(re)considerations

We are a group of scholars at the University of Idaho studying environmental writing, and rhetorics of science, medicine, and public policy. We reconsider contemporary issues in light of constructs in Rhetoric and Writing studies.

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(re)considering studying abroad

Early on in the semester, we read Schiappa's Defining Reality. In particular, we read his chapter on rape laws and the ever-changing definition of rape. In this article recently posted by Jezebel, it reports a study that found that females who study abroad are 5x more likely to be raped than their domestic counterparts. The article, of course, does not define "rape" -- which is what seems like it may be most important after Schiappa showed that many people define rape differently -- especially depending on the society they are a part of. Still, though, it makes one wonder if they should reconsider studying aborad.

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(re)(re)considering wind power

A recent blog mentioned:

Re(considering) Renewable Energy

Construction of a wind farm of 125 turbines has been completed.

Are wind turbines really that great? This site says no and argues:

Industrial wind factories are destructive to communities and local environments. Fragile ecosystems are destroyed. Birds and bats are killed. Animal habitats are disrupted and wildlife is driven from the area. Noise and vibrations cause human health problems, including sleep problems, headaches and nervous disorders. Home values and real estate prices are reduced, with some properties becoming impossible to sell.

What does this mean for public policy pertaining to energy? It seems as though people have something negative to say about all types of energy that the US can produce on its own (natural gas, hydropower) but also people argue again using oil from outside countries.

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(re)considering jeanne clery act

The Jeanne Clery Act is a federal law that mandates colleges who receive federal aid to report crime related statistics on campuses. The law was created after a freshman at Lehigh University was murdered in her dorm room. Her parents found out that students hadn't been alerted about the 38 violent crimes that happened on campus in the previous three years. The act requires colleges to report disciplinary actions for weapon carrying, drug abuse, and alcohol abuse. The act does not, however, require college campuses to report threats made by students to other students/faculty. Perhaps it is time to reconsider the Jeanne Clery Act and push for more strict reporting on college campuses? Perhaps incidents like the Virginia Tech shooting, in which multiple people knew of the shooters mental struggles but did not communicate them, can be prevented?

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Women’s Health Magazine recently did a special report on food fraud. Unfortunately, they do not have the article available online.

The next best thing may be Huffington Post’s recent article on the same subject:

Food Fraud: 8 Hoaxes To Look Out For At The Grocery Store

Honey has been…

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In an attempt to establish how much of a golem food fraud is — here are some more points to dwell on:

1. organic foods

2. ingredients

3. contaminants

Interestingly enough — the FDA (the same organization we read about in Carpenter’s Reputation and Power book) is in charge of regulating these foods. According to Carpenter, the FDA has changed regulation before because of an outcry from the public to sustain its reputation. Will they when it comes to food regulation now?

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(re)considering media coverage

Does a new policy need to be established when it comes to covering massacres? When answering the question about why massacres like the one in Connecticut happen, Morgan Freeman argued:

Here’s why: It’s because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single victim of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he’ll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.

When we read "Accommodating Science" by Fahnestock, she explained that when journalists write articles they do it for two reasons: the wow factor and the application factor. Is media coverage of massacres just a matter of the wow factor? Is this why so many children were interviewed by media before psychologists?

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(re)considering gun laws

The tragic shooting in Connecticut has everyone reconsidering what gun laws really are best. People argue that the right to bear arms was a law established when the only gun available was a musket. Thinking back to when we read Schiappa, Schiappa argued that rape laws that are still currently upheld were established years and years ago -- when times were way different. Is this the same case for gun laws? Do they need to be changed? Will they change?

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(re)Considering Tumblr

Recently as I was trying to finish my blogs for class the entire tumblr website was down.  What I found out is that I am not alone in my distaste for the online blogging community.

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(re)considering environmentalism

These authors have some interesting things to say about the environmental movement.  What started as an essay has now become a book.  Check it out.

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(re)considering Mad Farmer Liberation Front

I found it intriguing Berry's play on the Earth Liberation Front the radical environmental "eco-terrorist" group.  This was a new movie that came out that touches on the organization and its doctrines. The movie was not very good but ELF was pretty interesting.

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(re)Considering Green Capitalism

When we read Al Gore's speech at the Kyoto Climate Change Conference I couldn't help but get frustrated with the idea that governments want to use capitalism in order to fix our environmental problems.  I have always thought our environmental problems stem from capitalism in the first place.  It was refreshing to listen to Zizek give his ideas on the topic of green capitalism.

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(re)Considering Environmental Ideologies

When revising my environmental ideology for the final writing assignment I had to go back and review social ecology.  In my researching I found a great interview with Murray Bookchin an influential thinker on the subject.

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This is another post that has to do with the subject of biomimicry. Nature has been designing things effectively for billions of years, perhaps we should pay more attention.

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Re(considering) nature's design

Michael Pawlyn discusses how we can use biomimicry to improve the built and natural environment.

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This New York Times article discusses how climatic changes are affecting ski resorts.

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"NIFC statistics show that more than 9.1 million acres had burned as of December 7, 2012—the third highest total in the record that dates back to 1960. The statistics also report that despite the high number of acres burned in 2012, the total number of fires—over 56,000—was low, compared to the other years on the NIFC record. Data also concludes that the average fire size in 2012 was the highest on the record."

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I've heard of multiple people going into a forest and cutting down their own tree. Little do they know, that it is legal to cut down a tree in a National Forest, but you just need to get a permit to do so.

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Construction of a wind farm of 125 turbines has been completed.