Sense of Place
Lake Erie
By: Reed Frey
Abstract: During my essay I talk about Lake Erie and the towns that I have grown up in while I lived there. I was very young but my best family memories have always taken place in two small border towns on the shore of Lake Erie. One of the two towns had always been a somewhat perverted town since steel construction had died out in the U.S. Although it was beaten down city/town every great childhood memory had been forged there. I talk about my favorite place to go while i'm there to visit my family and how this town has shown me my true environmental ethic/ethics. From the transition I made to Durango and how we have such a great community without large energy production or a large factory. Seeing this beautiful place growing up I have formed my opinion that we need to start working towards both conserving and preserving our earth. I have also formed this opinion based on the fact of how poorly it affected my community at Lake Erie and I would hate for it to happen to our community here in my hometown.
Lakeshore and I'm in the bay, the smell of rancid slimy slippery green dead seaweed piled up on the beach after the storm. Trust me I’m not trying to downplay this place but the smell is sometimes unbearable. Alright back to the good stuff, this is the place that I have always visited my family. The clearest memories of my past have been forged in this town. This has always been the meeting place of my whole family. It’s surprising that both my parents grew up in two towns that border eacher. Trust me it’s very convenient that I don't have to travel far to see my whole family. Sadly I was the youngest cousin on my dad's side and second youngest on my mother's side. I’m an only child and my cousins have been the closest thing to brothers and sister and me being the youngest they have already went through college and started a life of their own. Anyway, I know this has already been sorta sad but trust me it gets better. There is one place that is very special on Lake Erie and is about ten minutes from the town my father grew up in. This is a somewhat gated community but not as nice and luxurious as you’d think. This is a place where middle class families from all over the states come to spend parts of their summer. A select few actually live in this community all year round. Summer time is the prime season to visit this place. Every night is pretty quiet and safe. The night is very dark and there is a park with large spooky trees lining the sides. Other than that the night air is warm and humid but not to humid, while you sleep you hear the soft sound of waves crashing on the beach.
Even though I was born in Frisco Colorado, I had started my schooling in this area but only for preschool and kindergarten. Like I said my earliest memories started in this place so yes I do remember sitting crisscross reading the lorax. I also remember saying the days of the week to my whole class because I was the first kid to read clearly in my preschool. It was the first place that I have good solid memories of. I remember my dad fixing up a lot of houses and selling them. There was one particular abandoned house on top of a creek, it was very very spooky and old. We didn't have a babysitter or daycare to go to so he used to bring me with him so I could help (play around). It was an awesome sunny place on top of a hill but there was a catch, there was snakes everywhere! Every room you stood in if you didn’t see them they were there. There was one day where we got to the house pretty early and and within ten minutes being in the house my dad caught three snakes. Alright onto the real fun stuff! My family moved into a nice white house down the street from a daycare which was quite convenient because of how crazy of a kid I was (I was dope). This was a tall white two story house, It was beautiful but also had a spooky vibe to it. It was kinda scary during large thunderstorms the whole house would shake violently. But on the good side it was all a young family could want. Nice neighborhood, large backyard, large house; it was perfect. We even had a small patch of bamboo that I would go cut down with sticks and it would grow back in a couple days. There was only one other house that I vaguely remember living in. My only memory I had of that house was one day I was out in the yard with my dad and he left the door to the car open...I had used every bit of my strength to climb inside that truck and sit in the drivers seat. I pulled the manual lever and the truck started to roll backward, my eyes started sweating tears and my throat roared with a child's scream. In that moment I thought I was gonna die,my dad came running and got right in the car. He stopped the engine, looked at me and laughed. I thought if the truck didn’t kill me he would, but it turns out my parents were nice and he just hugged me and wiped my tears away. I wasn’t dead or in trouble but I kept crying because I was so frustrated with myself plus my blood was boiling from that scare.
I’ll get into the serious stuff now if you don’t mind. As you can see this place in upstate NY is where all of my best memories had originated from and would hate to see it crumble again! A Little background history: back when steel had begun its takeover of our country upstate NY specifically Buffalo was a boomtown for steel manufacturing. Everyone was rushing in and bringing money with them. The towns grew larger the money flew in, but it all came to an end. Our manufacturing for different products moved elsewhere and left these towns without a good source of income. Ever since I was a child I had seen what it did to the towns that I had started my life in. Many live in poverty and crime has risen. It's a common occurrence to drive through these suburbs and hear gunshots in the distance. There is one power plant that sits on the Dunkirk City harbor. It’s a coal plant obviously and is the only big thing left in that town. As a small child I did not think much of it when I drove by I was young and I hadn’t learned a harsh lesson about our planet. Now I drive by and try to avoid it like it's not there and imagine what a beautiful beach it would be without the plant. My environmental ethic has changed drastically throughout my growing years as I have seen many documentaries seen oil wells put up not far from where I live. My mind keeps saying we need these resources for the sustainability of our planet. But the real me asks the question of what is sustainability if we have already created too many humans that we already need to manufacture fake food to keep us alive. Ever since I was a young child I have seen this town and many towns like it be pushed aside and ignored so that money making corporations can make a profit while destroying a community.
This place on the shore of Lake Erie has not only been the birthplace of good memories, but the foundation of my environmental ethic. My mind has always wondered what our world would be like if it went back to it’s natural state. Back when we hunted for food and respect the bounty that was collected. Think about how you could walk for miles without seeing an airplane or spotting a glimpse of someone’s house. I have very strong belief that in order to make our planet sustainable for all life left on earth, we need to stop our progression towards better things and newer technology. We need to learn about our roots with this planet along with every living thing that walks among us. My idea is to conserve and preserve what we have left and turn this ship around. I do not believe in the sustainability on other planets because I believe that our planet can do that on it’s own if we let it. I get angry when our species believes that everything is god's creation and property to us. My eyes tear up and flood over when I watch videos of cruelty done to animals that are used to serve us. Think about how simple or world would be is every day you could walk out of your hut, bungalow, or teepee and only have to worry about getting some food for the day. But at the end of the day some strange old dude/dudes let’s this race destroy each other and other species all at the hands of our thin piece of fabric called the dollar bill. I know I'm getting off topic but this all came from this place that I hold so dearly to my heart. There is an old steel mill that I commonly pass by when I am at Lake Erie for vacation. Part of me feels so angry because we are able to build such great things and abandon them without any use for it anymore. We take and take but never understand that the boundary for enough was crossed hundreds and thousands of years ago. Back to it, when I see this steel mill part of my becomes very hopeful to think about what it would look like without it there. Everytime I pass it my hopes shatter because it is always still there. Thank you parents, thank you Lake Erie, thank you tv, thank you computer,thank you for showing me what this world was and what this world as so unfortunately progressed into. Thank you Lake Erie for showing me the true path to sustainability.
By: Reed Frey
Abstract: During my essay I talk about Lake Erie and the towns that I have grown up in while I lived there. I was very young but my best family memories have always taken place in two small border towns on the shore of Lake Erie. One of the two towns had always been a somewhat perverted town since steel construction had died out in the U.S. Although it was beaten down city/town every great childhood memory had been forged there. I talk about my favorite place to go while i'm there to visit my family and how this town has shown me my true environmental ethic/ethics. From the transition I made to Durango and how we have such a great community without large energy production or a large factory. Seeing this beautiful place growing up I have formed my opinion that we need to start working towards both conserving and preserving our earth. I have also formed this opinion based on the fact of how poorly it affected my community at Lake Erie and I would hate for it to happen to our community here in my hometown.
Lakeshore and I'm in the bay, the smell of rancid slimy slippery green dead seaweed piled up on the beach after the storm. Trust me I’m not trying to downplay this place but the smell is sometimes unbearable. Alright back to the good stuff, this is the place that I have always visited my family. The clearest memories of my past have been forged in this town. This has always been the meeting place of my whole family. It’s surprising that both my parents grew up in two towns that border eacher. Trust me it’s very convenient that I don't have to travel far to see my whole family. Sadly I was the youngest cousin on my dad's side and second youngest on my mother's side. I’m an only child and my cousins have been the closest thing to brothers and sister and me being the youngest they have already went through college and started a life of their own. Anyway, I know this has already been sorta sad but trust me it gets better. There is one place that is very special on Lake Erie and is about ten minutes from the town my father grew up in. This is a somewhat gated community but not as nice and luxurious as you’d think. This is a place where middle class families from all over the states come to spend parts of their summer. A select few actually live in this community all year round. Summer time is the prime season to visit this place. Every night is pretty quiet and safe. The night is very dark and there is a park with large spooky trees lining the sides. Other than that the night air is warm and humid but not to humid, while you sleep you hear the soft sound of waves crashing on the beach.
Even though I was born in Frisco Colorado, I had started my schooling in this area but only for preschool and kindergarten. Like I said my earliest memories started in this place so yes I do remember sitting crisscross reading the lorax. I also remember saying the days of the week to my whole class because I was the first kid to read clearly in my preschool. It was the first place that I have good solid memories of. I remember my dad fixing up a lot of houses and selling them. There was one particular abandoned house on top of a creek, it was very very spooky and old. We didn't have a babysitter or daycare to go to so he used to bring me with him so I could help (play around). It was an awesome sunny place on top of a hill but there was a catch, there was snakes everywhere! Every room you stood in if you didn’t see them they were there. There was one day where we got to the house pretty early and and within ten minutes being in the house my dad caught three snakes. Alright onto the real fun stuff! My family moved into a nice white house down the street from a daycare which was quite convenient because of how crazy of a kid I was (I was dope). This was a tall white two story house, It was beautiful but also had a spooky vibe to it. It was kinda scary during large thunderstorms the whole house would shake violently. But on the good side it was all a young family could want. Nice neighborhood, large backyard, large house; it was perfect. We even had a small patch of bamboo that I would go cut down with sticks and it would grow back in a couple days. There was only one other house that I vaguely remember living in. My only memory I had of that house was one day I was out in the yard with my dad and he left the door to the car open...I had used every bit of my strength to climb inside that truck and sit in the drivers seat. I pulled the manual lever and the truck started to roll backward, my eyes started sweating tears and my throat roared with a child's scream. In that moment I thought I was gonna die,my dad came running and got right in the car. He stopped the engine, looked at me and laughed. I thought if the truck didn’t kill me he would, but it turns out my parents were nice and he just hugged me and wiped my tears away. I wasn’t dead or in trouble but I kept crying because I was so frustrated with myself plus my blood was boiling from that scare.
I’ll get into the serious stuff now if you don’t mind. As you can see this place in upstate NY is where all of my best memories had originated from and would hate to see it crumble again! A Little background history: back when steel had begun its takeover of our country upstate NY specifically Buffalo was a boomtown for steel manufacturing. Everyone was rushing in and bringing money with them. The towns grew larger the money flew in, but it all came to an end. Our manufacturing for different products moved elsewhere and left these towns without a good source of income. Ever since I was a child I had seen what it did to the towns that I had started my life in. Many live in poverty and crime has risen. It's a common occurrence to drive through these suburbs and hear gunshots in the distance. There is one power plant that sits on the Dunkirk City harbor. It’s a coal plant obviously and is the only big thing left in that town. As a small child I did not think much of it when I drove by I was young and I hadn’t learned a harsh lesson about our planet. Now I drive by and try to avoid it like it's not there and imagine what a beautiful beach it would be without the plant. My environmental ethic has changed drastically throughout my growing years as I have seen many documentaries seen oil wells put up not far from where I live. My mind keeps saying we need these resources for the sustainability of our planet. But the real me asks the question of what is sustainability if we have already created too many humans that we already need to manufacture fake food to keep us alive. Ever since I was a young child I have seen this town and many towns like it be pushed aside and ignored so that money making corporations can make a profit while destroying a community.
This place on the shore of Lake Erie has not only been the birthplace of good memories, but the foundation of my environmental ethic. My mind has always wondered what our world would be like if it went back to it’s natural state. Back when we hunted for food and respect the bounty that was collected. Think about how you could walk for miles without seeing an airplane or spotting a glimpse of someone’s house. I have very strong belief that in order to make our planet sustainable for all life left on earth, we need to stop our progression towards better things and newer technology. We need to learn about our roots with this planet along with every living thing that walks among us. My idea is to conserve and preserve what we have left and turn this ship around. I do not believe in the sustainability on other planets because I believe that our planet can do that on it’s own if we let it. I get angry when our species believes that everything is god's creation and property to us. My eyes tear up and flood over when I watch videos of cruelty done to animals that are used to serve us. Think about how simple or world would be is every day you could walk out of your hut, bungalow, or teepee and only have to worry about getting some food for the day. But at the end of the day some strange old dude/dudes let’s this race destroy each other and other species all at the hands of our thin piece of fabric called the dollar bill. I know I'm getting off topic but this all came from this place that I hold so dearly to my heart. There is an old steel mill that I commonly pass by when I am at Lake Erie for vacation. Part of me feels so angry because we are able to build such great things and abandon them without any use for it anymore. We take and take but never understand that the boundary for enough was crossed hundreds and thousands of years ago. Back to it, when I see this steel mill part of my becomes very hopeful to think about what it would look like without it there. Everytime I pass it my hopes shatter because it is always still there. Thank you parents, thank you Lake Erie, thank you tv, thank you computer,thank you for showing me what this world was and what this world as so unfortunately progressed into. Thank you Lake Erie for showing me the true path to sustainability.
Sense of Place DP update paragraphs
Paragraph 1: For this project we used a place that has a significant impact on our lives and connect our place to an environmental ethic that resonates with us most. Leading up to this project we explored various energy sources and listened to multiple guest speakers talking about their field in energy. Our class branched off and researched a specific energy source of our interest. Individually we also wrote about our surroundings and how it has impacted our environmental ethic in nature in our journal. As a class we studied different environmental ethics which would later be used in our Sense of Place essay.
Paragraph 2: Coming into this year of Humanities I have not been given as much feedback or improvements in previous years. Between drafts this year I have seen more growth in my writing because of the increase in feedback I was getting from my peers or Ashley. Between drafts the content of my writing would be more expanded because I would use my feedback and usually try to add more information or expand on a paragraph that wasn’t fully complete. I also found myself adding more information to my writing in my final drafts. As I went on with writing my paper I would first write everything that I needed to write for just a first draft, get it looked at and use the feedback I received to improve my overall paper. At the beginning of this year I had a hard time with run on sentences. There was one significant way that I grew to make my writing more concise.This year I grew a lot by just going back and reorganizing my content and information, most times cutout run on sentences or split them up. I believe that I had experimented with making descriptive language more at the end of the year. Although all year round I had been creating a silly comedic story of a space traveler. This I had not taken seriously but throughout it I had started using descriptive language to describe the scenario or scene. For my actual writing assignments I started using descriptive language pretty late in the year. I think I am still growing as a writer and still have yet to master the use of descriptive language although I have used it quite frequently.
Paragraph 3: While we were studying environmental ethics I had a chance to realize what my true perspectives are. I have grown as a person by coming to realize what I truly believe no matter what other tell me. Now I know what I believe is pretty crazy sounding but it's my opinion and I believe in it. Throughout this project I feel like have grown as person by being able to show my true beliefs and respectful listen to and converse with my peers without a harmful discussion. During this project I had troubles clearly expressing my opinions, when I wrote about them most of the time I would just writing my view without any structure.
Paragraph 2: Coming into this year of Humanities I have not been given as much feedback or improvements in previous years. Between drafts this year I have seen more growth in my writing because of the increase in feedback I was getting from my peers or Ashley. Between drafts the content of my writing would be more expanded because I would use my feedback and usually try to add more information or expand on a paragraph that wasn’t fully complete. I also found myself adding more information to my writing in my final drafts. As I went on with writing my paper I would first write everything that I needed to write for just a first draft, get it looked at and use the feedback I received to improve my overall paper. At the beginning of this year I had a hard time with run on sentences. There was one significant way that I grew to make my writing more concise.This year I grew a lot by just going back and reorganizing my content and information, most times cutout run on sentences or split them up. I believe that I had experimented with making descriptive language more at the end of the year. Although all year round I had been creating a silly comedic story of a space traveler. This I had not taken seriously but throughout it I had started using descriptive language to describe the scenario or scene. For my actual writing assignments I started using descriptive language pretty late in the year. I think I am still growing as a writer and still have yet to master the use of descriptive language although I have used it quite frequently.
Paragraph 3: While we were studying environmental ethics I had a chance to realize what my true perspectives are. I have grown as a person by coming to realize what I truly believe no matter what other tell me. Now I know what I believe is pretty crazy sounding but it's my opinion and I believe in it. Throughout this project I feel like have grown as person by being able to show my true beliefs and respectful listen to and converse with my peers without a harmful discussion. During this project I had troubles clearly expressing my opinions, when I wrote about them most of the time I would just writing my view without any structure.
Happiness and Meaning Project
https://docs.google.com/a/animashighschool.com/file/d/0B5ktO3NLUDlcems1NU1kbjZudWM/edit
Visual Piece
Philosophy Statement
Smile More
By:Reed Frey
Out of my 17 years I have spent a very long and dark four years In a place full of masks and hatred that devoured the outsiders. This place was called middle school, I know my experience wasn’t the same for everyone. Many of my friends now have told me that they enjoyed those years and didn’t think unkindly to it, but my story is different. I had been pushed aside as an outcast so did most of my friends at that time. My life revolved around not be caught in a verbal battle with the popular kids but still be heard and respected. Even though many kids had put me through rough times and made me fear them I still wanted to be one of them. I didn’t deserve to be treated the way I was, but I still wanted the respect of those I hated at the time. I was a slave to the image that I wanted others to see me as, a person that I had created to please others who couldn't see my real self. I had submerged and emerged from the dark cold waters of depression, my life was consumed by thinking that if I was the top dog that I would be the happiest kid alive, even though the kids in that position tormented not just me but others who were in the same situation. I always had enough of what I saw, I had enough of the neglection and hatred that my friends peers and I had been put through. I still didn’t have the courage nor the confidence to speak up. I began to understand that I had no meaning because I was staring at myself through the eyes of others. I had been blinded to the fact that trail marker I set foot on was written in my name, I had been trucking along a path with someone else's name already on each footstep I came along. My life had revolved around making people satisfied with a person I thought was myself. My story was a sad one but I had never let myself lay in the dirt for too long. After what I saw I did not just assume that the world was full of hate I paved a road that I would walk upon. I did not want anyone else to feel the despair that I had, my meaning had shifted to making others laugh or at least smile. I remember how much I really wished someone would say something nice for a change. I have healed from many emotional scars still etched on my heart and mind, but the thing is scars heal but my legacy I leave for others will always be an open door for people to come and go. I began to walk throughout my life with ease because I knew no matter what I others thought of me I was my own person and I am proud of it, I have my health,food & water, family, love. I am my own person not guided by others.
By:Reed Frey
Out of my 17 years I have spent a very long and dark four years In a place full of masks and hatred that devoured the outsiders. This place was called middle school, I know my experience wasn’t the same for everyone. Many of my friends now have told me that they enjoyed those years and didn’t think unkindly to it, but my story is different. I had been pushed aside as an outcast so did most of my friends at that time. My life revolved around not be caught in a verbal battle with the popular kids but still be heard and respected. Even though many kids had put me through rough times and made me fear them I still wanted to be one of them. I didn’t deserve to be treated the way I was, but I still wanted the respect of those I hated at the time. I was a slave to the image that I wanted others to see me as, a person that I had created to please others who couldn't see my real self. I had submerged and emerged from the dark cold waters of depression, my life was consumed by thinking that if I was the top dog that I would be the happiest kid alive, even though the kids in that position tormented not just me but others who were in the same situation. I always had enough of what I saw, I had enough of the neglection and hatred that my friends peers and I had been put through. I still didn’t have the courage nor the confidence to speak up. I began to understand that I had no meaning because I was staring at myself through the eyes of others. I had been blinded to the fact that trail marker I set foot on was written in my name, I had been trucking along a path with someone else's name already on each footstep I came along. My life had revolved around making people satisfied with a person I thought was myself. My story was a sad one but I had never let myself lay in the dirt for too long. After what I saw I did not just assume that the world was full of hate I paved a road that I would walk upon. I did not want anyone else to feel the despair that I had, my meaning had shifted to making others laugh or at least smile. I remember how much I really wished someone would say something nice for a change. I have healed from many emotional scars still etched on my heart and mind, but the thing is scars heal but my legacy I leave for others will always be an open door for people to come and go. I began to walk throughout my life with ease because I knew no matter what I others thought of me I was my own person and I am proud of it, I have my health,food & water, family, love. I am my own person not guided by others.
Happiness and Meaning Poem
Key Holder
waves, waves crashing
ideas,ideals,values, clashing
not mine, but society’s
I scan the horizon for the right path
but through eyes that are not my own
I speak on my behalf but get shot down
by a bombardment of convincing thoughts
coming from a fleet of bodies who have
no grasp on my brain but yet I let them
slip through my reasoning
still giving them a presence
Middle school
a time for kids to see new faces
find new friends
but a dark presence lerks
a presence that constructs masks
masks, forged by the
next group of kids that you
are accepted into
Through my years in spent
in that place I had grown to fear
the popular kids
I would walk with my head down
trying not to make eye contact
bringing more attention to myself than I wanted
my mouth shut my eyes in a different direction
I’ve been harassed with countless name
calling attacks countless times and in countless places
by people I could care less about
but I still let my mind care more
I’ve grown in many ways to cover up scars
left behind from a war waged over popularity
trying to camouflage myself and stay hidden
from the platoons of bodies firing their
automatic rifles loaded with names and slurs
trying to stay hidden but trying to still be noticed
As I have grown taller and older
my wits have begun to realize that I
let myself be consumed by fear
my daily life was a path only taken by me
the truth had been stuck in some dark corner
lurking in my brain
I marched to the beat of my own drum
I’ve come to realize this truth
the more I walked among my own path
the more my camoflauge I once wore
had been stripped away
I did not need it now to walk
among a world that I now control
I’ve broken the walls suited to
protect me from the creatures lurking outside
waiting to feed on my vulnerability
my walls are down
they were there to block out the pain
But also blocked out the ones that I truly needed
they served as walls without a gate
a gate for me to come and go freely
I was trapped
I have grown to see a path occupied
by my thoughts
a path that I follow the footsteps
of my own
a journey that only my choices can let
me embark on
a journey only taken by me
As I followed my own thoughts
my palm began to unfold
Revealing all along I had been carrying the key
to my own escape, I alone grasp this key
I alone walk among my world
Not guided by boundaries set by others
waves, waves crashing
ideas,ideals,values, clashing
not mine, but society’s
I scan the horizon for the right path
but through eyes that are not my own
I speak on my behalf but get shot down
by a bombardment of convincing thoughts
coming from a fleet of bodies who have
no grasp on my brain but yet I let them
slip through my reasoning
still giving them a presence
Middle school
a time for kids to see new faces
find new friends
but a dark presence lerks
a presence that constructs masks
masks, forged by the
next group of kids that you
are accepted into
Through my years in spent
in that place I had grown to fear
the popular kids
I would walk with my head down
trying not to make eye contact
bringing more attention to myself than I wanted
my mouth shut my eyes in a different direction
I’ve been harassed with countless name
calling attacks countless times and in countless places
by people I could care less about
but I still let my mind care more
I’ve grown in many ways to cover up scars
left behind from a war waged over popularity
trying to camouflage myself and stay hidden
from the platoons of bodies firing their
automatic rifles loaded with names and slurs
trying to stay hidden but trying to still be noticed
As I have grown taller and older
my wits have begun to realize that I
let myself be consumed by fear
my daily life was a path only taken by me
the truth had been stuck in some dark corner
lurking in my brain
I marched to the beat of my own drum
I’ve come to realize this truth
the more I walked among my own path
the more my camoflauge I once wore
had been stripped away
I did not need it now to walk
among a world that I now control
I’ve broken the walls suited to
protect me from the creatures lurking outside
waiting to feed on my vulnerability
my walls are down
they were there to block out the pain
But also blocked out the ones that I truly needed
they served as walls without a gate
a gate for me to come and go freely
I was trapped
I have grown to see a path occupied
by my thoughts
a path that I follow the footsteps
of my own
a journey that only my choices can let
me embark on
a journey only taken by me
As I followed my own thoughts
my palm began to unfold
Revealing all along I had been carrying the key
to my own escape, I alone grasp this key
I alone walk among my world
Not guided by boundaries set by others
Essential Questions:
Reflection:
Throughout this project I have come to find that I have been so consumed on getting other objects that our society says is a better or new and improved. I have been so conflicted on what others have that I don’t have. It’s not all the time that I have felt this but it has played a large role in my life. I mean everyone has fantasised about getting large sums of money and buying all these things. I have realized that if i'm so stressed about getting the next item I will never be able to cherish the thing that I already have, I’ll always want more. I’ve looked at my life and picked out the things that I always want more of. One source that goes along with my main new insight is the podcast called “The Paradox of Choice”. This podcast talks about what flaws can come about when you have too many choices or too much freedom. Even though this podcast does not connect directly to my new insight It has a good amount of similarities. The person talking introduces the fact that if we have too many choices we can end up being more unsatisfied with the things that we have chosen. I have learned to sort of live by the rule that I am going to be less thoughtful about the things in life that I could have chosen and focus on the good things that I am already blessed to hold and share.
Questions for Myself:
- What is the purpose of your existence?
- What is happiness and what makes you happy?
- What does it mean to live a meaningful life?
- To what extent can literature shape your personal philosophy
Reflection:
Throughout this project I have come to find that I have been so consumed on getting other objects that our society says is a better or new and improved. I have been so conflicted on what others have that I don’t have. It’s not all the time that I have felt this but it has played a large role in my life. I mean everyone has fantasised about getting large sums of money and buying all these things. I have realized that if i'm so stressed about getting the next item I will never be able to cherish the thing that I already have, I’ll always want more. I’ve looked at my life and picked out the things that I always want more of. One source that goes along with my main new insight is the podcast called “The Paradox of Choice”. This podcast talks about what flaws can come about when you have too many choices or too much freedom. Even though this podcast does not connect directly to my new insight It has a good amount of similarities. The person talking introduces the fact that if we have too many choices we can end up being more unsatisfied with the things that we have chosen. I have learned to sort of live by the rule that I am going to be less thoughtful about the things in life that I could have chosen and focus on the good things that I am already blessed to hold and share.
Questions for Myself:
- With my mindset now, which is being happy and satisfied with the possessions etc.. that I already have, if I can have everything else how will I cope with that?
- What types of media or influences In my life have been making me think that I need more?
- What are the things in my life that have brought me the most meaning and happiness?
- What am I doing that makes others around me happy or bring meaning to their lives not just my own?
The Morality and Politics of Justice Reflection
This project was for the whole class to choose a political issue the U.S. is involved in and to create our stance/view. We should also create a just solution of what should be the correct way to resolve our issue. Throughout this project we were to thoroughly research our topic and the history around it from solid news articles and reports. From our research we would then make an Op-Ed article summarizing our issue and the historical context around it. This Op-Ed would use evidence you had found during your research to back up your claims.
While I was writing my rough draft I had a problem with very long run-on sentences and large paragraphs that would sort of clog up the overall look of my Op-Ed. To make chances to my rough draft and make my sentences more streamlined I would try to split my sentences into two. This would make it easier for the reader to flow between sentences. Regarding my big paragraph I would cut sentences that did not belong or was information that didn’t need to be added. I would also make my paragraphs into two and make them flow together with a good ending sentence leading into the next paragraph. Although I think I did well by making the format of my writing more concise and clear, I had very little evidence. To fix my problem I went through my paragraphs and added evidence supporting my writing with pieces of news articles I had read while conducting my research. To make my Op-Ed more likable and connecting to my reader is I had incorporated a quote from Barack Obama which connected to my writing and had the same direction of thought as my writing.
When looking at my two art pieces I had incorporated the symbolism that the Chinese government is trying to push their way into the South China Sea. My art piece shows this by showing the wrongful ways that China is using to assert their presence in the region. One piece shows the construction of artificial islands and the process used to do this. I also show how China is using these islands and why it is very skeptical. While creating my art pieces I showed a good amount of pathos by showing the viewer what China is doing to the ocean when using the process of dredging to make their islands which would make the viewer angry or sad towards the Chinese government. I used ethos by writing a quote from Barack Obama which depending on the viewer would make them more connected to the issue because if their leader believe a certain way they may follow and think that is exactly right. The tone of my poster is kind of gloomy for one reason. This is because I left the waters blank instead of coloring it to make it look beautiful, I did this to symbolize that the issue could get to the point of a war. Kind of like the calm before a storm, it's neither pretty nor dark. I chose to do two art pieces to show to of the main issues about my topic which is the construction of artificial islands and Chinese aggression towards U.S. naval operations. When I started making my paintings I just used pencil to draw where everything was going to be. I then outlined everything with a permanent marker then painted the things that I wanted to paint. I think that my paintings look quite well and connected to my Op-Ed but I think I could have done a better job making sure I spelled things correctly.
The most significant thing I had learned while doing this project is how I was with my writing at the beginning of this project and where I am now. I feel like I have learned so much about what I was doing wrong in my earlier writing pieces and how to solve my issues. I feel like I did a great deal of editing my draft to make my overall writing shorter and more precise in wording. I feel like learning about rhetoric as influenced a lot of what take in when reading a news articles. This has helped me block get rid of the content that doesn’t mean anything or is talking about one thing but meaning another. I feel like I have step up my game as I speak with others about an issue by clearly stating my stance and listening to their stance. I think that when speaking with someone who we both disagree with on the stances we have we can talk about it but I won’t think of the person any less because of what they believe. I also clearly state my stance because I want them to know that I feel a certain way about something and I will not say things I disagree with to make the person agree with me more.
While I was writing my rough draft I had a problem with very long run-on sentences and large paragraphs that would sort of clog up the overall look of my Op-Ed. To make chances to my rough draft and make my sentences more streamlined I would try to split my sentences into two. This would make it easier for the reader to flow between sentences. Regarding my big paragraph I would cut sentences that did not belong or was information that didn’t need to be added. I would also make my paragraphs into two and make them flow together with a good ending sentence leading into the next paragraph. Although I think I did well by making the format of my writing more concise and clear, I had very little evidence. To fix my problem I went through my paragraphs and added evidence supporting my writing with pieces of news articles I had read while conducting my research. To make my Op-Ed more likable and connecting to my reader is I had incorporated a quote from Barack Obama which connected to my writing and had the same direction of thought as my writing.
When looking at my two art pieces I had incorporated the symbolism that the Chinese government is trying to push their way into the South China Sea. My art piece shows this by showing the wrongful ways that China is using to assert their presence in the region. One piece shows the construction of artificial islands and the process used to do this. I also show how China is using these islands and why it is very skeptical. While creating my art pieces I showed a good amount of pathos by showing the viewer what China is doing to the ocean when using the process of dredging to make their islands which would make the viewer angry or sad towards the Chinese government. I used ethos by writing a quote from Barack Obama which depending on the viewer would make them more connected to the issue because if their leader believe a certain way they may follow and think that is exactly right. The tone of my poster is kind of gloomy for one reason. This is because I left the waters blank instead of coloring it to make it look beautiful, I did this to symbolize that the issue could get to the point of a war. Kind of like the calm before a storm, it's neither pretty nor dark. I chose to do two art pieces to show to of the main issues about my topic which is the construction of artificial islands and Chinese aggression towards U.S. naval operations. When I started making my paintings I just used pencil to draw where everything was going to be. I then outlined everything with a permanent marker then painted the things that I wanted to paint. I think that my paintings look quite well and connected to my Op-Ed but I think I could have done a better job making sure I spelled things correctly.
The most significant thing I had learned while doing this project is how I was with my writing at the beginning of this project and where I am now. I feel like I have learned so much about what I was doing wrong in my earlier writing pieces and how to solve my issues. I feel like I did a great deal of editing my draft to make my overall writing shorter and more precise in wording. I feel like learning about rhetoric as influenced a lot of what take in when reading a news articles. This has helped me block get rid of the content that doesn’t mean anything or is talking about one thing but meaning another. I feel like I have step up my game as I speak with others about an issue by clearly stating my stance and listening to their stance. I think that when speaking with someone who we both disagree with on the stances we have we can talk about it but I won’t think of the person any less because of what they believe. I also clearly state my stance because I want them to know that I feel a certain way about something and I will not say things I disagree with to make the person agree with me more.
The Morality and Politics of Justice
Although tensions are high in the South China Sea and have been for years over various territorial disputes, our government must call for a meeting with China and surrounding countries to try and prevent further conflicts in the region. This would also push to halt China's massive island construction to prevent a potential conflict.
Op-Ed Final Draft
South China Sea Dispute
By Reed Frey
On Monday, October 26, 2015, The U.S. navy sent a guided missile destroyer through disputed territory claimed by China in the South China Sea. This challenge of power infuriated Chinese officials and tensions are running high. Since the 1970’s there has been a territorial dispute between the surrounding countries of the South China Sea like, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Although tensions are high in the South China Sea and have been for years over various territorial disputes, our government must call for a meeting with China and surrounding countries to try and prevent further conflicts in the region. This would also push to halt China's massive island construction to prevent a potential conflict.
China has recently been constructing artificial islands, which the Chinese claims to be expansions of their oil rigs. The thing is, these islands are patrolled by a large Chinese navy making it look like the islands are being made for military purposes. If China does not cease their construction of these islands this dispute may lead to a deadly conflict if other countries try to push back or “rebel” against China’s presence in the region.
Looking through the lense of morality what China is doing in the region is wrong according to the philosophy of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the idea of maximizing happiness for all. If we are able to create solid territorial boundaries this would decrease the possibility of a conflict over unspecified territorial claims making surrounding countries happier with the situation. By engaging China in discussions with United Nation powers and clarifying the limits of their boundaries, we would be maximizing happiness for surrounding countries including China. It would also create more ease for the U.S Navy because China would halt its island construction which would enable the Navy to continue operations in international waters further without tensions with China.
The U.S. Navy had sent this destroyer through the water near recent Chinese island construction to challenge China’s claims placed around the region. For many many years since WW2 and the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy has been allowed operations in the region under international law. Only in recent days the Chinese military has now said no to the the U.S. Navy but only in surrounding waters of their artificial islands. This is why the U.S. sent the destroyer through those waters because under international law they are still legally allowed to fly sail and operated in the waters recently claimed by China.
For years, China has put claims on territories already occupied by surrounding countries. Arguments over who actually occupies these claims escalated to the point of military clashes with Vietnam. Recently Obama came to Vietnam's defence by saying “Just because the Philippines or Vietnam are not as large as China doesn’t mean that they can just be elbowed aside”.Only in recent days has the U.S. decided to get involved by challenging China’s territorial claims in the area to send a message to the Chinese government that the U.S. will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever and whenever international law allows. The United States government should hold meetings including countries involved to focus on creating solid territorial boundaries in the region.This would prevent further conflict between the surrounding countries over who owns what territories in the region.
China has not recently been a “bully” in the South China Sea, they have been causing trouble since the 1970’s. In August of 2014, China had started constructing an island out of a shallow reef which required dredging, the process of pumping sediment from the seafloor to the top the reef. This process obviously destroys the reef, which was once home for many sea creatures. Dredging also causes the sediment from the seafloor to turn up and make a cloud of sand which can suffocate fish and other sea creatures around the area. The Chinese Government claims these islands are being constructed as extensions on their “facilities”, such as oil rigs, already in that area.
From recent photos and surveillance in that area, it is clear that these islands have a darker purpose. U.S. spy planes have uncovered that these islands are holding large amounts of Chinese military equipment, CNN reports. This includes mobile artillery and airstrips large enough for transport aircraft and jet fighters, a piece from the New York Times said. This is a large threat to the nearby countries because of the strategic location of this island and others that are under construction in the region. China’s past conflicts have made other nations quite skeptical of it’s intentions. Furthermore, China’s aggression towards the U.S. Navy adds more light to the issue.
From the perspective of the United Nations, according to the Law of the Sea established in 1982, naval ships and trade vessels have free reign in international waters. The U.S. Navy can continue to operate as long as they are not within a country’s 12 mile territorial waters. Since China is 1,829 miles from its island, this law prohibits China’s aggression towards the U.S. Navy. Although if territorial boundaries were solidified, the U.S. Navy would have to operate outside the 12 mile boundary around the island.
From past conflicts and territorial disputes between China and other countries, it is obvious that this issue could result with a large conflict against China if nothing is done to ensure happy relations. Our government should take this issue as potential threat to the security of surrounding countries and the liberty of our naval forces to operate where international law allows. The U.S. must hold meetings with countries around the region of the South China Sea to create solid territorial boundaries, which would further make friendly relations with China. This also includes a push towards the permanent stop of China’s artificial islands that hold strategic military capabilities, which would give China an upper hand in any conflict that may arise in the region.
By Reed Frey
On Monday, October 26, 2015, The U.S. navy sent a guided missile destroyer through disputed territory claimed by China in the South China Sea. This challenge of power infuriated Chinese officials and tensions are running high. Since the 1970’s there has been a territorial dispute between the surrounding countries of the South China Sea like, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Although tensions are high in the South China Sea and have been for years over various territorial disputes, our government must call for a meeting with China and surrounding countries to try and prevent further conflicts in the region. This would also push to halt China's massive island construction to prevent a potential conflict.
China has recently been constructing artificial islands, which the Chinese claims to be expansions of their oil rigs. The thing is, these islands are patrolled by a large Chinese navy making it look like the islands are being made for military purposes. If China does not cease their construction of these islands this dispute may lead to a deadly conflict if other countries try to push back or “rebel” against China’s presence in the region.
Looking through the lense of morality what China is doing in the region is wrong according to the philosophy of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the idea of maximizing happiness for all. If we are able to create solid territorial boundaries this would decrease the possibility of a conflict over unspecified territorial claims making surrounding countries happier with the situation. By engaging China in discussions with United Nation powers and clarifying the limits of their boundaries, we would be maximizing happiness for surrounding countries including China. It would also create more ease for the U.S Navy because China would halt its island construction which would enable the Navy to continue operations in international waters further without tensions with China.
The U.S. Navy had sent this destroyer through the water near recent Chinese island construction to challenge China’s claims placed around the region. For many many years since WW2 and the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy has been allowed operations in the region under international law. Only in recent days the Chinese military has now said no to the the U.S. Navy but only in surrounding waters of their artificial islands. This is why the U.S. sent the destroyer through those waters because under international law they are still legally allowed to fly sail and operated in the waters recently claimed by China.
For years, China has put claims on territories already occupied by surrounding countries. Arguments over who actually occupies these claims escalated to the point of military clashes with Vietnam. Recently Obama came to Vietnam's defence by saying “Just because the Philippines or Vietnam are not as large as China doesn’t mean that they can just be elbowed aside”.Only in recent days has the U.S. decided to get involved by challenging China’s territorial claims in the area to send a message to the Chinese government that the U.S. will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever and whenever international law allows. The United States government should hold meetings including countries involved to focus on creating solid territorial boundaries in the region.This would prevent further conflict between the surrounding countries over who owns what territories in the region.
China has not recently been a “bully” in the South China Sea, they have been causing trouble since the 1970’s. In August of 2014, China had started constructing an island out of a shallow reef which required dredging, the process of pumping sediment from the seafloor to the top the reef. This process obviously destroys the reef, which was once home for many sea creatures. Dredging also causes the sediment from the seafloor to turn up and make a cloud of sand which can suffocate fish and other sea creatures around the area. The Chinese Government claims these islands are being constructed as extensions on their “facilities”, such as oil rigs, already in that area.
From recent photos and surveillance in that area, it is clear that these islands have a darker purpose. U.S. spy planes have uncovered that these islands are holding large amounts of Chinese military equipment, CNN reports. This includes mobile artillery and airstrips large enough for transport aircraft and jet fighters, a piece from the New York Times said. This is a large threat to the nearby countries because of the strategic location of this island and others that are under construction in the region. China’s past conflicts have made other nations quite skeptical of it’s intentions. Furthermore, China’s aggression towards the U.S. Navy adds more light to the issue.
From the perspective of the United Nations, according to the Law of the Sea established in 1982, naval ships and trade vessels have free reign in international waters. The U.S. Navy can continue to operate as long as they are not within a country’s 12 mile territorial waters. Since China is 1,829 miles from its island, this law prohibits China’s aggression towards the U.S. Navy. Although if territorial boundaries were solidified, the U.S. Navy would have to operate outside the 12 mile boundary around the island.
From past conflicts and territorial disputes between China and other countries, it is obvious that this issue could result with a large conflict against China if nothing is done to ensure happy relations. Our government should take this issue as potential threat to the security of surrounding countries and the liberty of our naval forces to operate where international law allows. The U.S. must hold meetings with countries around the region of the South China Sea to create solid territorial boundaries, which would further make friendly relations with China. This also includes a push towards the permanent stop of China’s artificial islands that hold strategic military capabilities, which would give China an upper hand in any conflict that may arise in the region.
Op-Ed Rough draft
South China Sea Dispute
By Reed Frey
On Monday, October 26, 2015, The U.S. navy sent a guided missile destroyer through disputed territory claimed by China in the South China Sea. This challenge of power in the region infuriated Chinese officials and tensions are running high. Since the 1970’s there has been a territorial dispute between the surrounding countries of the South China Sea like, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines for a group of islands called the Spratly Islands. New paragraph China has recently been constructing artificial islands, which the Chinese claims to be expansions of their oil rigs. The thing is, these islands are patrolled by a large Chinese navy making it look like the islands are being made for military purposes. If China does not cease their construction of these islands this dispute may lead to a deadly conflict if other countries try to push back or “rebel” against China’s presence in the region. Although tensions are high in the South China Sea and have been for years over various territorial disputes, our government must call for a meeting with China and surrounding countries to try and prevent further conflicts in the region. This would also push to halt China's massive island construction to prevent a potential conflict.
The U.S. navy sent a Destroyer to challenge China’s claims over these islands, which shocked Chinese officials and could have provoked a conflict. I believe that the U.S. should be able to continue with operations in international water which is not claimed by anyone and China should halt construction of its artificial islands. For years, China has put claims on many territories already occupied by surrounding countries. Arguments over who actually occupies these claims escalated to the point of military clashes with Vietnam.
In 2014 China had moved an oil rig into Vietnamese-claimed waters which had once again caused high tensions between the two countries. China has not recently been a “bully” in the South China Sea, they have been causing trouble since the 1970’s. Only in recent days has the U.S. decided to get involved by challenging China’s territorial claims in the area to send a message to the Chinese government that the U.S. will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever and whenever international law allows. The United States government should hold meetings including countries involved to focus on creating solid territorial boundaries in the region.This would help prevent further conflict between the surrounding countries over who owns what territories in the region. There are several points you make in this paragraph-- break into smaller chunks with clear topic sentences for each section/paragraph. Also, it seems like you are presenting a double standard-- meaning it is NOT ok for China to expand but it is perfectly fine for the U.S. to cruise these waters unhindered. What is the difference? Try to specify lest you sound hypocritical :)
In August of 2014, China had started constructing an island out of a shallow reef which required dredging, the process of pumping sediment from the seafloor to the top the reef. This process obviously destroys the reef, which was once home for many sea creatures. Dredging also causes the sediment from the seafloor to turn up and make a cloud of sand which can suffocate fish and other sea creatures around the area of the reef. The chinese claim these islands are being constructed as extensions on their “facilities”, such as oil rigs, already in that area.
From recent photos and surveillance in that area, it is clear that these islands have a darker purpose. U.S. spy planes have uncovered that these islands are holding large amounts of Chinese military equipment. This includes mobile artillery and airstrips large enough to hold military grade bombers and jet fighters. This is a large threat to the nearby countries because of the strategic location of this island and the others that are under construction in the region. China’s past conflicts in the region have made other nations quite skeptical of it’s intentions. Furthermore, China’s aggression towards the U.S. Navy adds more light to the issue.
From past conflicts and territorial disputes between China and other countries, it is obvious that this issue could result with a large conflict against China if nothing is done to ensure happy relations. Our government should take this issue as potential threat to the security of surrounding countries and the liberty of our naval forces to operate where international law allows. The U.S. must hold meetings with countries around the region of the South China Sea to create solid territorial boundaries, which would further make friendly relations with China. This also includes a push towards the permanent stop of China’s artificial islands that hold strategic military capabilities which would give China an upper hand in any conflict that may arise in the region.
Reed, this is a technically solid article and seems well-researched in terms of the history of the political tensions. You present a solid action plan/solution. Your writing is clear and by and large your word choice is on point.
However, you are missing some of the required content elements. Namely:
By Reed Frey
On Monday, October 26, 2015, The U.S. navy sent a guided missile destroyer through disputed territory claimed by China in the South China Sea. This challenge of power in the region infuriated Chinese officials and tensions are running high. Since the 1970’s there has been a territorial dispute between the surrounding countries of the South China Sea like, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines for a group of islands called the Spratly Islands. New paragraph China has recently been constructing artificial islands, which the Chinese claims to be expansions of their oil rigs. The thing is, these islands are patrolled by a large Chinese navy making it look like the islands are being made for military purposes. If China does not cease their construction of these islands this dispute may lead to a deadly conflict if other countries try to push back or “rebel” against China’s presence in the region. Although tensions are high in the South China Sea and have been for years over various territorial disputes, our government must call for a meeting with China and surrounding countries to try and prevent further conflicts in the region. This would also push to halt China's massive island construction to prevent a potential conflict.
The U.S. navy sent a Destroyer to challenge China’s claims over these islands, which shocked Chinese officials and could have provoked a conflict. I believe that the U.S. should be able to continue with operations in international water which is not claimed by anyone and China should halt construction of its artificial islands. For years, China has put claims on many territories already occupied by surrounding countries. Arguments over who actually occupies these claims escalated to the point of military clashes with Vietnam.
In 2014 China had moved an oil rig into Vietnamese-claimed waters which had once again caused high tensions between the two countries. China has not recently been a “bully” in the South China Sea, they have been causing trouble since the 1970’s. Only in recent days has the U.S. decided to get involved by challenging China’s territorial claims in the area to send a message to the Chinese government that the U.S. will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever and whenever international law allows. The United States government should hold meetings including countries involved to focus on creating solid territorial boundaries in the region.This would help prevent further conflict between the surrounding countries over who owns what territories in the region. There are several points you make in this paragraph-- break into smaller chunks with clear topic sentences for each section/paragraph. Also, it seems like you are presenting a double standard-- meaning it is NOT ok for China to expand but it is perfectly fine for the U.S. to cruise these waters unhindered. What is the difference? Try to specify lest you sound hypocritical :)
In August of 2014, China had started constructing an island out of a shallow reef which required dredging, the process of pumping sediment from the seafloor to the top the reef. This process obviously destroys the reef, which was once home for many sea creatures. Dredging also causes the sediment from the seafloor to turn up and make a cloud of sand which can suffocate fish and other sea creatures around the area of the reef. The chinese claim these islands are being constructed as extensions on their “facilities”, such as oil rigs, already in that area.
From recent photos and surveillance in that area, it is clear that these islands have a darker purpose. U.S. spy planes have uncovered that these islands are holding large amounts of Chinese military equipment. This includes mobile artillery and airstrips large enough to hold military grade bombers and jet fighters. This is a large threat to the nearby countries because of the strategic location of this island and the others that are under construction in the region. China’s past conflicts in the region have made other nations quite skeptical of it’s intentions. Furthermore, China’s aggression towards the U.S. Navy adds more light to the issue.
From past conflicts and territorial disputes between China and other countries, it is obvious that this issue could result with a large conflict against China if nothing is done to ensure happy relations. Our government should take this issue as potential threat to the security of surrounding countries and the liberty of our naval forces to operate where international law allows. The U.S. must hold meetings with countries around the region of the South China Sea to create solid territorial boundaries, which would further make friendly relations with China. This also includes a push towards the permanent stop of China’s artificial islands that hold strategic military capabilities which would give China an upper hand in any conflict that may arise in the region.
Reed, this is a technically solid article and seems well-researched in terms of the history of the political tensions. You present a solid action plan/solution. Your writing is clear and by and large your word choice is on point.
However, you are missing some of the required content elements. Namely:
- All three Aristotelian appeals for rhetorical impact (ethos, pathos, logos). You have used pathos well and you have some good logos with the evidence of past Chinese intervention, but you are lacking evidence to support the claim that China is using these islands for military use. How can you prove that or support that claim better? Lastly, you do not have any ethos. Ethos is about building your credibility-- making you seem trustworthy. You can do that through various means-- making yourself seems like an ethically solid guy, using evidence from experts and/or respected politicians on this matter, etc...I would recommend finding a politician that does not have a real vested interest in gaining U.S. waters back, maybe someone from another country?
- Philosophy: Which of the philosophies of justice that we’ve studied supports your position and would help you defend why your proposal is the most just solution to this issue?
- Constitutional connection-- this is tricky with yours. I think you need to go back to the United Nations on this one. I think this agreement might be what you’re looking for, but I’m not 100%: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea
Voices From the Animas
Voices from the Animas Reflection
From conducting my interview with an elder of our community and a person who has had experience in the field of broadcasting, I had seen a glimpse of the perspective an older person would have on the subject and how we should resolve it. My interviewee had talked a bit about how amazing it is to see such youth doing a project which involved parts of the community sharing perspectives with the young, old, and other views from members of native tribes to EPA workers. By conducting an interview I believe that my classmates and I were able to bring out the true thoughts and views of those in our community and around this incident. As a scholar I had gained experience by talking to members of our community and diving into a topic relevant to our area, making us think about what we can do to help this issue. As a human being the biggest thing that stuck with me by recording the views of one individual that I had begun to form a relationship between the youth and the elderly and what both of our sides had to say about what happened. We all as a community saw this issue unfold together.
During our time spent on the topic of the Animas River Spill, one of the biggest perspectives I have formed is that the EPA is really trying to help us out and better our rivers and streams water quality. Through our research I had found that the EPA has been in our area for quite some time trying to prevent mine drainage from seeping into the rivers in large amounts. While reading an article from the New York Times, the owner of the Gold King Mine,Todd Hennis, in an interview had said that the cause of the spill was not the EPA, but the last mine known in that area, he says “the spill was probably the fault of another mine company — the Sunnyside Gold Corporation — that had built retention walls inside an abandoned mine near the Gold King, part of an old cleanup agreement with the federal government. Once the Sunnyside mine filled with wastewater, the water probably spilled into the Gold King, and then into the Animas”. By reading articles to researching the topic, I have gained this perspective because through mostly every article I have read regarding this issue the EPA was not trying to make the situation worse, they were already up in that area trying to find a way to reduce the amount of discharge the mines spilled every day, they accidentally had spilled the water because they had no idea it was there in the first place.
One of our guiding questions was, How was the river affected by pollution before the spill? The Animas river itself hasn’t been that affected with pollution from mining up at Silverton because of the amount of dilution the waste goes through while going down to the Animas. Creeks and rivers above and directly below have been affected tremendously by pollution before the spill because of the amount of waste flowing directly into those rivers and creeks it doesn't have enough time to get diluted before hand which has killed of many fish and aquatic life up in that area. In one of the article from the Durango Herald they had talked about this problem of mine runoff from many years of unregulated mining, one quote states “Experts estimate there are 55,000 such abandoned mines from Colorado to Idaho to California, and federal and state authorities have struggled to clean them for decades. The federal government says 40 percent of the headwaters of Western waterways have been contaminated from mine runoff”. Mine runoff has been an issue in polluting surrounding rivers for a hundred years or more from many abandoned mines left behind, another quote says “Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency was trying to staunch leakage from a gold mine – not worked since 1923”. Many efforts have been made to help clean up the excess mine drainage, we are now seeing how devastating the mining industry is to the environment.
By researching a topic relevant to our community I think the most important lesson that I learned was when a disaster happens like this the whole community comes together to figure out solutions and try to make everyone's ideas/views heard. I believe I had grown during this project because of the way our class had engaged in reaching out to members of the community and trying to gain the viewpoints of many to record this incident through the eyes of the people not the media.
From conducting my interview with an elder of our community and a person who has had experience in the field of broadcasting, I had seen a glimpse of the perspective an older person would have on the subject and how we should resolve it. My interviewee had talked a bit about how amazing it is to see such youth doing a project which involved parts of the community sharing perspectives with the young, old, and other views from members of native tribes to EPA workers. By conducting an interview I believe that my classmates and I were able to bring out the true thoughts and views of those in our community and around this incident. As a scholar I had gained experience by talking to members of our community and diving into a topic relevant to our area, making us think about what we can do to help this issue. As a human being the biggest thing that stuck with me by recording the views of one individual that I had begun to form a relationship between the youth and the elderly and what both of our sides had to say about what happened. We all as a community saw this issue unfold together.
During our time spent on the topic of the Animas River Spill, one of the biggest perspectives I have formed is that the EPA is really trying to help us out and better our rivers and streams water quality. Through our research I had found that the EPA has been in our area for quite some time trying to prevent mine drainage from seeping into the rivers in large amounts. While reading an article from the New York Times, the owner of the Gold King Mine,Todd Hennis, in an interview had said that the cause of the spill was not the EPA, but the last mine known in that area, he says “the spill was probably the fault of another mine company — the Sunnyside Gold Corporation — that had built retention walls inside an abandoned mine near the Gold King, part of an old cleanup agreement with the federal government. Once the Sunnyside mine filled with wastewater, the water probably spilled into the Gold King, and then into the Animas”. By reading articles to researching the topic, I have gained this perspective because through mostly every article I have read regarding this issue the EPA was not trying to make the situation worse, they were already up in that area trying to find a way to reduce the amount of discharge the mines spilled every day, they accidentally had spilled the water because they had no idea it was there in the first place.
One of our guiding questions was, How was the river affected by pollution before the spill? The Animas river itself hasn’t been that affected with pollution from mining up at Silverton because of the amount of dilution the waste goes through while going down to the Animas. Creeks and rivers above and directly below have been affected tremendously by pollution before the spill because of the amount of waste flowing directly into those rivers and creeks it doesn't have enough time to get diluted before hand which has killed of many fish and aquatic life up in that area. In one of the article from the Durango Herald they had talked about this problem of mine runoff from many years of unregulated mining, one quote states “Experts estimate there are 55,000 such abandoned mines from Colorado to Idaho to California, and federal and state authorities have struggled to clean them for decades. The federal government says 40 percent of the headwaters of Western waterways have been contaminated from mine runoff”. Mine runoff has been an issue in polluting surrounding rivers for a hundred years or more from many abandoned mines left behind, another quote says “Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency was trying to staunch leakage from a gold mine – not worked since 1923”. Many efforts have been made to help clean up the excess mine drainage, we are now seeing how devastating the mining industry is to the environment.
By researching a topic relevant to our community I think the most important lesson that I learned was when a disaster happens like this the whole community comes together to figure out solutions and try to make everyone's ideas/views heard. I believe I had grown during this project because of the way our class had engaged in reaching out to members of the community and trying to gain the viewpoints of many to record this incident through the eyes of the people not the media.
Seminar Prep Driving Questions
Future Implications:
There have been many ideas put forth to help clean up what is left by the devastation of the Gold King Mine spill. In 1977 the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was passed which enforced mining operators to create a plan for cleaning up old mines. This act allowed some funding for cleaning up old abandoned mine sites, but The Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety gets about 2 million dollars a year. But this agency has almost no money for environmental remediation. Previous efforts have pushed for a Superfund site which is passed would bring in more funds to contain what's left of contamination. Locals have pushed away this idea because it would hurt the economy of silverton by driving work out because of the label of a superfund site. “We’re a tourist area,” Bev Rich, a lifelong Silverton resident, told the Durango Herald in 2013. “You hear the word ‘Superfund’ site and 99 percent think ‘danger.’ So why would you want to go to a Superfund site?” Quote from https://www.hcn.org/articles/why-silverton-still-doesnt-want-a-superfund-site. After the spill workers have created four holding ponds under the mine to hold the sludge and try leveling the acidity out with lime and caustic soda.”This process is often visible, Cohen said. Seemingly clear water will turn cloudy as the dissolved metals settle out.
The sludge left behind can be stripped of water and disposed of, Cohen said. Once they're not in their dissolved form, the metals are far less toxic to the environment.” This is a quote taken from http://www.livescience.com/51831-colorado-mine-spill-cleanup.html
There have been talks of a new kind of treatment plant which sole purpose would be to separate the metals out of the water, but the cost is very unreasonable for what funding the Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety already gets. The estimated cost for one of these treatment centers is 12 million dollars and 1 million dollars to run every year. But there had already been a treatment plant in silverton but was taken down due to lack of funding.
Causes of the spill:
Many point fingers at the EPA for the whole dealio, although they were responsible for the initial discharge of mine tailings they are not totally at fault. The gold king mine like most mines had trouble with water and acid mine drainage. Another mine had sprung up under the gold king along with the red bonita mine. This mine had taken some of the acid mine drainage from other mines above for a while. The sunnyside mine decided to bulkhead it’s mine and also clean up other mines around itself. High Country News had reported “That, combined with the ARSG's extensive efforts, worked: By the early 2000s, zinc, cadmium and lead levels in Mineral Creek had dropped by 50 to 75 percent, and water quality in the Upper Animas had improved significantly (Cement Creek had never supported fish, and never will). Fish appeared just below Silverton, where they hadn't been seen in probably a century. It was success, without Superfund.”
https://www.hcn.org/articles/when-our-river-turned-orange-animas-river-spill The sunnyside had cut a deal with the gold king to take over sunnysides water treatment and gave cash to run it for a bit. After the sunnyside left and closed its bulkheads water began pouring out of the red bonita and gold king. This water was run through the treatment plant left behind by sunnyside but after a while the plant was shut down due to low funds. The EPA was working on plugging the gold king when the accidental collapse occurred while a worker had pushed dirt back into the mine shaft which somehow erupted the water which was backed up to burst out.
Historical Context River Before Spill:
The Animas river is fed by many tributaries including Cement creek. Cement creek is just under the gold king mine which takes most of the water coming out of the mine. For hundreds of years the goldking along with other mines in the area have tributed acid mine drainage and mine tailings into cement creek eventually making it to the Animas.
The Animas river is primarily fed by three creeks the Animas,Cement and Mineral creek these three all drain through the silverton area. High Country News Reported “Then there's acid mine drainage. The portals and shafts blasted into the mountainsides hijack the natural hydrology, pulling water flowing through fractures toward natural springs into the mine tunnels. There, the water reacts with iron disulfide (pyrite) and oxygen to form sulfuric acid. The acidic water dissolves naturally occurring heavy metals such as zinc, lead, cadmium, copper and aluminum. The resulting contaminated water flows out of the mine adit as if from a spring. By 1991, when the last major mine in the watershed shut down, there were some 400 mines in the watershed, many discharging unmitigated discharges into streams. Not a fish could be found for miles downstream from Silverton”https://www.hcn.org/articles/when-our-river-turned-orange-animas-river-spill
Economic Impact:
For many this spill has affected them for the worse, from low flow of customers for rafting companies, water was unsafe to drink for a while for those relying on the Animas for water and then affecting crops and farms downstream it has had its horrific effects. The Navajo nation had been effected far downstream. Many rely on the river for farming and have always been flowing through their culture. when the spill happened they closed their irrigation ditches and had to drive up to 70 miles to get clean water for their crops. Farmers all over have certainly done the same. For many other businesses like restaurants stores and what not, business has slowed down after the spill because of the toxic river many tourists had steered clear of durango and the Animas river. I may be a long shot but in my opinion this spill has made the Animas an Example for people to wake up and take action. In many ways it has hurt the economy for a bit but in the long run I think this is a good change to make future implications preventing more spills like this from happening.
Future Implications:
There have been many ideas put forth to help clean up what is left by the devastation of the Gold King Mine spill. In 1977 the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was passed which enforced mining operators to create a plan for cleaning up old mines. This act allowed some funding for cleaning up old abandoned mine sites, but The Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety gets about 2 million dollars a year. But this agency has almost no money for environmental remediation. Previous efforts have pushed for a Superfund site which is passed would bring in more funds to contain what's left of contamination. Locals have pushed away this idea because it would hurt the economy of silverton by driving work out because of the label of a superfund site. “We’re a tourist area,” Bev Rich, a lifelong Silverton resident, told the Durango Herald in 2013. “You hear the word ‘Superfund’ site and 99 percent think ‘danger.’ So why would you want to go to a Superfund site?” Quote from https://www.hcn.org/articles/why-silverton-still-doesnt-want-a-superfund-site. After the spill workers have created four holding ponds under the mine to hold the sludge and try leveling the acidity out with lime and caustic soda.”This process is often visible, Cohen said. Seemingly clear water will turn cloudy as the dissolved metals settle out.
The sludge left behind can be stripped of water and disposed of, Cohen said. Once they're not in their dissolved form, the metals are far less toxic to the environment.” This is a quote taken from http://www.livescience.com/51831-colorado-mine-spill-cleanup.html
There have been talks of a new kind of treatment plant which sole purpose would be to separate the metals out of the water, but the cost is very unreasonable for what funding the Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety already gets. The estimated cost for one of these treatment centers is 12 million dollars and 1 million dollars to run every year. But there had already been a treatment plant in silverton but was taken down due to lack of funding.
Causes of the spill:
Many point fingers at the EPA for the whole dealio, although they were responsible for the initial discharge of mine tailings they are not totally at fault. The gold king mine like most mines had trouble with water and acid mine drainage. Another mine had sprung up under the gold king along with the red bonita mine. This mine had taken some of the acid mine drainage from other mines above for a while. The sunnyside mine decided to bulkhead it’s mine and also clean up other mines around itself. High Country News had reported “That, combined with the ARSG's extensive efforts, worked: By the early 2000s, zinc, cadmium and lead levels in Mineral Creek had dropped by 50 to 75 percent, and water quality in the Upper Animas had improved significantly (Cement Creek had never supported fish, and never will). Fish appeared just below Silverton, where they hadn't been seen in probably a century. It was success, without Superfund.”
https://www.hcn.org/articles/when-our-river-turned-orange-animas-river-spill The sunnyside had cut a deal with the gold king to take over sunnysides water treatment and gave cash to run it for a bit. After the sunnyside left and closed its bulkheads water began pouring out of the red bonita and gold king. This water was run through the treatment plant left behind by sunnyside but after a while the plant was shut down due to low funds. The EPA was working on plugging the gold king when the accidental collapse occurred while a worker had pushed dirt back into the mine shaft which somehow erupted the water which was backed up to burst out.
Historical Context River Before Spill:
The Animas river is fed by many tributaries including Cement creek. Cement creek is just under the gold king mine which takes most of the water coming out of the mine. For hundreds of years the goldking along with other mines in the area have tributed acid mine drainage and mine tailings into cement creek eventually making it to the Animas.
The Animas river is primarily fed by three creeks the Animas,Cement and Mineral creek these three all drain through the silverton area. High Country News Reported “Then there's acid mine drainage. The portals and shafts blasted into the mountainsides hijack the natural hydrology, pulling water flowing through fractures toward natural springs into the mine tunnels. There, the water reacts with iron disulfide (pyrite) and oxygen to form sulfuric acid. The acidic water dissolves naturally occurring heavy metals such as zinc, lead, cadmium, copper and aluminum. The resulting contaminated water flows out of the mine adit as if from a spring. By 1991, when the last major mine in the watershed shut down, there were some 400 mines in the watershed, many discharging unmitigated discharges into streams. Not a fish could be found for miles downstream from Silverton”https://www.hcn.org/articles/when-our-river-turned-orange-animas-river-spill
Economic Impact:
For many this spill has affected them for the worse, from low flow of customers for rafting companies, water was unsafe to drink for a while for those relying on the Animas for water and then affecting crops and farms downstream it has had its horrific effects. The Navajo nation had been effected far downstream. Many rely on the river for farming and have always been flowing through their culture. when the spill happened they closed their irrigation ditches and had to drive up to 70 miles to get clean water for their crops. Farmers all over have certainly done the same. For many other businesses like restaurants stores and what not, business has slowed down after the spill because of the toxic river many tourists had steered clear of durango and the Animas river. I may be a long shot but in my opinion this spill has made the Animas an Example for people to wake up and take action. In many ways it has hurt the economy for a bit but in the long run I think this is a good change to make future implications preventing more spills like this from happening.