Gore vs. CBC

First and foremost, both films we viewed gave basic information on why global warming is occurring and how to reverse the pattern. In the first film, the CBC News Documentary shows specific examples as to why global warming has occurred and it showed viewers how scientists are checking for changes in the atmosphere. CBC’s approach on talking about global warming seemed less aggressive and more informal, in a casual way. On the other hand, Al Gore’s approach to alerting American’s about the dangers of global warming were much more precise and demanding. Gore not only had reasons as to why global warming has occurred but he also gave solutions on how to fix the crisis, too. Gore pretty much came out and said “Global Warming is here and this is how we need to fix it.” CBC seemed to more or less give out the statistics and talk about what we can do that may help warming from continuing. Gore also puts blame directly on specific people and says that his film is the truth, regardless of what anyone else has to say about the matter. Gore leaves little room for others to form their own opinion and basically labels his theory as the right theory.

In comparison to Gore’s interview, the CBC special was more family friendly and inviting. Not only was the film shot in several different locations, but it also gave quite a few options and alternatives to what is happening with our climate today. Whereas I felt like CBC was saying there is a debate on the issue of global warming and how and why it had occurred, Gore just flat out says there is no debate. While the issue with global warming is important, I almost felt as if Gore was using the opportunity to put himself out there and to allow others to view him as this strong, brilliant man, instead of just putting out the issues on global warming. All in all, I preferred the CBC documentary because it was more inviting and allowed me to have my own opinions on such an important topic.

Slade's chapter 9

Slade’s final chapter in Made to Break focuses specifically on cell phone use. Due to the current fascination with cell phones in America, e-waste has become a huge problem. Not only are cell phones contributing to the e-waste issue, but also computers and TV’s, too. When these items are thrown away, they end up in landfills or in countries outside of the U.S., where they may be burned and this releases pollutants into the air, such as dioxins and furans. Also, when the e-waste is dumped into the landfills, the harmful pollutants tend to seep into our ground water and poison it. No matter which of the two methods are used, all are harmful to our environment and people. In the past ten years or so, cell phones were not used nearly as often as they are today. Now, cell phones are being thrown away or replaced every 18 months, instead of being used for about 5 years, like they could be. With the recent turnover rate, we are unable to keep up with all the waste they are creating and instead of taking the time to recycle the small parts; they are being burned or buried.

Today’s adolescent groups view cell phones as a status symbol or something to show that they are in with the times. Almost 90% of the American population today has a cell phone and in nearly 18 months of their purchase, each will get the cell phone upgraded for a new version. Considering that, it is no wonder why we have such a problem with e-waste in our society. To go along with the idea of constantly upgrading cell phones, I began to think about whether or not cell phone businesses would have a place in our culture if we backed off on our cell phone use. Right now, I do not think the businesses would survive very long without the 18 month turnover rate because that is how they make their money. Other than selling cell phones, I do not know what else the businesses could be used for.

Ch. 7 & 8

Chapter 7 talks mostly about the development of machines that did calculations for humans. First of all, there was the idea of miniaturization which made the process of making a calculation machine so difficult. Integrated circuits were first to be introduced because they are made miniaturization possible. IBM had their first breakthrough with transistors, instead of the old vacuum tubes. This was huge for the computer world and in making the items compact. Shortly after, solid circuits came about and from this point on, technology escalated. By now, people were able to increase the maximum number of circuits being used on one chip. Next, came the slide rules, followed by disposable electronic calculators, which brought about the first e-waste product with a microchip. As each new machine was invented, the previous models quickly became obsolete, creating huge amounts of waste. Finally, this chapter introduces high-powered calculators and the use of personal computers. With the development of computers, there were all sorts of new software programs that came about to help people calculate and organize their business finances. Overall, this chapter does a great job of describing the evolution of e-waste, starting from the very beginning.

In chapter 8, we are introduced to Gus Weiss who basically became America’s backbone for intelligence in the white house. Weiss was the one to decode and make claims about the Soviets intentions to steal technological advancements from the west but unfortunately no one believed him until it was nearly too late. When a group of Soviet’s came to America for tours of some of the largest and most advanced businesses, it was Weiss who noted it and kept track of their stops. Before long, others became aware of Weiss’s intelligence and put him in a power position within the white house. Later came the trouble with Vetrov, who was eventually charged with treason and ended up getting sent back to Moscow for trial. In the end, the idea of creating Siberian oil fields is still the project needed for Russian wealth.

Dr. Murphy's presentation

Dr. Murphy’s discussion on Tuesday fits very well with the two themes we have talked about this semester. First of all, some of the wasteful products he talked about are made from oil, such as cell phones and computers. Then, we talked about obsolescence and how the above items are becoming obsolete due to our need for newer and better things. The entire discussion actually went along with everything we have reviewed so far in class, which gave us an opportunity to question the topics. Currently, there are polices in place regarding the disposal of toxic waste, which will help to reduce it. Now, there are recycle bins at cell phone stores to get rid of old cell phones that cannot only be reused but it also saves the environment from toxic waste that may be release from the phone. Also, there are disposal polices for thermometer, too because the mercury in them is extremely harmful to humans, so these items are never supposed to just be thrown away in trash cans, but instead are asked to be turned in to proper disposal sites.

In the future, we are facing obstacles such as running out of landfill space due to our habits of throwing away objects that will not decompose. If we learn to recycle more items, the landfills will be less full and last longer. Also, we will run into the problem of our environment being polluted due to waste. When we throw away harmful waste items, they tend to release harmful gases into our atmosphere and create toxic run-off in our water supply. Overall, I felt like Dr. Murphy did a great job on his presentation and gave out lots of useful information. The powerpoint was very effective and gave not only good facts but also useful pictures to use as reference.

Obsolescence

It seems to me that various themes/industries are converging by overlapping on their ideas. We start off with something as simple as lanterns and then we move to a light bulb and end up with a hi-tech device that produces light only by the use of sunshine. Everything seems to run off of one another and that’s where the whole idea of obsolescence comes in. If you want to move on and have newer and better items, it seems that making older items obsolete is the only way we know how to move on. Within Slade’s approach to obsolescence, he does not seem to have a counter argument to his main theme. Slade basically talks about the need to make items obsolescent and how it helps our economy stable but what about the negative effects it may cause? He never shows the readers a down side to things becoming obsolete. In reality, we are now seeing the down side of obsolescence in items such as computers, TV’s, and other major products that are being thrown by the wayside because of its obsolescence. Although it is great when businesses come out with a new computer or flat screen TV, I feel it is important to stop and think about where we are going to put all the old versions we no longer want because they seem “out-dated” to us.

When I think about whether or not industry can succeed without obsolescence, I really am not sure. All I have ever known in my lifetime is for items to become obsolete because newer versions of that item are created. Then, from here, businesses thrive and the people involved also benefit, too. So, when I think about a society where obsolescence is not present, I don’t know if it is possible because how will we improve or keep up with our needs. For the sake of our current waste problems, I would like to think that we could succeed without obsolescence but ultimately I am not sure how that is possible, so no, I do not think industry can succeed without obsolescence.

Final Paper Topic

For my topic on the big paper, I would like to talk about the current issue of need versus want. After hearing from Dr. Reed, I have thought a lot about what he said and the current economic situation in America. My hope is to highlight certain aspects of life that are merely a want instead of a need and how the confusion between the two is hurting our country. I will come up with solutions for how to decide between a want and need and the upside to establishing between the two before making a decision that could be costly. I don’t have a working thesis yet but I have come up with a few sources I would like to use.

http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/4186360-1.html

Wise, Stuart. “Going Broke: Why Americans can’t hold on to their money.”

Slade, Giles. Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America

Dr. Reed's visit

After listening to Dr. Reed speak about FGCI, I am really going to try to reduce my own carbon footprint. I think the FGCI is a great idea and I am so glad that someone here at UF took the initiative to put the organization into play. Until recently, I had no idea about all the ways I can help out the environment by making simple changes in my daily routine. I also realized how many of the changes I have made in the past 4 months to reduce my carbon footprint, without even noticing it. Unconsciously, I have planned my trips to be more efficient by carpooling to practice each week, I walk to class and work daily, I have reduced my shower time, I turn off lights more frequently, and I have been eating less fast-food, too. Now that I know how I can help out, I want to explain to others how easy it is and that it really is not a bother at all. On the other hand, I do have one really bad habit, which is drinking bottled water on a daily basis. Each day, I drink at least 2 bottles of water, if not more. When I first began drinking bottled water, I had no idea of the harm they can do to our environment but now that I am aware, I am going to try to reduce, if not quit all together.

Overall, I feel the FGCI fits with our themes from class because both have to do with saving energy and learning to take better care of our environment. So far, the first theme was about the use of oil and the FGCI is a huge advocate for trying to reduce oil use. Also, we are now talking about obsolescence and the FGCI are trying very hard to make such items as unnecessary electricity use, bottled water, and trash obsolete. I think the FGCI is a great fit for the themes of our class and feel like we are talking about a lot of the same issues. In the end, I greatly appreciated Dr. Reed coming in to speak with our class because there are a lot of ways I can get involved with this “green movement” on campus that I did not know about before.

Obsolescence in my life

When I think about obsolescence, I usually only thing of it in a negative sense, such as buying the newest car, clothes, cell phone, etc. One example of my own negative obsolescence is the purchase of new make-up. If I am watching a commercial that advertises a new line of mascara which is supposed to “make your lashes fuller, without the clump” you can pretty much bet that I will head right out to the store and buy it, even though my current tube of mascara is still half full. Something else that is very obsolete for me is my western show clothing. I cannot even count up the number of show shirts (or all the money) I have sitting in my closet at home. Each year, when the new show season starts and I see the latest fashions, I feel like I have to go design something new to wear, regardless of whether or not my old show clothes are still in great shape.

On the other hand, there is also positive obsolescence in my life, too. About twice every year, I get the urge to clean out my closet and get rid of some of my clothes. Even though some of the clothing is still relatively new (or still have the tags on them) I never just throw them away, unless they are worn out or torn. Instead, I always donate my clothes to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. Also, just because I get rid of a lot of my clothes, does not mean I go right out and replace them with the “newest fashions” either, I just have fewer clothes. Another case of positive obsolescence that I have dealt with is the dying out of cassette tapes. The tapes would always come unwound or would rip after only a short period of time. Now that I have really focused on it, there are several parts of life that can be looked at as being positively obsolete.

My Thoughts on Ch. 2

Chapter 2 talks mostly about the automobile and the changes we have seen in it over the years. When I first read about Henry Ford and his “Tin Lizzie” I was shocked at the extent he went to, in order to keep his car the exact same. Usually when someone is in competition with others, they try to make changes to their product in hopes of bettering their work, but Ford definitely was not interested in change. I actually laughed when I read about the look and condition of the Tin Lizzie as compared to cars from other dealers who were keeping with the times and making improvements. On the other hand, I do know that something about the Ford car must have been right because it was able to continue selling for longer than any other car had, at this time. Even while GM was coming up with new versions of the automobile, Ford stuck with the same car and pushed for its ability last, which I really admire.

Reading about the Ford’s stance on not wanting to upgrade when their product was still in good working order makes me realize how unnecessary certain objects in life are today. If only people would take the same outlook on items such as the cell phone, TV’s and clothes as Ford did with their Tin Lizzie, I think we would be much better off, both presently, and in the future. Chapter 2 has made me realize all the items in life I can reuse, or just use longer instead of throwing it away for a newer version. If something still works, why throw it away? I almost feel silly about not realizing it before, but I waste too many good items in my life, that could be used for much longer or given to someone less fortunate.

The section in Chapter 2 about “Designing for style” still sticks with so many people today who are constantly in need of the next best thing. Although some aspects of the Tin Lizzie may not have been the best, that fact is, it still worked and did what it was meant to do. Overall, from this chapter, I got that looks are not always the most important, but rather quality and usage of items are.

Review of "The Prize"

In general, I guess we could say the Prize focuses on the oil industry from the first sight of oil many years ago, up until the very recently. Even though The Prize specifically goes through each chapter and describes how the oil industry evolved year to year, there is actually a more important topic than the broad outlook. I believe The Prize is more of a statement of how life has changed and developed since the first strike of oil, the people involved with starting and maintaining the oil industry, and the importance of oil for our survival in the future.
First of all, the book begins by talking about how oil was used solely for illuminating homes and businesses. As the book progresses, we see how the oil was then transferred into other uses such as gasoline for automobiles and for tankers while fighting in war. Due to oil, the entire world has changed, especially when it comes to working with varying countries and industries. As soon as the news of oil hit the newspapers, it spread like wildfires into nearly all walks of life. Also, oil has created friendships and enemies where they might have never been established if it weren’t for oil.
Secondly, the start of the oil industry was a new beginning for many individuals, personally. People such as Rockefeller and Teagle would be nobody today if it had not been for the invention of oil. There are so many household names being used today because of oil and these individuals have really shaped the world, especially in economics. Because a few people were willing to devote their entire lives to oil, the rest of the world now has so many advancements and luxuries because of their hard work.
Lastly, The Prize is known for tracking the overall importance of oil, in relationship to the future of the world. Although oil seems to be a huge pain for many people right now, it is also a need. Without oil, there are so many items that would not exist and would probably send people into more of a depression than they already are, because of oil prices. Even though it gets tiresome to talk about oil all the time, the fact is, it is a huge part of everyday life and something we will want to hang on to for many years from now.
I believe The Prize really just outlines this “monster” that so many depend on and complain about at the same time because it has become so well known and used over time. After reading through this book, the one thing that really stuck out to me was the filth involved in drilling for oil. Between watching the movie and reading about it in our books, I never really imagined the hard work, danger, and above all, the mess that went along with drilling for oil. Unless I was positive I was getting a huge chunk of money out of it, I do not think I would want to work on a drilling sight. Even above the filth, there are the obvious health issues that so many men were willing to risk, and I just do not think it is worth it.

Chapter 13

In chapter 13 we are first introduced to Columbus Joiner aka, “daddy”. Joiner was part of the large group of men at this time who were basically con-artists within the oil industry who would send out letters, asking for donations to help find a new oil well and then promised the person a large chunk of change, once the well was up and running. Another huge player in this game was Robert E. Lee who was a descendent of General Robert E. Lee. Lee was able to acquire over $2 million before being caught by federal authorities. Later, Joiner became fascinated with the idea of finding oil in East Texas. Joiner was given the idea from “Doc Lloyd” who wrote out a map for Joiner to show him exactly where to drill. By this time, many people were aware of the scams performed by Lloyd and Joiner and they only laughed at Joiner for trying to go after this idea. Like many other deal makers in the oil industry at this time, Joiner thought of himself as a womanizer and said that every woman had a spot on her neck, that when he touched it, they would write him out a check. However, Joiner did receive enough donations to begin drilling on the Daisy Bradford farm.

After several years of trying, Joiner finally struck it big with his Wildcat on October 3, 1930 and his discovery was known as the Black Giant. Due to all of the oil being drilled, prices plummeted and “teakettles” (pint-sized refineries) produced Eastex gasoline, which was sold at gas stations to make up for the loss of money from oil. Later, Joiner decided to sell all his stocks to Haroldson Lafayette Hunt (H.L or Boy) and received $1.33 million-$30,000 up front but when he found out about Boy’s scam, Joiner issued a law suit but later dropped it and spent most of his money trying to hit it big with another Wildcat but was unable to and died at age 87.

Again, oil prices dropped and any wells only producing only a few barrels a day were shut down. Then in August of 1931, “Alfalfa Bill” Murray, the governor of Oklahoma declared a state of emergency so that all major oil fields would be shut down until oil prices reached $1. Next, on August 17, 1931 the governor of Texas declared war on East Texas and he sent in National Guardsmen on horseback to shut down production in that area. Any excess oil created was known as “hot oil” because it was being smuggled into other states, creating another drop in oil prices. Harold Ickes, Secretary of the Interior, was extremely close with Roosevelt and helped in many of the decisions made in the country dealing with the oil industry. Ickes eventually got into some trouble over a mistress of his who was sending him letters at the White House, and were accidently intercepted by others. After this, Ickes called for Federal investigators to come and examine refinery records, test oil gauges, inspect tanks, and to dig up pipelines in East Texas, in order to stop the “hot oil” crisis. Last but not least, in 1932, Congress passed a law that demanded 21 cents a barrel for crude and fuel oil and $1.05 for gasoline.

An outline for my short essay

Here is what I have so far!

Thesis:
Although there may be some Americans who refuse to ease up on the use of oil, I believe the majority of Americans will continue to conserve oil, even if prices decline, due to related patterns shown in history, the effects of drastic increases in gasoline, food supplies, etc., and the importance of saving our environment from pollution, created by oil.
Main Points:
1.) Similar events in history prove that Americans will continue to be conservative with oil, even if prices drastically decline.
a. Prices have never been this high in the past
b. Increase in gas prices by 20% from 1975-1980 showed a cut of 6% per capita nationwide in gas consumption (The Boston Globe)
2.) Drastic increases in gas prices, food supplies, etc. has created several changes in many families across the country.
a. Over six years of rising prices has forced Americans to change their driving habits
b. Many products used daily contain oil, so the price in weekly groceries has gone up, too (class handout)
3.) Damage reported within the environment is currently being aimed towards the use of oil in the world.
a. Burning of oil is effecting the decrease in ice caps and life among mammals living in cold regions
b. Global warming may take over our environment unless we change our habits
Counter Argument:
Even though statistics show Americans will continue to conserve the use of oil if prices go down, there are also past incidents that occurred which proves otherwise.
a. Oil consumption went back up in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s as the price went down
b. Many upper-class citizens have not changed daily routines due to the price of gas


Woks Cited
Krauss, Clifford. “Driving Less, Americans Finally React to Sting of Gas Prices, a Study Says.” New York Times on the Web 19 June 2008, . 10 September 2008 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/business/19gas.html?fta=y.
Krauss, Clifford. “Reaction to gas price rise not what it used to be.” Boston Globe Online 8 April 2007. 10 September 2008 http://www.boston.com/cars/news/articles/2007/04/08/reaction_to_gas_price_rise_not_wh....
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. (OPEC). A brief history of OPEC. 15 September 2008 http://www.opec.org/aboutus/history/history.htm.
U.S. Department of State. Second Arab Oil Embargo, 1973-1974. 21 September 2008 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/dr/96057.htm.
Yergin, Daniel. The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1991.

Ideas for my First Short Essay

As of now, I am planning on writing about idea number 3 on our assignment sheet. As we talked about it in class on Tuesday, I was very fascinated by the question of whether or not American's will choose to go back to their old habits if gas prices begin to go down. Personally, I think, yes, they will go back to old habits, but here is where my research will come in handy. So far, I've done a little research and I have found two different articles on this topic and one agrees with me (The Boston Globe), that American's will fall back on old habits if prices go down, but the other (The New York Times) disagrees with my opinion and thinks they will continue to be conservative.

"There Will Be Blood"

After watching a good portion of the movie “There Will Be Blood” I am able to relate a lot of what I saw, to the things that I have read about in the book “The Prize”. The main character, Daniel, really reminds me of Rockefeller from the book because he seems so dead set on getting his oil that he doesn’t care who else it hurts. Also, I think the main character is greatly focused on making his fortune versus actually being concerned about what good he can do with the oil, just like Rockefeller was. A similarity I saw between the movie and book was the economic status of the total population. In both movie and book, you have a few select people who are wealthy beyond belief, while the rest of the population is scraping to get by. Also, the men who are set on finding oil, don’t really seem to care that much about family and love, whereas the rest of the men who don’t have the money or oil, care deeply about family and the few possessions they do have.
When it came to how the movie made me feel, I was really just shocked at how conniving and evil some people can be. I hated the fact that H.W. was hurt and lost his hearing in the movie and for what, some extra cash and more fame for his father? I think it’s terrible that Daniel will even put his family’s well-being at risk, just to get a little more oil and money. Another concern of mine was how dirty of a job finding oil was. I didn’t exactly expect it to be a clean job but there were several times when men were completely covered with oil and the only part of them that was visible was their eyes. After seeing the filth of finding oil, it is no wonder so many people died at a young age during this time, because their lungs had to have been filled with horrible, dark “gunk” from mining oil for so many years. Another part of the movie that really caught my eye was the danger involved in trying to find oil. One of the very first scenes of the movie shows a man falling to the bottom of a hole as he was looking for oil. That man was very lucky he survived the fall, especially since he was working all by himself. Further into the movie, we saw a man die from having a huge oil pump fall on his head when he was down in the oil hole. The tools these men used and the way they used them were very dangerous and it seemed that very few, if any, precautions were taken to prevent accidents from happening.

Video clip on Oil in America

At the beginning of this video clip, I was first unsure of the position the men from the video were taking. However, I soon realized they were sort of anti-America, in the sense that they disagree with most decisions made by our president and the direction our country is headed in. When I first heard one man say that 9/11 is America’s excuse to move the focus away from our oil problems so we don’t look so bad, this really made me angry. The entire segment was mostly about how shameless and superficial Americans are and that we will use any excuse possible to make ourselves look better, or like we are the heroes. In reality, I feel that we are currently fighting our war because of all the Americans that were innocently killed due to the events of 9/11. I feel like the men from the video do not believe we are actually at war but instead we are using the damage created from 9/11 as a shield for our “Real” problems.
Throughout the video, there were several questions stated but I never really felt like an answer was given to the questions. The men would just mention the question and then go on a rampage and mention everything under the sun, except the answer to the question. Also, the sources that were mentioned to back-up the men’s theories were not even anything that had to do with current issues in America. Many of the books mentioned were not very well-known or have a whole lot to do with the current oil issues.
On the other hand, the video did mention a few good comments about America as a society, due to the oil situation. One man said something to the effect that our empire would not be what it is today if it weren’t for the oil we have had access too. I felt this was a pretty good accusation because a lot of our technology and advancements have come from oil. I guess when it comes down to it, I do not entirely trust what the men from the video are insinuating about the oil issues and the war America is fighting.