Attack
AT dawn the ridge emerges massed and dun
In the wild purple of the glow'ring sun,
Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud
The menacing scarred slope; and, one by one,
Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire.
The barrage roars and lifts. Then, clumsily bowed
With bombs and guns and shovels and battle-gear,
Men jostle and climb to meet the bristling fire.
Lines of grey, muttering faces, masked with fear,
They leave their trenches, going over the top,
While time ticks blank and busy on their wrists,
And hope, with furtive eyes and grappling fists,
Flounders in mud. O Jesus, make it stop!
This is an ode.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Passage Analysis
Context:
The Nurse talks to the patients after one of the meetings. She is angered by their behavior 3 weeks back, as they tried to rebel and stayed in front of the TV to watch the World Series.
Theme:
○ Control and oppression - the nurse is always in control in this passage, she explains to the 'boys' that they have gone against the laws and that they must be punished. The nurse never loses control as she speaks to them.
○ Sacrifice and selfishness - the patients have tried to rebel
Characters:
○ Nurse Ratched - she is the main character in this passage because she is the only one speaking. She makes a speech to discuss their punishment, and because of the way she speaks, we KNOW she is in control.
Motifs:
○ The nurse herself is a motif, because she represents the American Society and oppression.
Symbols:
Synecdoche: the nurse represents the US society, oppressive and limiting.
Language:
Controlling - 'boys' - familiar and naming to condescend
Familiar and mother-like/forced caring tone
§ fake kindness
§ vocabulary: "hopefully you will understand"; fairly simple language.
§ Loaded language "therapeutic, discipline"
She speaks on behalf of the hospital and what they all represent. Connected to the U.S. as a whole society.
Structure:
This passage is very strong because the structure emphasizes the nurse's control over the ward. She makes a speech and raises her hands to stop any kind of opposition. In this passage, there are descriptions of the room and how the patients are reacting to what she is saying, and the speech that she is making.
Imagery:
Rhetoric:
The passage is mainly focused on the nurse's speech to the patients and we notice that her tone is condescending. She uses terms such as 'boys', and blames their inability to fit in the world on their parents. The mood is rather tense, because she is clearly putting pressure on her patients.
The Nurse talks to the patients after one of the meetings. She is angered by their behavior 3 weeks back, as they tried to rebel and stayed in front of the TV to watch the World Series.
Theme:
○ Control and oppression - the nurse is always in control in this passage, she explains to the 'boys' that they have gone against the laws and that they must be punished. The nurse never loses control as she speaks to them.
○ Sacrifice and selfishness - the patients have tried to rebel
Characters:
○ Nurse Ratched - she is the main character in this passage because she is the only one speaking. She makes a speech to discuss their punishment, and because of the way she speaks, we KNOW she is in control.
Motifs:
○ The nurse herself is a motif, because she represents the American Society and oppression.
Symbols:
Synecdoche: the nurse represents the US society, oppressive and limiting.
Language:
Controlling - 'boys' - familiar and naming to condescend
Familiar and mother-like/forced caring tone
§ fake kindness
§ vocabulary: "hopefully you will understand"; fairly simple language.
§ Loaded language "therapeutic, discipline"
She speaks on behalf of the hospital and what they all represent. Connected to the U.S. as a whole society.
Structure:
This passage is very strong because the structure emphasizes the nurse's control over the ward. She makes a speech and raises her hands to stop any kind of opposition. In this passage, there are descriptions of the room and how the patients are reacting to what she is saying, and the speech that she is making.
Imagery:
Rhetoric:
The passage is mainly focused on the nurse's speech to the patients and we notice that her tone is condescending. She uses terms such as 'boys', and blames their inability to fit in the world on their parents. The mood is rather tense, because she is clearly putting pressure on her patients.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Outline for modest Proposal
Introduction:
Global Issue:
- Numerous conflicts in the world that hinder economic growth
- Conflicts cause pain and suffering to civilians, who cannot have normal lives
- Economic growth of the country is decreasing and trading nations are losing money and their own civilians as well.
- It would cost more to repair the damages caused by the conflicts than to rebuild everything anyways
Solutions:
- Dropping an H-Bomb on said country would get rid of the suffering, because it would literally melt the skin off in less than a second, therefore barely any pain is experienced.
- It would give an advantage to other nations for trade, because said country would be less competition
- Another nation could take over by paying a fee to the WTO, and then own the country. This would lead to a faster rebuild of the economy.
- There is then a decrease in population -> benefits the world
- This would also reduce poverty, caused by the conflicts so other nations wouldn’t have to send benefits or stimulus packages.
Global Issue:
- Numerous conflicts in the world that hinder economic growth
- Conflicts cause pain and suffering to civilians, who cannot have normal lives
- Economic growth of the country is decreasing and trading nations are losing money and their own civilians as well.
- It would cost more to repair the damages caused by the conflicts than to rebuild everything anyways
Solutions:
- Dropping an H-Bomb on said country would get rid of the suffering, because it would literally melt the skin off in less than a second, therefore barely any pain is experienced.
- It would give an advantage to other nations for trade, because said country would be less competition
- Another nation could take over by paying a fee to the WTO, and then own the country. This would lead to a faster rebuild of the economy.
- There is then a decrease in population -> benefits the world
- This would also reduce poverty, caused by the conflicts so other nations wouldn’t have to send benefits or stimulus packages.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Island in the Wind Precis
by Elizabeth Kolbert
July 7, 2008
The New Yorker
URL: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/07/080707fa_fact_kolbert
The island in the Wind, written by Elizabeth Kolbert, gives a real solution to our climatic problems. A small island in Denmark has found ways to deal with climate change and their growing demand for electricity. Different solutions, such as biomass, solar and wind energies are used to power the whole island, which includes about 15 villages. The inhabitants of the island were first entered in a Danish contest to be the first island to function solely on recycled energy and clean energy. Since 1997, the island of Samsø has been producing its own electricity and even exporting it to the mainland. The emphasis is put on the fact that the island is a conservative community of farmers and that they are regular people concerned about the environment. One of the main points of the campaign was to act locally and to succeed locally. The inhabitants of the island believe that the project would be more difficult, if not impossible, in a bigger, more urban setting.
For years, the inhabitants of the Samsø island did not make any efforts to change their ways and improve their consumption of electricity, which came mainly from oil brought by tankers from the mainland. However, Samsø has managed to change its electricity production radically in less than a decade.
For instance, some farmers have installed miniature turbines in their backyards, producing usually more clean energy than needed for the household, but re-used to heat water in the winter. Some others heat their houses with solar heated water and straw burning furnaces. Many wind turbines have been installed on the coasts, which benefit from the ocean winds. Some turbines are also offshore, meaning that they are 'planted' in the sea and constantly work due to the wind which blows all the time.
As many farmers seemed to say to Mrs. Kolbert, the key to their success was that the island was small and the experiment was something the community was proud of. As whole, their main message is to "think locally, act locally".
July 7, 2008
The New Yorker
URL: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/07/080707fa_fact_kolbert
The island in the Wind, written by Elizabeth Kolbert, gives a real solution to our climatic problems. A small island in Denmark has found ways to deal with climate change and their growing demand for electricity. Different solutions, such as biomass, solar and wind energies are used to power the whole island, which includes about 15 villages. The inhabitants of the island were first entered in a Danish contest to be the first island to function solely on recycled energy and clean energy. Since 1997, the island of Samsø has been producing its own electricity and even exporting it to the mainland. The emphasis is put on the fact that the island is a conservative community of farmers and that they are regular people concerned about the environment. One of the main points of the campaign was to act locally and to succeed locally. The inhabitants of the island believe that the project would be more difficult, if not impossible, in a bigger, more urban setting.
For years, the inhabitants of the Samsø island did not make any efforts to change their ways and improve their consumption of electricity, which came mainly from oil brought by tankers from the mainland. However, Samsø has managed to change its electricity production radically in less than a decade.
For instance, some farmers have installed miniature turbines in their backyards, producing usually more clean energy than needed for the household, but re-used to heat water in the winter. Some others heat their houses with solar heated water and straw burning furnaces. Many wind turbines have been installed on the coasts, which benefit from the ocean winds. Some turbines are also offshore, meaning that they are 'planted' in the sea and constantly work due to the wind which blows all the time.
As many farmers seemed to say to Mrs. Kolbert, the key to their success was that the island was small and the experiment was something the community was proud of. As whole, their main message is to "think locally, act locally".
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Field Notes of Catastrophe Precis
The National Academy of Science undertook its first study about global warming in 1979. The results were alarming enough that President Jimmy Carter urged the Academy to pursue their research. It read: "If carbon dioxide continues to increase, the study group finds no reason to doubt that climate changes will result and no reason to believe that these changes will be negligible." The effect of adding CO2 to the atmosphere is to throw the earth out of 'energy balance'. In order for balanced to be restored, according to the laws of physics, it eventually must be the entire planet has to heat up, including the oceans, a process that could take several decades. (Written by the Charney panel)
Since the Charney study, more than 200 studies have been published. Though studies are constantly being published, the CO2 levels have been rising. Carbon-dioxide emissions have increased from five billion to seven billion metric tons a year and the earth's temperature has risen as well. 1998 is the hottest year ever experienced since the studies have begun, and the next years after that are close behind, with each one increasing from one year to the next. Hottest years: 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004. It is likely that by the end of the century, it will likely be hotter than at any point in the last two million years.
Nearly every major glacier in the world is shrinking. Those in Glacier National Park are melting so quickly that it is estimated that they'll be completely gone by 2030. The oceans are not only becoming warmer but also more acidic. The difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures is diminishing, animals are shifting their ranges pole ward, and plants are blooming days, even weeks, earlier than they used to.
In other words, The Arctic is melting.
Any piece of ground that has remained frozen for at least two years is by definition permafrost. Talik is thawed permafrost.
The permafrost melts and creates holes in the ground. The holes are called thermo karsts. Ten years ago, no one cared about permafrost, now everybody wants to know. Permafrost started to degrade in the early 1990's.
Permafrost represents a unique record of long term temperature trends. It also acts, in effect, as a repository for greenhouse gases. As the climate warms, there is a good chance that these gases will be released into the atmosphere, further contributing to global warming. Heat flux from the center of the earth, permafrost gets warmer the farther down you go. Temperatures will decrease steadily as you go higher. Usually, the coldest temperatures are found at the surface of the permafrost. However now, the permafrost is still warmest at the very bottom, but it is coldest somewhere in the middle and gets warmer again toward the surface.
The active layer, which can be anywhere from a few inches to a few feet deep, freezes in the winter and thaws over the summer, and it is what supports the growth of plants. Temperatures are so low that when trees die, they don’t fully decompose.
As the permafrost in the area has warmed, methane releases have increased, in some cases as much as 60%. There is seasonal ice, which forms in the winter and then melts in the summer, and perennial ice, which persists year round.
An atmospheric circulation pattern known as the Arctic Oscillation has mostly been in what climatologists call a "positive mode". The positive Arctic Oscillation is marked by a low pressure over the Arctic Ocean and it tends to produce strong winds and higher temperatures. Between the 1960s and the 1990s, sea-ice depth in a large section of the Arctic Ocean declined by nearly 40 percent. Ice becomes so thin, that scientists fall through the ice while doing research. Geologically speaking, we are now living in a warm period after an ice age.
Glacial cycles are initiated by slight, periodic variations in the earth's orbit. These variations are caused mainly by the gravitational pull of other planets, alter the distribution of sunlight at different latitudes during different seasons and occur according to a complex cycle that takes a hundred thousand years to complete.
As the ice spread, the albedo increased, leading to less heat absorption and the growth of yet more ice. As the ice sheets advanced, CO2 levels declined. During each warm period, when the ice retreated, CO2 levels rose again.
The earth is constantly receiving energy from the sun, and at the same time constantly radiating energy back to space. All hot bodies radiate and the amount that they radiate is a function of their temperature. In order for the earth to be at equilibrium, the amount of energy it radiates out into space must be equal to the amount of radiation it is receiving. When equilibrium shifts, the planet will either cool down or warm up.
Falling carbon dioxide levels could have cause the ice ages. If CO2 levels are doubled, there would be an increase in global temperatures (9-11 degrees). Industrialization and climate change are very closely related. Scientists believed that the oceans would act as sponges and soak up the CO2.
Once an ice sheet begins to melt, it starts to flow faster, which means it also thins faster, encouraging further melt.
Global warming produces global freezing. Glaciers are melting all over the world.
Most scientists are still having a debate about global warming but all of them know that it is not just a natural process.
Since the Charney study, more than 200 studies have been published. Though studies are constantly being published, the CO2 levels have been rising. Carbon-dioxide emissions have increased from five billion to seven billion metric tons a year and the earth's temperature has risen as well. 1998 is the hottest year ever experienced since the studies have begun, and the next years after that are close behind, with each one increasing from one year to the next. Hottest years: 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004. It is likely that by the end of the century, it will likely be hotter than at any point in the last two million years.
Nearly every major glacier in the world is shrinking. Those in Glacier National Park are melting so quickly that it is estimated that they'll be completely gone by 2030. The oceans are not only becoming warmer but also more acidic. The difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures is diminishing, animals are shifting their ranges pole ward, and plants are blooming days, even weeks, earlier than they used to.
In other words, The Arctic is melting.
Any piece of ground that has remained frozen for at least two years is by definition permafrost. Talik is thawed permafrost.
The permafrost melts and creates holes in the ground. The holes are called thermo karsts. Ten years ago, no one cared about permafrost, now everybody wants to know. Permafrost started to degrade in the early 1990's.
Permafrost represents a unique record of long term temperature trends. It also acts, in effect, as a repository for greenhouse gases. As the climate warms, there is a good chance that these gases will be released into the atmosphere, further contributing to global warming. Heat flux from the center of the earth, permafrost gets warmer the farther down you go. Temperatures will decrease steadily as you go higher. Usually, the coldest temperatures are found at the surface of the permafrost. However now, the permafrost is still warmest at the very bottom, but it is coldest somewhere in the middle and gets warmer again toward the surface.
The active layer, which can be anywhere from a few inches to a few feet deep, freezes in the winter and thaws over the summer, and it is what supports the growth of plants. Temperatures are so low that when trees die, they don’t fully decompose.
As the permafrost in the area has warmed, methane releases have increased, in some cases as much as 60%. There is seasonal ice, which forms in the winter and then melts in the summer, and perennial ice, which persists year round.
An atmospheric circulation pattern known as the Arctic Oscillation has mostly been in what climatologists call a "positive mode". The positive Arctic Oscillation is marked by a low pressure over the Arctic Ocean and it tends to produce strong winds and higher temperatures. Between the 1960s and the 1990s, sea-ice depth in a large section of the Arctic Ocean declined by nearly 40 percent. Ice becomes so thin, that scientists fall through the ice while doing research. Geologically speaking, we are now living in a warm period after an ice age.
Glacial cycles are initiated by slight, periodic variations in the earth's orbit. These variations are caused mainly by the gravitational pull of other planets, alter the distribution of sunlight at different latitudes during different seasons and occur according to a complex cycle that takes a hundred thousand years to complete.
As the ice spread, the albedo increased, leading to less heat absorption and the growth of yet more ice. As the ice sheets advanced, CO2 levels declined. During each warm period, when the ice retreated, CO2 levels rose again.
The earth is constantly receiving energy from the sun, and at the same time constantly radiating energy back to space. All hot bodies radiate and the amount that they radiate is a function of their temperature. In order for the earth to be at equilibrium, the amount of energy it radiates out into space must be equal to the amount of radiation it is receiving. When equilibrium shifts, the planet will either cool down or warm up.
Falling carbon dioxide levels could have cause the ice ages. If CO2 levels are doubled, there would be an increase in global temperatures (9-11 degrees). Industrialization and climate change are very closely related. Scientists believed that the oceans would act as sponges and soak up the CO2.
Once an ice sheet begins to melt, it starts to flow faster, which means it also thins faster, encouraging further melt.
Global warming produces global freezing. Glaciers are melting all over the world.
Most scientists are still having a debate about global warming but all of them know that it is not just a natural process.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Cap-and-trade vs. Carbon Taxes
January 9, 2009
By Steve Coll
Think Tank
On January 8, 2009, Chairman and chief executive of ExxonMobil Corp., Rex W. Tillerson delivered a speech in Washington concerning the carbon taxes which could reduce the emissions of carbon. He believe that a carbon tax of 20 dollars per ton is a better way to address global warming than the cap-and-trade system currently being discussed by the Obama administration. Many large corporations are changing their opposition to climate change accusations and hope to influence the policies and mechanisms which will be decided by Congress. ExxonMobil has in the past funded global warming skeptics, but has come a long way to change that. Its new proposal is credible and proposes a real plan to change the emission levels over the next decade. Last year, the Congress considered a bill regarding cap-and- trade policies, but rejected it due to its complexity. The basic idea behind cap-and-trade bills is to regulate carbon emissions by creating a regulated marketplace in which polluting firms can buy and sell emissions while joining aggregate caps. It could offer an enforceable total-emission target. On the other hand, the system would become very complex and difficult to administer as well as subject to abuses. There are also different views on Europe's experiment with cap-and-trade bills.
By Steve Coll
Think Tank
On January 8, 2009, Chairman and chief executive of ExxonMobil Corp., Rex W. Tillerson delivered a speech in Washington concerning the carbon taxes which could reduce the emissions of carbon. He believe that a carbon tax of 20 dollars per ton is a better way to address global warming than the cap-and-trade system currently being discussed by the Obama administration. Many large corporations are changing their opposition to climate change accusations and hope to influence the policies and mechanisms which will be decided by Congress. ExxonMobil has in the past funded global warming skeptics, but has come a long way to change that. Its new proposal is credible and proposes a real plan to change the emission levels over the next decade. Last year, the Congress considered a bill regarding cap-and- trade policies, but rejected it due to its complexity. The basic idea behind cap-and-trade bills is to regulate carbon emissions by creating a regulated marketplace in which polluting firms can buy and sell emissions while joining aggregate caps. It could offer an enforceable total-emission target. On the other hand, the system would become very complex and difficult to administer as well as subject to abuses. There are also different views on Europe's experiment with cap-and-trade bills.
U.S. holds cards close at climate talks
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
(Bonn)
Published April 9, 2009 in the International Herald Tribune
Earlier this month, U.S representative Jonathan Pershing, deputy special envoy for climate change gave new hints on the new policies adopted by the Obama government concerning climate destabilization. A detailed proposal would be submitted by the end of the month. One of the major goals of the new policies is to reduce emissions to the 1990 levels by 2020. Mr. Pershing praised the EU's efforts and proposals on the subject but doesn’t believe that the United States will follow the same path. This is mainly due to different political and social capacities, and this could slow down the proposals as well as the immediate actions. While Pershing and his administration were short on figures and proposals in Bonn, they promised to return in June with a solid plan. However, the public has been told that numbers of how much emissions would be reduced by and by when, should not be expected by this summer. They will be determined later by Congress. This is the first appearance of the Obama administration in a global climate meeting and some were disappointed of the United states' unpreparedness. However, we should note that the United States has declined any kind of plan or proposal for the past 8 years, under the Bush administration, concerning the reduction of greenhouse gases. The plan to reduce emissions back to the 1990 levels was not enough for some developing countries, and they proposed to have the United States reduce their emissions by 48% by 2022. The U.N is waiting on the United States' decision and are impatient to see which side the US adopts.
(Bonn)
Published April 9, 2009 in the International Herald Tribune
Earlier this month, U.S representative Jonathan Pershing, deputy special envoy for climate change gave new hints on the new policies adopted by the Obama government concerning climate destabilization. A detailed proposal would be submitted by the end of the month. One of the major goals of the new policies is to reduce emissions to the 1990 levels by 2020. Mr. Pershing praised the EU's efforts and proposals on the subject but doesn’t believe that the United States will follow the same path. This is mainly due to different political and social capacities, and this could slow down the proposals as well as the immediate actions. While Pershing and his administration were short on figures and proposals in Bonn, they promised to return in June with a solid plan. However, the public has been told that numbers of how much emissions would be reduced by and by when, should not be expected by this summer. They will be determined later by Congress. This is the first appearance of the Obama administration in a global climate meeting and some were disappointed of the United states' unpreparedness. However, we should note that the United States has declined any kind of plan or proposal for the past 8 years, under the Bush administration, concerning the reduction of greenhouse gases. The plan to reduce emissions back to the 1990 levels was not enough for some developing countries, and they proposed to have the United States reduce their emissions by 48% by 2022. The U.N is waiting on the United States' decision and are impatient to see which side the US adopts.
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