Week 14: Nuclear Wast

The videos about nuclear power plants, and in particular the Prairie Island Plant, expressed the many public health and safety concerns regarding the placement of the plants themselves and the areas designated for waste management. The videos broke down the five problems that society’s dependence on nuclear energy creates. The first is broken reactor components. Less than one third of the energy is used as electricity and the remaining energy is either released into the air as vapor or removed as waste. The tubes within the plant crack and thus leak. While cracks can be plugged, it is only a temporary solution. Cracks within the tubes can only be repaired so many times before more intense measures must be taken. This increases the potential for steam generator tube degradation to cause a nuclear meltdown. The degradation of tubes can be extremely dangerous. The rules regulating the plants did not take into consideration the possibility of cascading tube ruptures, and the cooling systems were not designed to prevent a core meltdown. During a radioactive meltdown, radioactive materials will most defiantly infiltrate the ground below the plant and make their way into the surrounding rivers. In the event of a radioactive meltdown, Prairie Island, and I’m assuming many other area near a nuclear power plant, their only option would to evacuate and abandon the area. Prairie Island does not have a well equipped evacuation plan if such a thing were to occur. Even when a nuclear power plant is running without problems, they are continually releasing radioactive vapor into the air that public officials are unaware of where the emissions go or concentrate. Tritium is released into water and when Tritium water is ingested it will cause continuous internal exposure to radiation over a long period of time. . There are three toxic elements released, each dangerous when inhaled. The first is Cesium 137 which mimics sodium and is attracted to fatty tissues in the body, most often women’s breasts. The next is Iodine 137 that concentrates in the Thyroid and effects the body’s immune system. The radiation acts as positive and negative ions in our bodies and kills living tissue and dissolves cell walls, leading to cancer, mutations, and other diseases. A study found that women living in areas within 100 miles of a nuclear power plant had a breast cancer rate 16% higher than other women and also a higher mortality rate. Yucca Mountain is the site for nuclear waste, but it is not the best place for it to be stored. One reason is that it is located near active volcanos and is an area where there are frequent earthquakes. Additionally, many nuclear plants desire to transport their nuclear waste to that site, causing potential public health and security issues. Yucca Mountain is also sacred land to the Western Shoshones and the plant violates the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. Most nuclear waste plants are on Native American land, near large Hispanic communities, or mostly African American communities creating nuclear racism.

week 13 blog: water in Maricopa County

I looked up the pollution report card based on my zip code, 85251, which is in Maricopa County. I decided to focus on the water quality of Maricopa County because honestly, the report included the amount of animal waste that was in the water. To me, that is absolutely repulsive and disgusting, so I wanted to find out the truth and see what is really in our water. Looking at the statistics of tons of animal waste per state in 1997, it was reassuring to see that Arizona was not number one on the list, but rather thirty-sixth. Arizona is in the 20% range of surface water with impaired or threatened uses. Arizona is also above 50% of the national average of the number of impaired water bodies. Pesticides constitute 40% of the pollutants and/or stressors of surface water in rivers, streams, creeks in Maricopa County. One of the main issues in Arizona is the lack of rain fall and natural lakes, rivers, and creeks. Most of the year, one witnesses dry riverbeds, creeks, and lakes. Therefore, when it does rain or the melting snow flows south into riverbeds, creeks, and lakes, it usually carries the chemicals, pesticides, sediment, and other debris along with the water. The assessed use attainment of the water quality in Arizona and Maricopa County specifically is either considered serious or that there is insufficient data to determine the quality of it. A very good example of this is the Slide Rock National Park in Sedona, Arizona. The majority of the time there are warnings to the public that it is not safe to swim or play in the water. I can remember as a child going to Slide Rock and thinking that it was like a water park in nature. Now, I cannot remember the last time that Slide Rock was open or a time that the public were advised not to go into the water because of the potential health hazards. The fish and wildlife advisories of the water quality indicators in Maricopa County are interesting. Of the 15 watersheds in Maricopa County, 5 of them have a rating of more serious quality of conditions for fish and wildlife consumption and the remaining 10 areas have insufficient data. This would obviously discourage anyone from consuming the fish that they may happen to catch anywhere in Maricopa County. In high school, I was on the Xavier College Prep crew team and we trained at Tempe Town Lake. I always saw people fishing down at the lake and always wondered why they would even bother. We would always find dead fish either on the beach or floating in the water, and the lake just smelled awful!!

Week 8: the journey of lettuce

Today, I had a salad for dinner. I discovered that Arizona is the second largest producers in the lettuce industry in the United States and the state’s leading cash crop. 95% of the lettuce produced in Arizona is grown in the lower Colorado River and Gila River Valleys of Yuma County. The production begins with the lettuce seeds. Some seeds are first primed which is a controlled hydration process in which the amount of water the seeds have is controlled by osmoticum, polyethylene glycol. All seeds also undergo pellitizing. During pellitizing, individual seeds are coated with an inert material, usually diatomaceous earth. Priming and pellitizing the lettuce seeds both lead to a shortened shelf life compared to lettuce grown from non-treated seeds. The reason for priming and pellitizing the lettuce seed is that it shortens the germination time and synchronizes germination. Before planting the seeds, the land must be properly prepared. Lettuce grows best in level and well drained fields, so each season fields are laser leveled and deep chiseled. The chiseling breaks up the soil to encourage internal draining and helps to preclude detrimental salt accumulation in the soil. Next, rows are formed and beds are shaped. Finally, the seeds are ready to be planted. This is done with the use of a precision planter, a tractor with rubber belts with small holes spaced to drop a single seed in the precise position. The precision planter is able to plant 6 to 8 pounds per acre, resulting in a total of 20,000 to 26,000 lettuce plants. The plants must be irrigated with 38 to 50 inches of water per acre. The water is delivered via canals from the Colorado River or from the deep wells in Yuma. The plants are threatened by the high Arizona temperatures and are often cooled down with sprinklers that run continuously. Diseases and insects also threaten the production of quality lettuce, so a variety of pesticides and fertilizers are strategically applied to the plants during their growth. The process of germination to harvesting lasts 65 days, for fall harvests, or 120 days, for winter harvests, and the lettuce plants are ready for bulk harvesting. Bulk harvesters have different tasks. Working in groups of three, some harvesters follow wrapping machines, harvesting heads of lettuce not suited for field packaging, and will be used for prepackaged salads. Harvesters place high quality heads in cardboard bins that will be sent to fast food restaurants, but the majority of the harvest will be transported to salad plants. Once all of the heads have been packed, they are transported to a distribution center that also serves as a cooling unit that stores the lettuce at 35 degrees Fahrenheit. When lettuce is stored at this temperature, it increases the shelf life to 16 to 20 days but it is usually distributed within 1 to 2 days. The next stop on the harvested lettuce’s journey is to the salad plant where they undergo a value-added packaging process. They are sorted, washed with a dilute chlorine solution, chopped up for prepackaged and ready-made salads, and sealed in plastic bags. The value-added packaged salad is now ready to make its final journey, to a food store, where I will buy it, bring it home, dress it up and eat it. The end!

Blog 8 global climate

One of the major issues facing our world today is the seemingly inevitable effect of global warming. This is not a new phenomenon. However, historically, the most developed countries have always been competitive with each other, always trying to either keep up with the others or surpass them technologically. This makes it difficult for developing nations to enter globalization. I would propose that a solution would be for the developed nations should cut back and allow the developing nations to contribute their skills. If labor can be divided equally, it can lower the demands on the biosphere. It is unfair to blame the global climate changes on the under developed nations. It is also unfair to ask the under developed nations to cut back on their emissions when in reality the most developed nations are the ones responsible for the majority of emissions emitted into our atmosphere. Regardless of the dispute between whether the climate change is manmade or just the result of nature, the current situation is serious and social divisions prevent cooperation. Extinction and ecological decay are rising and the world’s poor at, as usual, the ones that are most affected. While 2 degrees Celsius is the maximum, it is predicted that even a 1 degree Celsius increase will have an impact on both people and global ecosystems. It is essential to understand that alone, the rich world will soon overshoot the safe budget of emissions. It is also essential to understand the developing nations must increase their emissions, but, at the same time, not follow the examples of the developed nations. The developing nations must “leapfrog” the rich nations, and the rich nations have a responsibility to offer monetary support for this to happen in time. This obligation can be justified by simply looking at the top to bottom quintiles. The riches fifth of the world contributes 63% of all emissions, while the poorest fifth only contributes 2% of the world’s emissions. It is time for the rich to step aside and allow the poor nations the opportunity to enter the global market.

Utitlitarianism and Contract theory

I agree with the Utilitarian view of justice in some ways and in Contractual theory’s view. I think that justice should be distributed equally as long as the distribution is moral and increases the total happiness of society. I do see the problems though. I agree with the “we grow the pie and someone else cuts it” problem. While this theory is looking out for the good of the whole society, even the poor, there may be some problems with lack of motivation for certain groups of people to work harder.
Contract theory is the moral system of distribution that rational individuals would agree to when they are asked to stand behind the veil of ignorance. It is an anti-utilitarian view because distribution is not equal to all members of a society. It is set up so that even though benefits are not distributed fairly, it does not take into account of race, age, gender or other physical elements when distributing benefits. Under Contract theory, even the least advantageous person receives some benefits.
Contract theory is justifiable for science and technology policies while not actually changing any policies. Contract theory, however, does not take into the account of time. Some third world countries that do not have technology, will need more than just the distribution of laptops, they will need the teachers there to teach the communities how to use the technology. Without the considering time and other policies, it continues to widen the gap between those with technology and those without.

Week 3: Phoenix

The lack of public transportation that Phoenix has compared to most big cities, such as New York and Chicago, has lead to the fact that most people drive everywhere. The design of the Phoenix area can be compared to Robert Moses’ bridge because there are so many freeways that loop and cut through the town. This cuts travel time from one end of the valley to the other drastically, making it easier and less of an inconvenience to live farther away from downtown Phoenix. I also think that since public transportation, like the city buses in Phoenix, have a bad reputation to be unsafe, which may also cause people to drive rather than take the bus. Obviously, the Phoenix area is huge; it would take a very long time to take the city bus all the way from downtown to north Scottsdale. This may be an unintended, or intended, political consequence similar to Robert Moses’ bridges. People that live farther away from downtown Phoenix, which have the reputation of being unsafe and crime filled, may feel it is more secure and safe.

I think that the development of the light rail was initially a way to make the downtown Phoenix area more popular, by making it easier for people to get downtown from Tempe to go to sporting events, conventions, and museums. I also think that its development was part of the bigger plan, making downtown Phoenix more of a “big city” feel. The greater Phoenix area is so spread out and there are so many different things going on in different parts of the valley, that besides sporting events (and other events) or work, most people do not tend to venture to downtown Phoenix.

The light rail’s route goes from central phoenix, 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road, through downtown Phoenix, Tempe, and ends near Main Street and Dobson in Mesa. This route is beneficial to students in Tempe wanting to go downtown or for students at the Phoenix campus to go to Tempe to enjoy the nightlife there. I also think that it is beneficial for commuters that may live and work near light rail stops, saving gas and money. After reading the article, one can begin to recognize the possible political agenda behind the light rail’s route. It is accessible to those who want to use it and is inexpensive, but at the same time limits where one can go. It does not go up to north Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, north Phoenix, or even Old Town Scottsdale, thus making it more difficult for people whose only means of transportation is public transportation to get to these parts of the valley.

I don’t know if it is possible to have an alternative transportation system or even an improved one to serve a “democratic” function. The Phoenix area is so big, that regardless of the implementation of a better transportation system, most people would prefer to drive on the many freeways than have a longer commute.

Blog #1

Hello everyone, my name is Danielle Schwartz, and I am 22 years old. I have two younger brothers, Kyle, he is 20 and Bradley is 15. I currently live with my brother, Kyle, and my two dogs (which are my children!), in our condo in Old Town Scottsdale.

I am a Justice Studies Major, currently finishing my last semester and graduating (fingers crossed!) in December. I am not really planning on doing anything with that major, I want to go on to business school and get my MBA in healthcare management. I have been working for my dad, a gastroenterologist, for at least 6 years. I have worked every position imaginable in his office and am currently the “assistant office manager.” My grandma is the current office manager, and is planning to retire in January, after I graduate, making me the office manager. My ultimate goal is to run my dad’s office for a few years and then become the CEO of a large corporation of gastroenterologists in Arizona. So those are my dreams and aspirations in a nutshell! Since I have worked for my dad for so long, I have gained a great understanding for how medical offices should be run to produce the most profit and to be as successful as possible. I obviously have an invested interest in how my dad’s business does, along with my grandma, and this has shaped how I work and has made me care more about things than say another office manager that does not have the same relationship with her employer. I know that my work ethic would be the same if I were to run any other office or even the whole corporation because I have worked this way forever!

I chose to take this course because I took a course with Professor Lim last semester and really enjoyed her class. I learned a lot about stuff that I had no clue about going into the class and expect to learn the same this time around. Since I am not planning on going to law school per se right now, I may want to pursue it later on in life and all of my justice classes are setting a good foundation for that. Last semester I was able to learn how technology and justice worked together and formed social movements. This semester, I honestly have not a clue about the correlation between science, technology and injustice, so I am hoping to learn what that means and where it exists.