This powerpoint is based on key chapters in Weisman's The World Without Us. I teach the book as a supplementary text to Jane Jacobs, The Life and Death of American Cities.
Ang sukat ng isang lugar ay mahalagang salik sa pagtaya ng pangkabuhayan at pulitikal na potensyal ng bansa. Malaki ang kinalaman ng hugis ng isang bansa sa kaunlaran nito
Ang sukat ng isang lugar ay mahalagang salik sa pagtaya ng pangkabuhayan at pulitikal na potensyal ng bansa. Malaki ang kinalaman ng hugis ng isang bansa sa kaunlaran nito
These slides accompanied my keynote lecture, "All Aboard for Ararat: The Deliquescence of Clock-Time in Contemporary Apocalyptic Flood Fictions," which was delivered to the After Fantastika conference held at the University of Loughborough 6-7 July 2018.
What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct.pdfHomeTech4
What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct?
Nature always finds a way.
Who will disappear first: Human Species or Planet Earth?
https://youtu.be/1Ew0QdVrxa0
A different kind of skyline.
What does it indicates?
Where the wild things are?
We will try to find the answers.
The planet might eventually become lusher and more diverse.
Carbon dioxide doesn't stay suspended in the atmosphere forever.
Moving forward
Is there any point in us pondering what our planet will look like, without us here? Well, on the one hand, we might simply take comfort in the knowledge that, free of people, our planet would ultimately be fine, as Weisman said. In fact, it would ultimately thrive.
General Advice for Reading NotesRead the Trouble with Wilderness.docxhanneloremccaffery
General Advice for Reading Notes
Read the Trouble with Wilderness article to write about one page, answering these questions.
How to approach the reading notes. While you read, ask yourself:
a. What is the context?
b. What is the argument?
c. What is the evidence?
d. What are the implications?
When finished, describe something you found important, and then ask a question.
The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature
by William Cronon
(William Cronon, ed., Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in
Nature, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995, 69-90)
The time has come to rethink wilderness.
This will seem a heretical claim to many environmentalists, since the idea of
wilderness has for decades been a fundamental tenet—indeed, a passion—of
the environmental movement, especially in the United States. For many
Americans wilderness stands as the last remaining place where civilization, that
all too human disease, has not fully infected the earth. It is an island in the
polluted sea of urban-industrial modernity, the one place we can turn for escape
from our own too-muchness. Seen in this way, wilderness presents itself as the
best antidote to our human selves, a refuge we must somehow recover if we
hope to save the planet. As Henry David Thoreau once famously declared, “In
Wildness is the preservation of the World.” (1)
But is it? The more one knows of its peculiar history, the more one realizes that
wilderness is not quite what it seems. Far from being the one place on earth that
stands apart from humanity, it is quite profoundly a human creation—indeed, the
creation of very particular human cultures at very particular moments in human
history. It is not a pristine sanctuary where the last remnant of an untouched,
endangered, but still transcendent nature can for at least a little while longer be
encountered without the contaminating taint of civilization. Instead, it’s a product
of that civilization, and could hardly be contaminated by the very stuff of which it
is made. Wilderness hides its unnaturalness behind a mask that is all the more
beguiling because it seems so natural. As we gaze into the mirror it holds up for
us, we too easily imagine that what we behold is Nature when in fact we see the
reflection of our own unexamined longings and desires. For this reason, we
mistake ourselves when we suppose that wilderness can be the solution to our
culture’s problematic relationships with the nonhuman world, for wilderness is
itself no small part of the problem.
To assert the unnaturalness of so natural a place will no doubt seem absurd or
even perverse to many readers, so let me hasten to add that the nonhuman
world we encounter in wilderness is far from being merely our own invention. I
celebrate with others who love wilderness the beauty and power of the things it
contains. Each of us who has spent time there can conjure images and
sensations that se ...
This talk is about the story of the unfolding universe (13.7 billion years) and how we, as a species, on the Earth (6.7+/- billion years old), are very, very recent arrivals in the "story". Our presence on Earth is the result of billions of years of very specific activities in the cosmos. If this activity had not taken place, in the way that it did, we, and countless other species wouldn't be here; ironically, the "story" is not about US. We play a unique and vital role as part of the natural wonder on this planet. So what is the "story" about? What is our purpose here on Earth? What does it matter that we are literally born out of "star stuff"? How can we relate to this bizarre, seemingly sci-fi story about the cosmos? These and other questions will be answered in this talk. Source information is based on cosmology work done by Brian Swimme, Tomas Berry and others. Because of the talk is so brief, it will be visually humorous, laced with irony and consist of generally mind-blowing information about who we are and how we fit into the Universe Story.
Essay On Social Issues | Social Issues Essay for Students and Children .... Essay on Social Issues for Students and Children. Outstanding Social Issues Essay ~ Thatsnotus. (PDF) Social Problems.
The author came to speak at Temple University in October, 2016. Many of us in Liberal Arts decided to teach his book, Between The World and Me, to encourage students to hear him speak. Here is a powerpoint I created on the book.
An overview on the American presence in the Vietnam war with an emphasis on failed strategy in fighting the war, particularly the so-called "war of attrition."
These slides accompanied my keynote lecture, "All Aboard for Ararat: The Deliquescence of Clock-Time in Contemporary Apocalyptic Flood Fictions," which was delivered to the After Fantastika conference held at the University of Loughborough 6-7 July 2018.
What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct.pdfHomeTech4
What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct?
Nature always finds a way.
Who will disappear first: Human Species or Planet Earth?
https://youtu.be/1Ew0QdVrxa0
A different kind of skyline.
What does it indicates?
Where the wild things are?
We will try to find the answers.
The planet might eventually become lusher and more diverse.
Carbon dioxide doesn't stay suspended in the atmosphere forever.
Moving forward
Is there any point in us pondering what our planet will look like, without us here? Well, on the one hand, we might simply take comfort in the knowledge that, free of people, our planet would ultimately be fine, as Weisman said. In fact, it would ultimately thrive.
General Advice for Reading NotesRead the Trouble with Wilderness.docxhanneloremccaffery
General Advice for Reading Notes
Read the Trouble with Wilderness article to write about one page, answering these questions.
How to approach the reading notes. While you read, ask yourself:
a. What is the context?
b. What is the argument?
c. What is the evidence?
d. What are the implications?
When finished, describe something you found important, and then ask a question.
The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature
by William Cronon
(William Cronon, ed., Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in
Nature, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995, 69-90)
The time has come to rethink wilderness.
This will seem a heretical claim to many environmentalists, since the idea of
wilderness has for decades been a fundamental tenet—indeed, a passion—of
the environmental movement, especially in the United States. For many
Americans wilderness stands as the last remaining place where civilization, that
all too human disease, has not fully infected the earth. It is an island in the
polluted sea of urban-industrial modernity, the one place we can turn for escape
from our own too-muchness. Seen in this way, wilderness presents itself as the
best antidote to our human selves, a refuge we must somehow recover if we
hope to save the planet. As Henry David Thoreau once famously declared, “In
Wildness is the preservation of the World.” (1)
But is it? The more one knows of its peculiar history, the more one realizes that
wilderness is not quite what it seems. Far from being the one place on earth that
stands apart from humanity, it is quite profoundly a human creation—indeed, the
creation of very particular human cultures at very particular moments in human
history. It is not a pristine sanctuary where the last remnant of an untouched,
endangered, but still transcendent nature can for at least a little while longer be
encountered without the contaminating taint of civilization. Instead, it’s a product
of that civilization, and could hardly be contaminated by the very stuff of which it
is made. Wilderness hides its unnaturalness behind a mask that is all the more
beguiling because it seems so natural. As we gaze into the mirror it holds up for
us, we too easily imagine that what we behold is Nature when in fact we see the
reflection of our own unexamined longings and desires. For this reason, we
mistake ourselves when we suppose that wilderness can be the solution to our
culture’s problematic relationships with the nonhuman world, for wilderness is
itself no small part of the problem.
To assert the unnaturalness of so natural a place will no doubt seem absurd or
even perverse to many readers, so let me hasten to add that the nonhuman
world we encounter in wilderness is far from being merely our own invention. I
celebrate with others who love wilderness the beauty and power of the things it
contains. Each of us who has spent time there can conjure images and
sensations that se ...
This talk is about the story of the unfolding universe (13.7 billion years) and how we, as a species, on the Earth (6.7+/- billion years old), are very, very recent arrivals in the "story". Our presence on Earth is the result of billions of years of very specific activities in the cosmos. If this activity had not taken place, in the way that it did, we, and countless other species wouldn't be here; ironically, the "story" is not about US. We play a unique and vital role as part of the natural wonder on this planet. So what is the "story" about? What is our purpose here on Earth? What does it matter that we are literally born out of "star stuff"? How can we relate to this bizarre, seemingly sci-fi story about the cosmos? These and other questions will be answered in this talk. Source information is based on cosmology work done by Brian Swimme, Tomas Berry and others. Because of the talk is so brief, it will be visually humorous, laced with irony and consist of generally mind-blowing information about who we are and how we fit into the Universe Story.
Essay On Social Issues | Social Issues Essay for Students and Children .... Essay on Social Issues for Students and Children. Outstanding Social Issues Essay ~ Thatsnotus. (PDF) Social Problems.
The author came to speak at Temple University in October, 2016. Many of us in Liberal Arts decided to teach his book, Between The World and Me, to encourage students to hear him speak. Here is a powerpoint I created on the book.
An overview on the American presence in the Vietnam war with an emphasis on failed strategy in fighting the war, particularly the so-called "war of attrition."
This powerpoint is based on the chapter called Tulip which also deals with the theme of beauty. I made this into a class exercise in which students look at images and decide their reaction to them: beautiful or not.
I developed this powerpoint from smaller ones I had used to teach various sections of Freud's theory. Students have a very difficult time with The Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis.
I developed this powerpoint when I taught River Out of Eden by Richard Dawkins. Most of the students found Dawkins to be fascinating, but they weren't so hot on the actual book.
This powerpoint helps to provide the backstory to the Iliad, and illustrates the key gods in the text along with their affiliation for Greeks or Trojans.
When I teach On the Origin of Species, I follow a trajectory that is indicated on the powerpoint. I also make sure that students get the background for evolutionary biology. In 2009 to 2010, I used the powerpoint to emphasize the Dialogues with Darwin project that I did along with some IH faculty with the American Philosophical Society. (See preceding powerpoint.)
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Francesca Gottschalk - How can education support child empowerment.pptxEduSkills OECD
Francesca Gottschalk from the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation presents at the Ask an Expert Webinar: How can education support child empowerment?
TESDA TM1 REVIEWER FOR NATIONAL ASSESSMENT WRITTEN AND ORAL QUESTIONS WITH A...
The World Without Us
1. The World Without Us
I had a dream, which was not all a dream…
From “Darkness” by Lord Byron
1 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
2. Some Comments on the book
This is one of the grandest thought experiments of our time, a tremendous
feat of imaginative reporting!"--Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and
Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and The Durable Future
“The imaginative power of The World Without Us is compulsive and nearly
hypnotic--make sure you have time to be kidnapped into Alan Weismans
alternative world before you sit down with the book, because you wont
soon return. This is a text that has a chance to change people, and so make
a real difference for the planet.”--Charles Wohlforth, author of L.A. Times Book
Prize-winning The Whale and the Supercomputer
“Alan Weisman offers us a sketch of where we stand as a species that is
both illuminating and terrifying. His tone is conversational and his affection
for both Earth and humanity transparent.”--Barry Lopez, author of Arctic
Dreams
“An exacting account of the processes by which things fall apart. The scope
is breathtaking...the clarity and lyricism of the writing itself left me with
repeated gasps of recognition about the human condition. I believe it will
be a classic.”--Dennis Covington, author of National Book Award finalist
Salvation on Sand Mountain
“Fascinating, mordant, deeply intelligent, and beautifully written, The World
Without Us depicts the spectacle of humanitys impact on the planet Earth
in tragically poignant terms that go far beyond the dry dictates of science.
This is a very important book for a species playing games with its own
destiny.”--James Howard Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency
2 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
3. Some Readers Say….
1. This is a charming book on a macabre subject: if every person on earth died tomorrow
what would happen to the works of man? Using New York as an example the author
details the slow, inevitable destruction of the subways, bridges, buildings, the return of
the forests and the animals, and the disposition of those things that never seem to go
away: poisonous heavy metals, plastic, and radioactive waste.
2. It's a fascinating read of well-reasoned speculation.
3. This is an oddly hopeful book. Hopeful because it offers compelling evidence that life
on earth will outlive human tampering with the ecosystem, yet odd because it also
demonstrates that the world won't miss us much. In fact, it's pretty clear that, on
balance, the world would be better off without us.
4. This should be required reading for every graduating high school and/or college
student. The real world they're inheriting!
5. Anyone believing that the rats and cockroaches would be locked in a struggle for
dominance of the Earth will find themselves reconsidering, for instance, since these
species' success in much of the world stems from their association with humanity.
6. The appalling insight is that most of the legacy that we will leave once our cities have
crumbled will be filth and pollution
3 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
4. Other readers say…
7. The basic premise of this book is a hypothetical examination of what would happen to the earth if
human beings were to suddenly vanish. (If only.) Some chapters are better than others, but overall,
this is a really interesting read. Some parts are uplifting, like the brief time it would take Manhattan
to return to wilderness. The author's descriptions are quite beautiful and riveting. Then other
chapter's make me want to put a gun in my mouth, like the one on all those abandoned nuclear
power plants, and the giant plastic gyres in the ocean.
8. There is no single unifying narrative in this book, it is rather a series of essays of some imaginative
science writing. Weisman takes us to Bialowieza Puszcza, a protected land on the border of Poland
and Belarus. This is Europe's last primeval or old growth forest - the stuff of fairy tales - with trees
150 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter, covered with scary looking moss. Before there were humans, all
of Europe was covered with this kind of forest, and, presumably, would be again if humans vanished.
9. Life's ability to survive in these circumstances is the upside of Weisman's story. On the downside,
however, he makes some ominous predictions. For example, since the end of World War II humans
have been producing tons of plastic material. Plastics are not biodegradable unless they are
incinerated. Weisman claims that much of this plastic material ultimately finds its way into the
oceans and ends up killing fish and other sea creatures at an alarming rate. He predicts that these
creatures are doomed whether humans disappear or not - more likely if they don't disappear.
4 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
5. Speculative Non-Fiction
Weisman offers an unlikely premise: humans will
suddenly disappear. He chooses not to explore the
veracity of such a claim. It is hypothetical.
Weisman looks at various aspects of our world to see
how they have fared before us and with us.
Weisman is particularly critical of human behavior
over the past 200 years, when industry begins to
develop.
Weisman draws unpleasant conclusions over the role
of nuclear power plants, radiation and plastics.
Weisman also notes the earth’s bludgeoning
population growth, but offers a solution that few find
practical. (See pgs. 271-272)
5 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
6. Prelude and Chapter 1
The prelude deals with the effects of an
endangered human culture in South America.
Conservation efforts keep the people alive, but
they essentially lose their ability to live according
to their own traditions. Why is this significant for
the book?
Chapter 1 calls itself “A Lingering Scent of Eden”.
We saw another scientist, Dawkins, use a similar
metaphor. Weisman is discussing a forest
(Bialowieza Puszcza—the word means “primeval
forest) at the borders of Poland and Belarus that
faces extinction. What endangers the forest? Are
there many forests left in Europe? Would a world
without humans save this forest?
6 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
8. Our Homes and Our Cities
Chapter 3 uses Manhattan
Chapter 2 shows how our as a city under siege after
homes will eventually humans disappear.
succumb to ruin.
Water will be one of the
Weisman explains the effect most destructive forces.
of climate on all types of
housing materials: Bridges will decay and fall.
teak, cement, drywall, wood- All major highways will
framed homes (typical in crumble.
many suburbs)tile and Look at the subway!
stainless steel.
He opines that nature
through beast and weather
will reduce our homes to
rubble within 100 years.
Only tile and stainless steel
will survive.
8 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
10. Chapter 4: The World Just Before Us
An “ice age” is a time of extensive glacial activity that covers a relatively large area with ice.
During the Ice Age, which ended a few thousand years ago, 30% of the land surface of
the earth was covered by ice . In North America an ice sheet covered almost all of
Canada and the northern United States.
We know the extent of the Ice Age because the glaciers left features on the landscape
similar to features we observe around glaciers today in Greenland and Antarctica. Most
likely, Earth has endured a series of ice ages over millions, possibly billions of years.
Animal bones are part of the geological record—the earliest fossils are found in parts of
Africa. Later we emerge as a dominant species.
Weisman believes a great dry spell occurred about 7 million years ago in Africa. Much of
the world’s moisture was buried in the glaciers that covered Europe and North America.
This changed the course of evolution, as certain species became extinct and others
survived. (47)
Scientist Kate Dewiler believes there were 2 dominant species that later on became a
hybrid—us. She opines that this hybridization is an evolutionary force, similar to natural
selection. (46)Post ice age created conditions for man to evolve, possibly from apes, who
could function on two legs, but also used all 4.
As chimpanzees have no real predators or each other, they are equipped with a gene of
adaptability; they are able to live off all kinds of foods.(51)
If man were to disappear, the chimpanzee would flourish, and other game, such as lions
and elephants would augment.The r possible destruction could only happen if there
were another ice age. Then the cycle would begin again.
10 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
12. Chapter 7: What Falls Apart Chapter 8: What Lasts
Weisman uses the island of Cypress as the Weisman uses Istanbul, of Turkey as a
setting for his theories. setting for his theories.
The decay of resorts off the shore seem to Istanbul was once Constantinople, the
predict what would happen to buildings if capital city of the Eastern Roman
humans disappeared. empire.
The search for natural resources: Cypress It still has many sturdy buildings from the
gets much of their water from Turkey. past—the Hagia Sophia, once an
One portion of Cypress is Greek; the other Orthodox church.
is Turkish. There are also a series of underground
Cypress deliberately allows cheap caves that seem to be a city in itelf.
manufacturering of resorts for British The caves are man-made—their structure
retirees. Those buildings are bound to suggests that they served as
fall apart. defense, storage and shelters.
Cypress construction shows us that many As Turkey has suffered great economic
modern resorts are made with the depression, their buildings are poorly
cheapest material. It cannot withstand made—they actually sway on a windy
the test of time. day.
Metin Munir, a journalist, says: “You An earthquake would destroy the many
understand just what the Taoists mean cities in Turkey, where the majority of
when they say that soft is stronger than the population live. But the
hard.” (96) He is addressing the underground caverns would be largely
gradualism of decay in Varosha, the unaffected.
former resort of the Greek Cypriots,
which now belongs to the Turkish
Cypriots.
12 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
13. Varosha, Cyprus Caves of Turkey
13 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
14. Cyprus and North Cyprus (Turkish Occupied
Zone.
Constantinople, around the fall of the
Western Roman Empire.
14 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
15. This is a hotel with rooms in the
actual caves!
Pictures taken from thehttp://www.cappadociacavesuites.com/en/index.asp
15 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
16. Chapter 9: Polymers are Forever
This chapter is one of the most important in the book. It shows the gradual damage of plastic
in the environment.
It begins with a study of materials found in the sands at Plymouth Harbor in England.
Plastic is everywhere; it even can be found in the depths of the ocean, consumed by the sea
creatures lowest on the food chain—krill and plankton.
Plastic is in cosmetics: many exfoliants found in bath and face scrubs are made of
plastic, not organic material.
Most plastics end up in ocean-fills, not land-fills. Plastic material litters the beaches which
then goes out to the sea.
Plastics do not biodegrade easily. See page126. Part of what is broken down becomes a
lethal chemical.
All plastic is a polymer, defined as “simple mechanical configurations of carbon and hydrogen
atoms that link together to form chains.”(118) Cotton and rubber are polymers.
Landfills contain “constructive debris and paper products. Newspapers don’t biodegrade
when buried away from land and water.”(119) A year old newspaper can still be read.
We are a “throwaway” society. The plastics we toss may be changed through geological
perseverance that takes thousands of years. Geologic time is what changes
landmasses, shifts plates in the ocean, alters the face of the world forever. Plastic can be
recycled, but it cannot decay as organic matter.
16 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
17. Polymer liquid crystals (PLCs) are a class of materials that combine the
properties of polymers with those of liquid crystals. A liquid crystal polymer
can be seen as a network of conventional LC molecules that are linked
together by polymerization.
17 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852
19. Chapter 10 The Petro Patch
• Our relationship to petroleum—very
complex. It begins with rubber. • Texas Petrochemical: pipelines begin in
Pasadena, a Houston suburb; they extend
• Goodyear tires use a synthetic rubber. See
to Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi to the
page 130. Weisman: “A tire can’t be melted
Northeast. They pipe refined gasoline,
down and turned into something else.”
home-heating oil, diesel and jet fuel.
(131) It cannot be recycled.
• Oil was discovered in Texas after the Gulf
• Weisman: “In the United States, an average
hurricane in Galveston that killed 8000
of one tire per citizen is discarded…that’s a
people.
third of a billion, just in one year. Then
there’s the rest of the world.” (131) • This is where oil refineries, chemical
plants, synthetic rubber and plastics
• Tires contain carbon black filler—it gives
began production. Texas oil has been in
strength and color.
decline since the seventies.
• Burning tires release energy along with
• All oil refineries have a lot of complex
“surprising amounts of oily soot that
equipment. Malfunctions cause
contains some noxious components.” 131)
unfortunate results from hydrochloric acid
• The largest plant that produces synthetic leaks (Sterling Chemical) to liquid
rubber is in Texas, owned by hydrocarbons geysers (BP—not the recent
Goodyear.(Note—this is not the polymer oil spill) to explosions of plastics (again—
called elastomer that is found in the BP) to hydrogen sulfide leaks (guess
Amazonian Para tree, a natural who—BP).
substance.)
• Much is run by computers, but it is man
• Processing oil into gas and diesel is in high that puts out the fires caused by these
demand, but the problems go beyond explosions. See paragraph at the bottom
supply. Susan Bertolino Mosaicpg. 137-138.)
of 852 19
20. According to British Petroleum, in 2009
the United States had an oil refinery
capacity of 17,688,000 barrels per day,
or 19.5% of the world’s total oil refinery
capacity
.
22. Chapter 12: The Fate of
the Ancient and Modern • What is the difference between
Wonders of the World an ancient and a modern
1. The English Channel Tunnel—it is
a train that moves from Folkstone
wonder of the world—besides
England to Coquelles, France. It
cost over 21 billion dollars to
time? Use this criteria to
make. answer:
2,. The Panama Canal----the land was
once part of Colombia until
• 1. Construction
Panama had independence.
President Roosevelt was • 2. Durability
instrumental in carving out this
canal so that ships wouldn’t have
to travel around the entire South
• 3. Beauty
American continent—it
connected the Pacific Ocean to • 4. Function
the Atlantic.
3. Mount Rushmore: an attempt to • 5. Material
“immortalize the greatest
American presidents in portraits
every bit as imposing as that long
• Weisman focuses on 3 marvels
vanished wonder, the Colossus of
Rhodes.
of modern technology:
Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852 22
26. • Possibly one of the most
Chapter 13: The World fascinating chapters in the book.
Without War • Weisman shows that war can
The DMZ is 151 miles long and 2.5 miles
wide.
Red-crowned cranes, white-naped crane
actually help the environment in
and whooping cranes (endangered
species) live in a portion that was once
one example.
• As long as Korea remains
for rice paddies—now wetlands. They
come here to winter.
Saber-tooth tigers are rumored to be
living in the DMZ.
Since no humans live there, it is safe for
divided, the Demilitarized Zone
most wildlife that might have
disappeared: “Asiatic black bears,
(DMZ) will be a habitat to
Eurasian lynx, musk deer, Chinese water
deer, an endangered mountain goat wildlife and plants that haven’t
known as the gotal and the nearly
vanished Amur leopard cling to what may
only be temporary life support.” (185)
been seen in ages.
“If there were no agriculture trying to
feed 20 million humans in Seoul…pumps • Few humans ever appear in this
that defy the very seasons would be
stilled. Wildlife would return and water
with it.”(189)
area, so the area is a reminder of
This is a commentary on our food
industry—as billions of people demand
what the wilderness might have
food, all living creatures and the land are
held in the balance.
been. (190)
27.
28. • Perhaps the most important story is
that of Chernobyl in Russia. It had a
Chapter 15: Hot Legacy nuclear leak, but the then Soviet
The birth of nuclear energy—uranium in
every nuclear creation is highly unstable.
press clamped down and gave the
impression that it was a minor
Ultraviolet rays created the ozone level;
they became the shield against too much problem. It wasn’t. The radiation
exposure to them. It’s a bit like getting
pneumonia: your lungs fill up with mucus
from Chernobyl has brought
because white blood cells are fighting the
infection. But those same cells are
radiation sickness, cancer and all
making you sick by creating mucus as a sorts of problems to all living
way to bring down inflammation.
creatures. Chernobyl shows us a
One form of radiation is ultraviolet rays,
let loose by nuclear fission in the testing
worst-case scenario.
of nuclear weapons along with the
construction of nuclear reactors. • See pages 214 to 218.
The invention of freon, also known as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) became an
ozone destroyer.
Hydrochloroflourocarbons also hurt the
ozone layer (HCFC)—these polymers are
used today.
31. Chernobyl Accident
On 26 April 1986, the most serious accident in the history of
the nuclear industry occurred at Unit 4 of the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant in the former Ukrainian Republic of the
Soviet Union. The explosions that ruptured the Chernobyl
reactor vessel and the consequent fire that continued for 10
days or so resulted in large amounts of radioactive materials
being released into the environment.
The cloud from the burning reactor spread numerous types of
radioactive materials, especially iodine and caesium
radionuclides, over much of Europe. Radioactive iodine, most
significant in contributing to thyroid doses, has a short half-
life (8 days) and largely disintegrated within the first few
weeks of the accident. Radioactive caesium-, which
contributes to both external and internal doses, has a much
longer half-life (30 years) and is still measurable in soils and
some foods in many parts of Europe. The greatest deposits of
radionuclides occurred over large areas of the Soviet Union
surrounding the reactor in what are now the countries of
Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
Unfortunately, reliable information about the accident and the
resulting dispersion of radioactive material was initially
unavailable to the affected people in what was then the Soviet
Union and remained inadequate for years following the
accident. This failure and delay led to widespread distrust of
official information and the mistaken attribution of many ill
31 Susan Bertolino Mosaic 852 health conditions to radiation exposure.