Sonntag, 13. Dezember 2009
Precis: In Face of Skeptics, Experts Affirm Climate Peril
Publisher: New York Times
Date: 6 December 2009
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/science/earth/07climate.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=copenhagen%20climate%20change&st=cse
Climate change remains a controversial topic. Copenhagen, however, has given rise to renewed debates on the issue with skeptics attacking the science behind climate change. Stolen files and e-mails from the University of East Anglia, a world renowned climate research institute, have led some to oppose the limits proposed for greenhouse gases and to the questioning of the science that Copenhagen is based on.
The information disclosed so far in the stolen documents does not undercut the decades of peer-reviewed sciences. However, skepticism remains, for political, ideological and economic reasons. The persisting uncertainties in climate science leave room for argument, which leaves room for skepticism. Both sides of the argument, those that believe in ‘global warming’ and those that don’t, have a lot to lose. If ‘global warming’ were true, the best case scenario would be rising social, economic, political and environmental disruption, at worst a global disaster of massive proportions. If ‘global warming’ were false, nations will have diverted billions of dollars to curb global warming, even though there is a global recession.
However, even those skeptical of the severity of the consequences of global warming acknowledge that it is, to some extent, driven by the emission of greenhouse gases. A 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change stated that there is no doubt that the earth is warming, and that recent warming is ‘very likely’ driven by human actions. It poses a risk to people and ecosystems. The National Academy of Sciences supports these findings, stating that uncertainties should not be a reason for inaction.
Copenhagen is already subject to political, technical and financial disputes; this subject only adds to the list of problems. Leaders have abandoned hope of creating a binding international climate treaty this year.
Precis: Copenhagen Climate Talks (UNFCCC)
Article: Copenhagen Climate Talks (UNFCCC)
Publisher: New York Times Online
Date: Dec. 8 2009
Rio de Janeiro (1992), Kyoto (1997) and Copenhagen (2009): the road to creating an international strategy for fighting global warming is a long one. In Rio de Janeiro, all 192 nations adopted the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as a basis for a world response to climate change; back then, no targets were set for reducing emissions. Instead, a system for sharing information on human caused emissions was established. The Kyoto Protocol established emission target: 37 industrialized nations and the European Union agreed to them (the US declined to ratify the pact).
However, the goals of the Kyoto Protocol have not been met; the differences between nations could not be resolved. Copenhagen’s goal is to create a political accord calling for reductions in emissions and aid from developing nations, therefore giving nations more time to work out their differences.
Setting the goals has proven difficult, as there remains a wide gap between wealthy industrialized countries and poor developing countries. The US and China play crucial roles in Copenhagen, as together they are responsible for 40% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Chinese are reluctant to accept ceilings for their emissions, claiming that the developing countries have had decades to pollute the environment without regulation, and should therefore have a greater responsibility in reducing them. In addition, it could the economic development of the developing nations. The US, on the other hand, cannot make any commitments beyond what congress is willing to approve.
The biggest problem lies within the finances: vast sums of money will be required to help fast-developing countries like India and Brazil convert to cleaner technologies. Representatives of these countries stated that they will need huge sums of money to deal with the consequences of climate change; some nations will only sign the treaty if financial aid is provided to them. Industrialized nations (e.g. US and European nations) are willing to provide this aid; however, no concrete plans have been made.
The major topics up for discussion at Copenhagen are mitigating climate change, potential adaptation strategies, new technologies and financing.
Donnerstag, 26. November 2009
Commentary: Planting a Sequoia
Planting a Sequoia by David Gioia (lol) is a contemporary lyric poem, written as a response to the death of the poets first born son. The poem is elegaic in its nature as it is mourning the loss of his son; this is mainly emphasized by the use of tone and imagery throughout the poem, as well as through the juxtaposition of life and death. The big idea of this poem is that life and death go hand in hand, inseparable. New life will fill the space that death left behind.
The first stanza introduces the setting, describing the ‘rain blackened’ horizon and the ‘dull grey’ sky. This use of sensory imagery serves to create a bleak, morose and depressing atmosphere. This melancholy mood is only emphasized by the symbolic connotation of the images used, as rain blackened clouds and the dull grey sky are both foreboding and indicative of a tragedy. However, the most powerful symbol of that stanza is that of the ‘old year coming to an end’. The end of a year is most commonly linked to death, loss and mourning. Yet it also alludes to the fact that there is the possibility of a new beginning, a new year, ahead. The scene is therefore not one of hopelessness, which becomes increasingly clear in the following stanzas.
Celebration and tradition are the central ideas in this stanza, as it speaks of the Sicilian custom of planting an olive or fig tree in celebration of the first son’s birth. It stands in juxtaposition to the previous stanza, as it speaks about the beginning of a new life. The contrast is most evident in the sensory imagery used: ‘a promise of new fruit in other autumns’. Here the imagery is tied to the idea of new life, evoking a feeling of hopefulness. The tone seems to be one of hope, seemingly in contrast with the mood of the previous stanza. This is however negated by the fact that Gioia uses a conditional verb in the middle of the stanza: ‘I would have done the same, proudly laying new stock into my father’s orchard’. This verb indicates that the stanza is, though it speaks of celebration, primarily about the loss of his first born son. It addresses the reality that could have been, had his son lived. This therefore emphasizes the idea that …
The heart of the poem is the middle stanza; it addresses life and death at the same time, as the two are directly linked by the planting of a sequoia tree alongside the burial of a lock of the stillborn infant’s hair and his umbilical cord. Though the latter two are symbols of birth and new life, here they are representative of the child’s death. This is, to an extent, ironic, and therefore serves to highlight the inherent connection between life and death. The tone is once again one of mourning, loss and memorial.
Gioia addresses the newly planted Sequoia sapling in this stanza, speaking to it as if it were his son.
Donnerstag, 12. November 2009
Haikus
The last leaf falls now
Snow flakes dancing through the air
Silence echoes
I met Rise Against
I stood in line and froze
But it was worth it
Cloudless skies of blue
Midday heat has cleared the street
Crickets in the grass
Montag, 2. November 2009
The General by Siegfried Sassoon
'Good-morning; good-morning!' the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead,
And we're cursing his staff for incompetent swine.
'He's a cheery old card,' grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack...
But he did for them both by his plan of attack.
Poem: Epigram
Why?
- Insulting
- Short
Freitag, 25. September 2009
One flew over the cuckoo's nest Analysis
Page 186
Context: In this passage, the chief starts talking for the first time. This is because McMurphy replaces the gum the chief had been saving, which had been taken from him by one of the black boys. This is a key moment in the novel, as the chief shows the first visible sign of improvement; McMurphy's influence is also affecting him, not only the Acutes.
Themes : Though the themes play a key role in this passage, it is the characters that drive it.
- Living vs. Apathy:
- " It'd been a long time since I'd let anyone hear me do an more than grunt or bellow." (Top)
- The Chief has been in a state of apathy for a very long time, this is the first time that he attempts to break out of those restraints.
- Sanity vs. Insanity
- "It didn't sound like much because my throat was rusty and my tongue creaked"
- Still thinks of himself in the terms of a machine, not a human being.
- However, he is showing a human emotion by laughing.
Characters: The actions of the characters are what drive this passage.
- Chief Bromden : At this point, the chief is still more insane than he is sane, but him talking for the first time is the first noticeable sign that he is improving. He still uses machine terminology.
- McMurphy: displays some typical McMurphy characteristics, but at the same time is unusually patient and understanding after Bromden speaks for the first time ( "He told me not to hurry, that he had till six-thirty in the morning to listen if I wanted to practice"). He is aware of the significance of the moment and tries to encourage the Chief to talk more. However, when he initially 'tricks' the chief into admitting that he's not deaf/mute, he
Motifs:
- Machinery: tied
- Laughter
Symbols:
- Gum
What drives this text?
Language:
- Diction:
- the Chief's diction is simple, he uses terminology often associated with machinery: 'rusty', 'creaked', 'boiler door',
- Switches from 'I heard him say' to ' he told me' --> reflects the change that the chief is undergoing; at first he is only listening to people, but when he starts speaking, he is being told something.
- McMurphy doesn't speak much, but when he does he uses simple diction and colloquial language, which is typical for him: 'pitchin pennies',' damn lucky'
- Syntax:
- Everything that is being said right when the Chief begins to speak is in reported speech
Structure:
Paragraphs alternate between McMurphy speaking and his actions and Chief Bromden's thoughts
Imagery:
- Figurative: uses many similes
- I heard him shut the bed stand, and it echoed like a boiler door
- Again, Chief refers to machinery; indicates that he is still insane, as his paranoia has him believe that everything is a machine
- I tried to laugh with him, but it was a squawking sound, like a pullet trying to crow.
- Refers to nature--> he is using an image that is familiar to him from when he was growing up in the tribe
- Everything that is being said right when the Chief begins to speak is in reported speech
Rhetorical Devices:
- Intertextuality: McMurphy is singing a song of the time
-
Montag, 7. September 2009
A modest proposal outline
A Modest Proposal Outline: Solution for Pollution
I. Introduction: The Problem
a. Air pollution, the introduction of substances such as chemicals into the atmosphere, has severe effects on the environment, the atmosphere, and living organisms.
i. Causes approximately 2 million premature deaths worldwide a year[1]
ii. Severe effects on health: high rates of pneumonia, lung cancer, asthma, etc.
iii. More random facts/statistics
b. The majority of the pollutants in the atmosphere come from anthropogenic sources (human activity)
i. CO/ CO2 emissions, Particulate matter, Sulfur oxides: produced by combustion of fuel (burning fossil fuels), industrial processes, power plants, etc…
II. Solution:
a. Since we can only control the anthropogenic sources of air pollution, we should begin by focusing on the major sources of air pollution: factories
b. All factory chimney’s should be remodeled so that reach into the ground instead of into the air à pollutants don’t get released into the atmosphere
c. Underground hospitals should be built à all exhausts from the chimney would be released into said hospital rooms
d. Terminally ill people suffering from illnesses that were the result of pollution (lung cancer, pneumonia, etc) would be sent to those hospitals; they would be supplied with enough morphine to numb all the pain they experience
e. As a result, air pollution would be reduced drastically, meaning that death rates due to air pollution would also be reduced.
f. At the same time, it becomes a lot cheaper to treat the terminally ill, as they die off quickly instead of having to be on life support for a long time
g. The medical industry would not suffer, however, because there would be a much higher demand for morphine and other painkillers
III. Conclusion
a. Economic benefit
b. Decrease in air pollution
c. Decrease in deaths related to air pollution
Bibliography
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/index.html , 6.09.09
[1] WHO Air quality and Health