not understand what the cause is and how damaging it is to the body.
This fact about coffee is helpful for my essay because it relates to coffee and the health hazards that come with it. I found this piece of information while browsing “coffee addiction” on Google. The site on which this information was located, NaturalNews.com, was not the first site listed. The first two sites did not give me much useful information. The third title on Google caught my attention: “The Hidden Dangers of Caffeine: How Coffee causes exhaustion…” Fortunately I had some luck with the third site, which did give me interesting information.
I know I can improve my researching skills by searching in more academic search engines, such as ones on the
Monday, January 28, 2008
Apollonian by nature, Dionysian by force
I am mostly Apollonian, and for that reason try really hard to be Dionysian in order to get stuff done. I love the outdoors, being silly, wild. Standing in the rain yesterday was wonderful. I don’t like to do what I’m supposed to do, what I know must get done, and getting things done on time. Staying on top of and on time with school work is a daily chore for me, as my last minute blog posts show!! My apartment doesn’t stay clean for too long, I try, but I feel like I am cleaning every single day. If I happen to skip a day, it’s that much worse! Structure is definitely not my friend; I find it hard to keep with things if I try to plan things out ahead of time. I love being surrounded by people, and building off their energies and ideas.
However, the very fact that I cannot get a hold of my responsibilities drives me crazy! I try to study, but then get so easily distracted, feel the need to clean my workspace, which leads to further distraction.. but getting back on track, I have to keep things under control in order to not be a complete waste of space. I have to keep multiple to-do lists, use my phone calendar as well as a personal calendar; reminding myself to clean my room when I can, try to consolidate my messes, and remember to put makeup on or simply brush my teeth.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Apollonian vs. Dionysian
There are many things that are apart of me that determines if I am an Apollonian or a Dionysian. For example, I like my desk organized and in order, but there are other times that when I'm trying to find something or if I feel lazy, I just leave it the way it is- papers stacked, photos scattered, and in a complete mess. Also, the way I put my clothes in a certain order or style, the way I organize my shoes, jewelry, and makeup. I have to always put everything in a certain way that when my moves it, it really bugs me, and this part of me I am an Apollonian.
However, there are other times that I am a Dionysian. For example, I love doing things in the spur of the moment. I like drinking and relaxing with my friends on the weekend- to be stress free from school and to be with my closest buddies. I like going to beach and watching the sunset, I would want to do so many things but the Apollonian side of me holds me back like going to school, finishing my homework before the due date, going to work and making money, doing chores, etc. I also feel guilty if I didn't do what I was suppose to do like not studying hard for a test and then when I get the results and I did poorly, I start to get disappointed in myself. I also like listening to music, watching online shows, movies, chatting with my friends, texting my friends, and talking to people. There are other times that I want to be alone and do my own thing. It's so hard to choose between an Apollonian and a Dionysian, but I think because we are all humans and because we're very complex, we are a mix of both.
However, there are other times that I am a Dionysian. For example, I love doing things in the spur of the moment. I like drinking and relaxing with my friends on the weekend- to be stress free from school and to be with my closest buddies. I like going to beach and watching the sunset, I would want to do so many things but the Apollonian side of me holds me back like going to school, finishing my homework before the due date, going to work and making money, doing chores, etc. I also feel guilty if I didn't do what I was suppose to do like not studying hard for a test and then when I get the results and I did poorly, I start to get disappointed in myself. I also like listening to music, watching online shows, movies, chatting with my friends, texting my friends, and talking to people. There are other times that I want to be alone and do my own thing. It's so hard to choose between an Apollonian and a Dionysian, but I think because we are all humans and because we're very complex, we are a mix of both.
Ok, not 100% ... but more of a Dionysian than Apollonian
I would consider myself more of a Dionysian than an Apollonian because I am the type of person who would prefer a comfortable natural way of life over a high-tech extravagant life. School and responsibility would be unnecessary because it’s all about having fun and being lazy, but I can’t really ditch those because they are needed for survival. I see life like this… if there is something I need to do to survive, I’ll do it. So I wouldn’t need the mansion, the Bugatti, or the Karl Kani clothes … just a plain white tee, a sweater, boxers, a pair of $30 jeans, and shoes will do. And I would definitely love to live outdoors, but bad weather can ruin it for me. (I heard it is illegal to live like a bum here in Irvine, so I could get in trouble for that … but I thought about tenting out in Aldrich Park if I could, and if the sprinklers were off.) Of course, I don’t live like a wild animal right now, but I do wish that sometimes I could. Life would be so much simpler (and peaceful) if all we had to do was survive.
I think a lot of people today lean towards an Apollonian style of life with technology leading the world to destruction within itself. I see an Apollonian as a person who doesn’t value nature, and probably unspiritual, disconnected from the essence of living as one with everything else around him. There are many good things to being a “successful” Apollonian because you would live a fancy life without a care in the world but yourself, which I see as kind of selfish. I consider other humans as part of nature too…
People may see a Dionysian as a lazy and unproductive person, but I wonder if the world would be a better place if everyone was more of a Dionysian than an Apollonian. What do you think?
100% Dionysian
100% Dionysian
I am 100% Dionysian…. That’s why I’m not going to do this blog because I’m drunk off my ... !!!
(just kidding, I posted another one above)
Dionysus and Apollo
I feel like I have a mental tug-of-war between my Dionysian and Apollonian tendencies. Growing up, I was not the best of students, and I almost never did homework at one point. I definitely did not care too much about school. It was not until later in high school and when I started going to college that I really got serious about doing work and being disciplined in my studies. Because I spent so much time without applying myself, I feel like I have a bit of Dionysus that will never leave me. Also, most of my friends are good representatives of the Dionysian lifestyle, and they tend to drag me back to that direction when I see them.
I try to avoid being Dionysian as much as possible. Ideally, I would like to be as much like Apollo as possible. I can pull it off most of the time. When I have work to do now, it always gets done. When I study, I don't get distracted easily and leave to go do other things. I also never let partying get in the way of finishing anything that needs to be done. I think I have become more and more like this lately because I have developed a lot of ambition, and I know that my Apollonian side needs to be present as much as possible to get me there.
The Dionysian side of me still exists, but in smaller doses. I would say that it only comes out in little bursts, and only when I feel the time is appropriate. I still have that side of me that wants to ignore school and go back to playing in punk bands, and the side of me that would rather fall asleep or do anything besides study or do homework. I guess I have to work on developing the perfect combination of the two.
I try to avoid being Dionysian as much as possible. Ideally, I would like to be as much like Apollo as possible. I can pull it off most of the time. When I have work to do now, it always gets done. When I study, I don't get distracted easily and leave to go do other things. I also never let partying get in the way of finishing anything that needs to be done. I think I have become more and more like this lately because I have developed a lot of ambition, and I know that my Apollonian side needs to be present as much as possible to get me there.
The Dionysian side of me still exists, but in smaller doses. I would say that it only comes out in little bursts, and only when I feel the time is appropriate. I still have that side of me that wants to ignore school and go back to playing in punk bands, and the side of me that would rather fall asleep or do anything besides study or do homework. I guess I have to work on developing the perfect combination of the two.
Contradiction in Our Personalities
When I first read Pollan's description of Nietzsche's mental transcendence, I knew exactly what he was talking about. I have experienced this transcendence myself, when I would run cross-country or track races in high school. My mind and body would move to a different place; even though my body ached with every step I took I pushed through it until I felt as though my mind and body weren't connected anymore. This disconnection between mind and body is like the different and sometimes contradictory aspects of people's personalities; like Apollo and Dionysian. I know there are many parts of my personality and beliefs that seem to contradict themselves, but when you look at the whole picture, it makes up who I am. I love going out with my friends, going dancing, to parties, bars, or anything where there are lots of people. The next night however, I can be just as happy curled up on the couch reading a good book or watching movies all night. Also, how I project myself to other people changes depending on the situation I am in and the people I am around. In my classes I think people sometimes get the wrong idea about me, because I usually don't talk that much and I am pretty anal about getting all my work done ahead of time. If you meet me outside of class, though, I am quite outgoing and talkative. After thinking about Dionysian and Apollo I thought about why I give off a different personality in the classroom. I realized that I am anal about my schoolwork, because I want to get good grades and I like to stay ahead on my work, because the other fun-loving side of me likes to go out and be completely care free when I do. The way I satisfy both contradictory sides of myself is stay focused in the classroom and get my work done ahead of time, so when I go out I can be completely care free. It is interesting to look at yourself in this way of contradictory aspects, because usually these things are done without notice or question. If is good to look inwards and look at why some of our behaviors and actions seem so different from one moment to the next.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Appollonian vs. Dionysian
I’m a pretty balanced person; therefore, there are both Apollo and Dionysus traits to my personality. Being Apollo, my life is pretty structured during the week: I wake up, go to school, go to work, complete school work, and go to sleep. My room is very simple and usually organized and everything I have has a designated spot so I do not lose it (because nothing annoys me more than when I lose something, even if it’s nothing significant). I don’t go a day without text messaging, and I try to attend all my classes. Being Dionysius, my life can vary during the weekend: I usually sleep all day and stay up all night (and do activities that are planned last minute). I also love the outdoors, especially taking midnight walks on the beach, and I always have my ipod in hand. Though I have both Apollonian and Dionysian traits, I believe that I, and everyone else, are not simultaneously these two traits in a given day. There are times when someone is completely Apollonian, such as a Monday evening after classes when someone is eating dinner and finishing their paper due the following day. However, there are times when someone is completely Dionysian, such as one in the morning on a Sunday when someone is completely wasted and dancing foolishly and without a care with their friends. To be both these traits simultaneously would be impossible, and to only exhibit one trait and never the other would lead someone to be unsuccessful and labeled an outsider by society.
Apollonian vs Dionysian
I find this prompt very ironic, seeing as how I was just contemplating whether to stay in tonight and finish my homework or go to LA and finish it tomorrow. I guess you could say that my Apollonian side won this time, which is why I am doing the prompt right now. If this question was asked to one of my friends about me, I am certain they would without hesitation say that I am completely Dionysian. However, If you asked one of my closest friends, they would say a little of both.
People who know me on the surface always refer to me as extremely spontaneous and outgoing, mostly because I am very chatty and loud. In fact, one of my favorite things to say in any situation is “I’m down,” which always leads people to think of me as a crazy party girl who loves to have fun. I’m not saying this isn’t true; I absolutely love having a good time whenever/ wherever, but those who know me on a deeper level definitely know I have an extreme Apollonian side as well.
When I was younger, I was convinced that I absolutely hated nature and the outdoors in general. The thought of camping and sleeping in tents was too much for me to handle. However, now that I am older, I see nature in a different way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not crazy about the thought of sleeping among bugs and animals, but throw in my friends and a good time, I would do just about anything. I love nature’s beauty and the calming feeling one gets from it… the feeling that nothing else in the world matters at that moment. One of my favorite things to do anytime of the year is to lie on the beach and watch the sunset. When it comes to the beauty of nature, friends, music, and fun, my Dionysian half completely takes over.
However, despite what most people think, I have a very strong Apollonian side as well. I have always found it odd that even though I enjoy social life and spontaneity so much, I am still extremely organized as well. I can’t stand clutter or mess and I actually love to clean because I find it therapeutic and relaxing. I also tend to drive myself crazy thinking about things I need to do, until they are finished, for example this assignment right now. I can’t work in unorganized situations and because of this I usually tend to take charge by nature. Let me also just throw in the fact that I would die if I didn’t have my cell phone/ texting. ☺
Overall, I don’t think I am an extreme of one or the other, but my Dionysian side tends to show more. Life would be extremely difficult through a one sided view because I believe you need to have both in order to really live life to its fullest.
People who know me on the surface always refer to me as extremely spontaneous and outgoing, mostly because I am very chatty and loud. In fact, one of my favorite things to say in any situation is “I’m down,” which always leads people to think of me as a crazy party girl who loves to have fun. I’m not saying this isn’t true; I absolutely love having a good time whenever/ wherever, but those who know me on a deeper level definitely know I have an extreme Apollonian side as well.
When I was younger, I was convinced that I absolutely hated nature and the outdoors in general. The thought of camping and sleeping in tents was too much for me to handle. However, now that I am older, I see nature in a different way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not crazy about the thought of sleeping among bugs and animals, but throw in my friends and a good time, I would do just about anything. I love nature’s beauty and the calming feeling one gets from it… the feeling that nothing else in the world matters at that moment. One of my favorite things to do anytime of the year is to lie on the beach and watch the sunset. When it comes to the beauty of nature, friends, music, and fun, my Dionysian half completely takes over.
However, despite what most people think, I have a very strong Apollonian side as well. I have always found it odd that even though I enjoy social life and spontaneity so much, I am still extremely organized as well. I can’t stand clutter or mess and I actually love to clean because I find it therapeutic and relaxing. I also tend to drive myself crazy thinking about things I need to do, until they are finished, for example this assignment right now. I can’t work in unorganized situations and because of this I usually tend to take charge by nature. Let me also just throw in the fact that I would die if I didn’t have my cell phone/ texting. ☺
Overall, I don’t think I am an extreme of one or the other, but my Dionysian side tends to show more. Life would be extremely difficult through a one sided view because I believe you need to have both in order to really live life to its fullest.
Apollonian vs Dionysian
Overall, I would have to say that I am more Apollonian than Dionysian. I tend to be an organized person. Even when my room is at its worst, it is nowhere near as bad as my roommate’s room. I try to get assignments done in a timely manner, and hate myself for falling behind. I avoid alcohol, not only because I don’t like the taste of it, but also because I don’t like the idea of getting drunk or the side effects of having gotten drunk. I also have the tendency to err on the side of caution, and to be a creature of habit. When I was a kid I used to be crazy and dangerous when it came to playing, until I fell out of a tree and had to get 57 stitches in my arm…I pretty much calmed down after that.
On the other hand, I do have a Dionysian side to me. I’m all for wasting a day watching television and having an impromptu get-together with my friends. Since my old friends and I all go to different schools and don’t get to see each other often, we usually do silly, random things when we get together, and I’m usually the first to get out there and make a fool of myself. My sister is probably one of the only people in the world that is almost entirely Dionysian, and when I’m with her, she rubs off on me. When we’re together we’re silly, stupid, care-free, and we have tons of fun. It’s after all of my Dionysian-like fun that my Apollonian side gets the best of me, telling me I should have probably been reading some boring book for school instead of wasting five hours watching television. So overall, I’d say I’m more Apollonian than Dionysian.
On the other hand, I do have a Dionysian side to me. I’m all for wasting a day watching television and having an impromptu get-together with my friends. Since my old friends and I all go to different schools and don’t get to see each other often, we usually do silly, random things when we get together, and I’m usually the first to get out there and make a fool of myself. My sister is probably one of the only people in the world that is almost entirely Dionysian, and when I’m with her, she rubs off on me. When we’re together we’re silly, stupid, care-free, and we have tons of fun. It’s after all of my Dionysian-like fun that my Apollonian side gets the best of me, telling me I should have probably been reading some boring book for school instead of wasting five hours watching television. So overall, I’d say I’m more Apollonian than Dionysian.
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