http://www.sdbaykeeper.org/
Coastkeeper is an organization that helps keep our coast clean and does regular beach cleanups in the San Diego area. I am working on helping out at some of these cleanups and am planning on interviewing some of the people who work with Coastkeeper along with some of the other volunteers who are helping out in order to get their opinions on the matter.
www.surfridersd.org/
SurfRider is another organization that hosts beach cleanups that are open to the public. On their website, there is a very interesting and well put together video made by Marty Benson, who is someone I would like to talk to, because i am considering doing a video as well.
http://vimeo.com/6934526
www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/junior
Junior Lifeguards is an organization that trains teens with an interest in swimming and the beach to be experienced lifeguards. Although this organization is not geared towards saving the beaches or dealing with the conditions of our water, I would like to interview some of the lifeguards and see if they have ever had the poor quality of our water arise as a problem for them.
http://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil/cd6/priorities/water.shtml
Priority number nine of district six of the San Diego City Council is to Protect, preserve and restore water quality in Mission Bay, San Diego River and all water bodies in the City of San Diego. It is focusing now on the Mission Bay landfill, which is an interesting topic that I may want to look into. This is being run by the Mission Bay Technical Advisory Committee.
http://www.surfridersd.org/documents/Environmental_Report_Card_press_release.pdf
The The League of Conservation Voters San Diego (LCVSD) is an organization that teamed up with Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Chapter, San Diego Coastkeeper and Sierra Club, San Diego Chapter in an effort to educate the public about the record of our elected officials on environmental protection, and to hold those officials accountable to a conservation agenda.
http://www.sandiego.gov/citycouncil/cd6/about/
Donna Frye is the City Council's longest-serving member, and has been working hard as an active environmentalist since the 1990s.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Comments on MSB Blogs
http://danielatoscano.blogspot.com/
In Dani's blog, she talks about using old pictures of Sunset Cliffs and comparing them to recent ones that she took herself. This is a very good idea for a photo project. She also has a link to several pictures on her blog, which shows that she is thinking ahead and already prepared with examples of what she wants to do.
http://hendersonthomasd.blogspot.com/
In his blog, Thomas says that he is considering doing a documentary about the pollution's affect on the public opinion. This is an interesting idea and something that is inspiring because I wanted to do a documentary type video as well. He mentions that he will be basing his video off of Jessica Matthew's documentary, so he has an idea of where hes going with the project and has a good source of inspiration.
http://emilieheartsblog.blogspot.com
In Emilie's blog, she presents a very clear question and a list of recources and ideas. This is very helpful because it is to the point and also gives recources that can be used for other projects than just her own.
In Dani's blog, she talks about using old pictures of Sunset Cliffs and comparing them to recent ones that she took herself. This is a very good idea for a photo project. She also has a link to several pictures on her blog, which shows that she is thinking ahead and already prepared with examples of what she wants to do.
http://hendersonthomasd.blogspot.com/
In his blog, Thomas says that he is considering doing a documentary about the pollution's affect on the public opinion. This is an interesting idea and something that is inspiring because I wanted to do a documentary type video as well. He mentions that he will be basing his video off of Jessica Matthew's documentary, so he has an idea of where hes going with the project and has a good source of inspiration.
http://emilieheartsblog.blogspot.com
In Emilie's blog, she presents a very clear question and a list of recources and ideas. This is very helpful because it is to the point and also gives recources that can be used for other projects than just her own.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Here is a link to the article I have chosen regarding local coastal issues:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5367/is_200103/ai_n21469947/
1.) The main event of this article is that the University of California has just recently launched a new research program to help solve the major management problems facing California's coastline. The program is called the Coastal Environmental Quality Initiative, and covers issues such as coastal water quality, fisheries, marine ecosystems and shoreline erosion. It provides $1.5 million per year for research to assist the state in its efforts to protect and manage California's ocean and coastal resources.
2.) This article gives a good amount of information about research that is needed and ideas that are not yet verified, but does not clarify what exactly the research program is attempting to accomplish, and if it has made any real progress.
3.) If I was creating a follow up to this story, I would include any progress that the research program has made and any new information has been found answering the questions regarding natural processes and human-induced changes.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5367/is_200103/ai_n21469947/
1.) The main event of this article is that the University of California has just recently launched a new research program to help solve the major management problems facing California's coastline. The program is called the Coastal Environmental Quality Initiative, and covers issues such as coastal water quality, fisheries, marine ecosystems and shoreline erosion. It provides $1.5 million per year for research to assist the state in its efforts to protect and manage California's ocean and coastal resources.
2.) This article gives a good amount of information about research that is needed and ideas that are not yet verified, but does not clarify what exactly the research program is attempting to accomplish, and if it has made any real progress.
3.) If I was creating a follow up to this story, I would include any progress that the research program has made and any new information has been found answering the questions regarding natural processes and human-induced changes.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Blog #11
1.) How aware are the poeple going to the beach of the quality of the water they are swimming in? What can we do to increase this awareness?
I chose this question primarily because I don't think that many of the people who go to the beach on a regular basis actually know much about the quality of the water that they are swimming and surfing in. To answer my question, I would go to several local popular beaches and survey beach-goers about how much they really know about the levels of bacteria in our water.
2.) How does the San Diego water shed work? Why is it so essential to us?I think that this is an interesting question because the water shed is a very important part of our environment and keeps our society functioning properly, but there are many people who don't understand exactly how it functions. To answer this question, I would survey experts on the subject and find areas in which the water shed is taking place.
3.) Does the general level of popularity (the amount of people who regularly visit a certain beach) of a beach make a difference in the quality of the water?
I want to know if a large amount of people in a certain area makes the water more contaminated, so to answer this question I would test the water from different beaches, some that are popular tourist spots and some that are much less popular, and test the results.
I chose this question primarily because I don't think that many of the people who go to the beach on a regular basis actually know much about the quality of the water that they are swimming and surfing in. To answer my question, I would go to several local popular beaches and survey beach-goers about how much they really know about the levels of bacteria in our water.
2.) How does the San Diego water shed work? Why is it so essential to us?I think that this is an interesting question because the water shed is a very important part of our environment and keeps our society functioning properly, but there are many people who don't understand exactly how it functions. To answer this question, I would survey experts on the subject and find areas in which the water shed is taking place.
3.) Does the general level of popularity (the amount of people who regularly visit a certain beach) of a beach make a difference in the quality of the water?
I want to know if a large amount of people in a certain area makes the water more contaminated, so to answer this question I would test the water from different beaches, some that are popular tourist spots and some that are much less popular, and test the results.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Civil War Paper Final Draft
One hundred and forty four years after the Civil War, we like to think that we live in a world where there is no discrimination, no violence or hate based on the different shades of our skin. We like to think that since slavery has been ended and freedom has been legally granted to African Americans all over America, that we can suddenly all coexist in peace without any unfair prejudice. In most places in America, this is true. No longer do African American citizens have to get up from their seats on the bus in order for a white person to sit and rest their legs. No longer do public schools have two separate drinking fountains, one with a label that says “colored” and one with a label that says “whites”. Due to racism that is still occuring in parts of the United States, it seems that the civil war never ended. Despite the peace and revolution that has spread the world after the war, there are some places in the Southern states of America where the struggle between races still continues.
“Dying for Dixie” by Tony Horwitz, a story in which a white teenage boy is shot by four black boys around his age because of a confederate flag that he kept on the back of his truck, provides a perfect example. The story takes place in the town of Guthrie, Kentucky, a small Southern town which provides as a perfect example of a place stuck in the past, in a time when blacks and whites were not considered equal. Horwitz describes biker bars in this town that have Martin Luther King Jr. day celebrations with a “Thank God for James Earl Ray Party” and a proclomation of “Fuck Martin Luther King Jrs B.Day”, and are filled with trashy white Southern men with the urge to start a fight. When Horwitz interviewed some of the men at the biker bar about the town, one of the men replied “We got a few people standing up for white rights. The rest are pussies who let niggers trample all over them. Like those boys who shot Westerman the other day..You’ve got your KKK and your BBB-that’s Badass Black Brothers. Two sides of the same coin. If they want war, come on.” This very attitude is what the father of the murder victim Michael Westerman is talking about when he states that in their town it feels like the war is still going on.
This does not mean that the majority of people in these towns are for “white power”. In fact, according to the man in the biker bar that Horwitz interviewed, there are not very many. But just a few of the strong willed white supremists can be enough to start a conflict. A good example of the racial conflict in this small town is the pool at the Holiday Motel. This small run down motel in Gurthie once had a public swimming pool available to anybody staying at the motel. One hot summer day a few black children paid their money and jumped in the pool. “It was like we sent an electrical charge through the water” said Maria Eskridge, the owner of the motel. Once the black children had gotten in, all the whites got out as quickly as possible. They complained to Eskridge to tell the blacks to leave. Eskridge, not having a strong opinion on the matter and not wanting to start more trouble, ignored the complaints. As the complaining from the white residents continued to get worse, Eskridge and her husband simply filled the pool with pond dirt so that nobody would be able to swim. This solution shows that althouugh there were not too many people strongly against people of different races, there were many people who didn’t care too much either way, but didn’t do much to help. This is one of the contributing factors to the continued conflict. By filling the pool with dirt, Maria avoided the conflict as much as she could. If she had taken a stand against the racist customers and made it clear that it is a free country and any customers who payed the fee were allowed to swim in the public pool, she could’ve done something to help. If the power of the white supremists is strong enough and the people in the middle are doing nothing to help the situation, the power of discrimination will become powerful enough to take over the small town.
It wasn’t long before the issue of racism and prejudice became a matter of life or death. Michael Westerman’s life was taken without warning five weeks after his wife had given birth to twins because of a confederate flag waving from the back of his truck. According to Michael’s own wife, the flag was there simply because it was red and matched the details on his truck. But living in a town where racism was still alive, the shooters assumed that it was a racial statement aimed at them. If there weren’t still white supremists aimed at flaunting the power of their race, this type of assumption most likely wouldn’t have been made. Maybe slavery has ended, maybe we are finally all legally thought of as equal, but there will always be people who break the law, and it’s these people who keep the war alive in parts of America.
“Dying for Dixie” by Tony Horwitz, a story in which a white teenage boy is shot by four black boys around his age because of a confederate flag that he kept on the back of his truck, provides a perfect example. The story takes place in the town of Guthrie, Kentucky, a small Southern town which provides as a perfect example of a place stuck in the past, in a time when blacks and whites were not considered equal. Horwitz describes biker bars in this town that have Martin Luther King Jr. day celebrations with a “Thank God for James Earl Ray Party” and a proclomation of “Fuck Martin Luther King Jrs B.Day”, and are filled with trashy white Southern men with the urge to start a fight. When Horwitz interviewed some of the men at the biker bar about the town, one of the men replied “We got a few people standing up for white rights. The rest are pussies who let niggers trample all over them. Like those boys who shot Westerman the other day..You’ve got your KKK and your BBB-that’s Badass Black Brothers. Two sides of the same coin. If they want war, come on.” This very attitude is what the father of the murder victim Michael Westerman is talking about when he states that in their town it feels like the war is still going on.
This does not mean that the majority of people in these towns are for “white power”. In fact, according to the man in the biker bar that Horwitz interviewed, there are not very many. But just a few of the strong willed white supremists can be enough to start a conflict. A good example of the racial conflict in this small town is the pool at the Holiday Motel. This small run down motel in Gurthie once had a public swimming pool available to anybody staying at the motel. One hot summer day a few black children paid their money and jumped in the pool. “It was like we sent an electrical charge through the water” said Maria Eskridge, the owner of the motel. Once the black children had gotten in, all the whites got out as quickly as possible. They complained to Eskridge to tell the blacks to leave. Eskridge, not having a strong opinion on the matter and not wanting to start more trouble, ignored the complaints. As the complaining from the white residents continued to get worse, Eskridge and her husband simply filled the pool with pond dirt so that nobody would be able to swim. This solution shows that althouugh there were not too many people strongly against people of different races, there were many people who didn’t care too much either way, but didn’t do much to help. This is one of the contributing factors to the continued conflict. By filling the pool with dirt, Maria avoided the conflict as much as she could. If she had taken a stand against the racist customers and made it clear that it is a free country and any customers who payed the fee were allowed to swim in the public pool, she could’ve done something to help. If the power of the white supremists is strong enough and the people in the middle are doing nothing to help the situation, the power of discrimination will become powerful enough to take over the small town.
It wasn’t long before the issue of racism and prejudice became a matter of life or death. Michael Westerman’s life was taken without warning five weeks after his wife had given birth to twins because of a confederate flag waving from the back of his truck. According to Michael’s own wife, the flag was there simply because it was red and matched the details on his truck. But living in a town where racism was still alive, the shooters assumed that it was a racial statement aimed at them. If there weren’t still white supremists aimed at flaunting the power of their race, this type of assumption most likely wouldn’t have been made. Maybe slavery has ended, maybe we are finally all legally thought of as equal, but there will always be people who break the law, and it’s these people who keep the war alive in parts of America.
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