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Literary Analysis

Rough Draft

Scientist have been known to have loose morals when it comes to experimentation. Throughout history in the United States, as well as internationally, “mad scientists” have been known to go to great lengths in order to solve a medical mistery. I have analysed the links between immoral human medical experimentation with the testing and genetic modification of the honeybees illustrated by Jake Kosek, in “Ecologies of Empire”. Kosek explains how the honeybees have been through a series of experimentation for scientists to study their desirable traits. The scientists are essentially looking for the traits that are most useful to the military, such as being able to detect locations of mines through their sense of smell. The honeybees are connected to the tests done on humans because both types of experimentation were done in an attempt to “modify” them and their way of life. Both types of experimentations involve immoral actions from the scientists, and here are a few articles to prove it.

In “Top 10 Evil Human Experiments”, written by Jamie Frater, a few examples of immorality in science are given. For example, throughout history and warfare, many of the tests were done on prisoners and slaves, in horrible conditions such as making them stand outside in below freezing temperatures to study hypothermia, injecting them with deadly diseases to study their effects, and cutting their limbs off (without anesthesia) and sowing them back on to other parts of their body to see if they could successfully create a conjoined twin. Those are only a few examples of grotesque techniques that were often used on subjects.

In an article written by CCNS, the author explains further into “Operation Sunshine” which was mentioned in “Ecologies of Empire”. It gives evidence about how certain British and American researchers and scientists, such as Willard Libby, were involved in the operation. The article also informs the public about how scientists would exchange and ship bones with each other in order to share their findings about radiation in the children’s’ bones. Most importantly, it brings up the issue of consent. The article clearly states that the children’s’ parents were definitely not informed that their bones and bodies were being taken, and definitely not for scientific purposes. This ties in directly with the “Biopolitical Bodies” section in Kosek’s piece.

In another article called “Radiation and Human Radiation Experiments”, the author provides data on how radiation test subjects (children, prisoners, pregnant women, and black and or brown people were typically used for these experiments) were hardly ever informed of the fact that they were being exposed to plutonium, radioactive iron, and other deadly chemicals. The scientists performing the tests deceived the subjects and knowingly violated their human rights in order to follow through with the experiments. Articles also confirm that the government knew about these experiments and kept it a secret from both the test subjects and the public. This article connects to the Jake Kosek piece as it gives literal and accurate data and information about the tests that he introduces in the “Biopolitical Bodies” section of the chapter. The article also provides a short clip/preview of Hole in the Head, a movie about Vertus Hardiman, a man who was tested on at the age of five. The tests eventually lead to the maldevelopment of his head and brain.

Tests have also been done throughout the 1900’s in order to learn more about the effects of plutonium on the human body. Studies were conducted on animals, but researchers wanted to go in depth on the retention and excretion of plutonium if introduced to the human body. These experiments only began because the earlier animal studies did not provide appropriate data. The species that were used for the experiments provided different excretion rates as humans, therefore the data was not capable of being correlated correctly. This is another example of the human experimenting Jake Kosek writes about.

All of these articles express a common understanding of the experiments and the effects on the test subjects, whether it be short or long term. It interests me to know how far scientists will go in order to solve a medical mystery, or to simply feed their curiosities. These scientists are all seen as evil and malicious, and immorality seems to be a characteristic given to them by the authors of each article. Considering that the majority of these experiments occurred in both the 19th and 20th century, it gives the readers a better understanding as to why these scientists were so persistent with expressing their curiosities with the world around them. Science had not been very advanced, and there was many scientific questions to be answered, yet throughout the entirety of the articles, the authors all project their voices of disgust towards the scientists. Many of these experiments were done without the consent of the test subjects, which makes me wonder if there have been any (known or unknown) cases of immoral human testing anytime recently.

Final Draft

Scientist have been known to have loose morals when it comes to experimentation. Throughout history in the United States, as well as internationally, “mad scientists” have been known to go to great lengths in order to solve a medical mystery. I have analyzed the links between immoral human medical experimentation with the testing and genetic modification of the honeybees illustrated by Jake Kosek, in “Ecologies of Empire”. Kosek explains how the honeybees have been through a series of experimentation for scientists to study their desirable traits. The scientists are essentially looking for the traits that are most useful to the military, such as being able to detect locations of mines through their sense of smell. The honeybees are connected to the tests done on humans because both types of experimentation were done in an attempt to “modify” them and their way of life. Both types of experimentations involve immoral actions from the scientists, and here are a few articles to prove it.

In “Top 10 Evil Human Experiments”, written by Jamie Frater, a few examples of immorality in science are given. For example, throughout history and warfare, many of the tests were done on prisoners and slaves, in horrible conditions such as making them stand outside in below freezing temperatures to study hypothermia, injecting them with deadly diseases to study their effects, and cutting their limbs off (without anesthesia) and sowing them back on to other parts of their body to see if they could successfully create a conjoined twin. The “Aversion Project” took place in the 1970’s and 1980’s during South Africa’s apartheid. The army forced sex-change operations on white lesbian and gay soldiers, and were all done without any form of sedative. Former apartheid surgeons claim that the experiments included chemical castration, electric shock, and other forms of “sexual reassignment” on about 900 subjects. These experiments were done in hopes to root out homosexuals from the army, and were weeded out skillfully. Many were treated at psychiatric units, and the subjects who “could not be cured with drugs, aversion shock therapy, hormone treatment, and other radical psychiatric means” were then sent to the surgeons for the forced sex-change operations. Aubrey Levin, the head of the Aversion Project, is now a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary’s Medical School, as well in private practice as a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.

In an article written by CCNS, the author explains further into “Operation Sunshine” which was mentioned in “Ecologies of Empire”. It gives evidence about how certain British and American researchers and scientists, such as Willard Libby, were involved in the operation. The article also informs the public about how scientists would exchange and ship bones with each other in order to share their findings about radiation in the children’s’ bones. Most importantly, it brings up the issue of consent. The article clearly states that the children’s’ parents were definitely not informed that their bones and bodies were being taken, and definitely not for scientific purposes. This ties in directly with the “Biopolitical Bodies” section in Kosek’s piece.

In another article called “Radiation and Human Radiation Experiments”, the author provides data on how radiation test subjects (children, prisoners, pregnant women, and black and or brown people were typically used for these experiments) were hardly ever informed of the fact that they were being exposed to plutonium, radioactive iron, and other deadly chemicals. The scientists performing the tests deceived the subjects and knowingly violated their human rights in order to follow through with the experiments. Articles also confirm that the government knew about these experiments and kept it a secret from both the test subjects and the public. This article connects to the Jake Kosek piece as it gives literal and accurate data and information about the tests that he introduces in the “Biopolitical Bodies” section of the chapter. The article also provides a short clip/preview of Hole in the Head, a movie about Vertus Hardiman, a man who was tested on at the age of five. The tests eventually lead to the maldevelopment of his head and brain.

Tests have also been done throughout the 1900’s in order to learn more about the effects of plutonium on the human body. Studies were conducted on animals, but researchers wanted to go in depth on the retention and excretion of plutonium if introduced to the human body. These experiments only began because the earlier animal studies did not provide appropriate data. The species that were used for the experiments provided different excretion rates as humans, therefore the data was not capable of being correlated correctly. This is another example of the human experimenting Jake Kosek writes about.

One of the most recent examples of human testing is Project 4.1. In 1954, the United States tested the effect of bomb fallout on the Marshall Islands. The test was called “Castle Bravo” that was exploded at Bikini Atoll. Jamie Frater explains how the effects of the test were “ambiguous and statistically difficult to correlate to radiation exposure” in the first decade. Signs of the effects were seen through miscarriages, stillbirths, impaired growth in children, and peaks in thyroid cancer. The Department of Energy Committee (DOE) wrote that “The dual purpose of what is now a DOE medical program has led to a view by the Marshallese that they were being used as ‘guinea pigs’ in a ‘radiation experiment’”. Bikini Atoll has been abandoned throughout the years because of the fear of the radioactivity that still resides.

All of these articles express a common understanding of the experiments and the effects on the test subjects, whether it be short or long term. It interests me to know how far scientists will go in order to solve a medical mystery, or to simply feed their curiosities. These scientists are all seen as evil and malicious, and immorality seems to be a characteristic given to them by the authors of each article. Considering that the majority of these experiments occurred in both the 19th and 20th century, it gives the readers a better understanding as to why these scientists were so persistent with expressing their curiosities with the world around them. Science had not been very advanced, and there were many scientific questions to be answered, yet throughout the entirety of the articles the authors all project their voices of disgust towards the scientists. Many of these experiments were done without the consent of the test subjects, which makes me wonder if there have been any (known or unknown) cases of immoral human testing anytime recently. 

Reflection-Peer Review by Selvio

When making changes to my piece, I mostly used the Grammar and Usage SLO. I had to make a few changes in my paragraphs because of spelling errors or incoherent sentences.

I used the Research SLO to add more examples of the unethical experimentations done in the past. For example Selvio suggested that I add information about the Marshallese Islanders. He also encouraged me to add more examples of the different ways subjects were used in experiments. I then added information about the “Aversion Project”. Adding these examples gave a more meaning to my claim that throughout history, scientists have been undoubtedly unethical when it comes to experimentation.

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Literary Analysis Worksheet

Immoral Medical Experimentation-Military experimentation

1. I find the fact that the scientists throughout history have thought it alright to pursue scientific experimentation on human beings, the most interesting facts about the articles. All of the articles express a common understanding of the experiments and the effects on the test subjects, whether it be short or long term. It interests me to know how far individuals (scientists) will go in order to solve a medical mystery, or to simply feed their curiosities. All of the articles greatly relate to military testing of animals such as bees and dolphins. 2. All of the articles portray the scientists executing the tests, as evil and malicious. Immorality seems to be a characteristic given to them by the authors of each article. Along with the negative viewpoints, there is also a theme of compassion towards the test subjects. Despite the fact that some of them were prisoners (that may have or may have not committed horrible crimes against society), all of the authors agreed the tests were completely immoral. 3. Considering that the majority of these experiments occurred in both the 19th and 20th century, it gives the readers a better understanding as to why these scientists were so persistent with expressing their curiosities with the world around them. Science had not been very advanced, and there was many scientific questions to be answered. 4. Throughout the entirety of the articles, the authors all project their voices of disgust towards the scientists. Although this may be true, I don’t believe it had an impact on the way I read the articles. Regardless of the author’s point of view, I had a set opinion before reading the articles. 5. These articles all contain themes of immoral human conduct. Although the authors write about different experiments, they all take the same standpoint about them; that there was no viable explanation for them to take place. 6. Despite the information that was presented through the articles, I am still left wondering to what extent did the government allow scientists to perform these experiments (were there any laws/regulations preventing any of it?), whether or not the greater communities were aware of the existence of the experiments (did the common citizen know about the cruelties or were they kept secret?), and if there have been any cases of human testing in this manner anytime recently.

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Final Precis

In “Legal Terror and the police dog”, Tyler Wall explores the fear people have of the capacity of violence of “sniffer dogs” or police canines, referring to it as the “terror of the canines”. According to Wall, the use of violent canines has “animalized the law” as police officers seem to abuse their power with the dogs by their side; he refers to the dogs as monstrosities “ripping the flesh off of the bodies”, terrorizing citizens. He links police violence and gendering of police power to the heightened use of animals in law enforcement, in order to state the theories of how state power “haunts” people through the use of animals.

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Annotated Bibliography

Kane, Dan. "North Carolina Canine Program Stopped for Improper Training and Treatment." K9 Abuse Report. 2015. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. In his article, Kane writes about the firing of Sgt. Charles L. Jones for mistreating dogs. According to testimonies, the officer was very cruel to his dog Ricoh. He apparently used unorthodox methods of handling the dog when he would disobey his commander, for example tying him to a railing from his leash and kicking him multiple times. Officers apparently use many cruel ways of dealing with the dogs as reported cases have described dogs to be “shocked with stun guns, kicked, suspended from their leashes until they were nearly unconscious and hit with plastic bottles filled with stones”. This article shows the other side of the argument that police dogs, or “sniffer dogs” are too violent and are used as weapons in law enforcement. It shows a gentler side of police dogs; the side that often gets abused by their own caretakers.

"Loyal Police Dog Being Treated Inhumanely on Chief’s Orders." Life With Dogs. 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. This article tells the story of Jack the police dog, who was put into a harmful living environment because of the Salisbury, N.C. Chief of Police. After Jack’s original handler, Officer Fox, got a new job in the Sheriff’s department, the dog was expected to retire and stay in his company, but the orders given by the Chief of Police caused Jack to be put into a 6’ x 8’ cement dog run behind the police department building. Reports have described the dog to be unhealthy and miserable in such an enclosed space. According to the Chief, the dog is still young enough to be reassigned to a new handler but will probably be moved to do different jobs in the department, for example drug searches. This article gives another perspective of how the police dogs are being used/treated the law enforcement.

"Payette Man Charged with Choking Police Dog." KTVB.com. 25 Aug. 2015. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. A man in Nampa, Idaho was charged with mistreatment of a police dog after he tried to choke the police dog during a traffic stop. The man was being stopped for a simple broken headlight, and escalated to him attempting to run away because of the hidden drugs he had in the car. This article shows the opposing side of the argument that police dogs, or “sniffer dogs” are not necessary and are inhumane. The dog in this case, was simply doing his job of chasing after the man and detaining him, and was in turn attacked by the criminal.

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Final Precis

In “A Mind in the Water”, written by D. Graham Burnett, he explains how the military use of sea creatures, specifically dolphins, has intensified since the first ever dolphin sighting. Burnett provides evidence showing the increase of the use of dolphins in the military as weapons; being trained as “underwater watchdogs”, and used for mine detection. He provides the history of the bottlenose dolphin and it’s work with humans in order to fully inform the reader of how the military has used them.

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Final Precis

Journalist David Correia writes about the nuclear waste contamination in New Mexico and the preventable events leading to it in his article published in “La Jicarita”. He claims that Sandia National Labs was careless in trying to prevent it and or should have expected it. Correia emphasizes the importance of properly disposed waste in order to accentuate the disastrous effects of this waste catastrophe.

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Final Annotated Bibliography

IMMORAL MEDICAL EXPERIMENTATION Frater, Jamie. "Top 10 Evil Human Experiments." ListVerse. 14 Mar. 2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. < http://listverse.com/2008/03/14/top-10-evil-human-experiments/>. This article shows the evolution of experimentation on humans throughout history and warfare. For many of these tests, prisoners and slaves were used as subjects. This article gives examples of the many unethical strategies scientists and researchers have used in order to solve a medical question throughout history. Although this was the case for many of the research done, there were some scientists who would not use humans as test subjects, in which case they would self-experiment. This article relates to the many other cases of human test subjects and adds to the list of awful experiments done on humans.

“News Update 06/21/01: British Scientists Stole Bodies of Deceased Children for Secret Nuclear Tests.” CCNS. 21 May 2001. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://nuclearactive.org/index.html>. This article explains further into Operation Sunshine mentioned in the article written by Jake Kosek. It gives evidence about how certain British and American researchers and scientists, such as Willard Libby, were involved in these immoral actions. The article also informs the public about how scientists would exchange and ship bones with each other in order to share their findings about radiation in the children’s’ bones. Most importantly, it brings up the issue of consent. The article clearly states that the children’s’ parents were definitely not informed that their bones (and bodies) were being taken, and definitely not for scientific purposes. This ties in directly with the Biopolitical Bodies section of the chapter in Kosek’s chapter.

“Radiation and Human Radiation Experiments”. Targeted Individuals Canada. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.<http://targetedindividualscanada.com/2011/08/22/radiation-and-human-radiation-experiments/>. This article is written specifically to inform the greater public of the human rights violations that took the form of human radiation experimentation during the 1900’s. The article expands on providing data on how the test subjects (children, prisoners, pregnant women, and black and or brown people were typically used for these experiments) were hardly ever informed of the fact that they were being exposed to plutonium, radioactive iron, and other deadly chemicals. The tests were morally and lawfully wrong; the scientists performing the tests were deceiving the test subjects and directly violating their human rights in order to get data. The fact that the government knew about these experiments and kept it a secret from both the test subjects and the public is detestable. This article connects to the Jake Kosek piece in that it gives literal and accurate data and information about the tests that he introduces in the “Biopolitical Bodies” section of the chapter. It also provides a short clip/preview of Hole in the Head, a movie about Vertus Hardiman, a man who was tested on when he was five years old. The test lead to the maldevelopment of a significant part of his head and brain.

Veracity, Dani. "Human Medical Experimentation in the United States: The Shocking True History of Modern Medicine and Psychiatry (1833-1965)." Natural News. 6 Mar. 2006. Web. 23 Oct. 2015. <http://listverse.com/2008/03/14/top-10-evil-human-experiments/>. This article gives a detailed overview of the history of the medical experimentation done on humans in the United States. The author gives examples for every year it was done from 1833 to 1965. Veracity even gives examples of tests and procedures done that were kept a secret from the communities. The author also explains how the test subjects were affected and how their lives were so negatively changed because of it. This ties into other cases such as that of Vertus Hardiman who was experimented on as a child.

“Vol. 1, No. 10: Human Plutonium Injection Experiments.” MindNet Journal. Ed. Mike Coyle. Vericomm, 1994. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.whale.to/b/plutonium.html>. This article is about the human radiation experiments that took place throughout the 1900’s in order to learn more about the effects of plutonium on the human body. Studies had been conducted in the past on animals, but researchers wanted to go in depth on learning specifically the retention and excretion of plutonium if introduced to the body. These experiments only began because the earlier animal studies did not provide appropriate data. The species that were used for the experiments provided different excretion rates as humans, therefore the data was not capable of being correlated correctly. This article is connected to that of Jake Kosek because it connects to the human experimenting he writes about in the “Biopolitical Bodies” section of the chapter. It also provides an interpersonal perspective of the victims of these experiments and how it affected them and their families in the long run.

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Annotated Bibliography

Hsu, Jeremy. "Top 10 Animal Recruits in War." Live Science. 20 July 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2015. This article adds to the list of known animals that were used in ancient and modern warfare. For example, as read in “A Mind in the Water” by D. Graham Burnett, dolphins and sea lions have been a known animal used. What a lot of people don’t know, is that along with those sea creatures, land animals such as camels, elephants, and bats were also once used in military warfare. Although the use of bats was being tested out, they proved to be an unreliable military strategy. The bats being tested out (carrying explosives on their backs), were intended to target major parts of enemy cities. The bombs/bats would explode, and ideally destroy the cities, but the military ended their studies with them when they saw that the bats would either not fly where intended, or drop the bombs along the way. This relates to Burnett’s article because it shows that dolphins were not the first animal to be targeted as a prospect warfare partner with humans.

Roller, Emma. "The Other War Heroes: Animals That Served Their Countries." Slate. 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2015. This article is about the animals that were most commonly used in war in some of the major wars the world has seen. Among the use of dolphins in warfare, as explained in “A Mind in the Water,” by D. Graham Burnett, animals such as dogs, cats, worms, elephants, and pigeons were also used. The author gives some examples of veteran animals who received awards and recognition for their service to the soldiers, for example Cher Ami, a pigeon who despite being shot, being blinded and losing a leg, kept flying across enemy lines and delivered the message.

"War Animals From Horses to Glowworms: 7 Incredible Facts." History. 22 Dec. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2015. This article explores more animals that were used in warfare along with the traditional war horse. Soldiers have used animals such as horses, dolphins, sea lions, glowworms, camels, elephants, and dogs in their warfare and military tactics. Such was the case of Stubby the dog. He wandered as a stray into the Yale University campus were parts of the military were training, and instantly became part of them. He was taken to direct battle grounds, among soldiers in their trenches, and gained skills as a soldier. His bravery and patriotism managed to get him a few awards and recognition among the greatest animals used in warfare.

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Annotated Bibliography

"Fifty-foot Sperm Whale Washes up on Shore South of San Francisco." The Guardian. The Associated Press in Pacifica, California, 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/15/fifty-foot-sperm-whale-washes-up-san-francisco>. This article describes the discovery of the fifty-foot whale that washed up on the shore in Pacifica, California. When found, the whale was already dead and decomposing. Later that day, investigators arrived to the beach and began investigating its’ cause of death. According to them, the whale had most likely gotten ill and was too weak to keep swimming. This whale was the seventeenth whale to wash ashore in the North Coast of California in the last forty years. Because the death/illness of the whale is not completely known, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have asked boaters in the area to be mindful of the sea creatures. Whales and many different species are at large risk of being hurt by boats.

Yuhas, Alan. "Experts Puzzled as 30 Whales Stranded in 'unusual Mortality Event' in Alaska." The Guardian. 22 Aug. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/22/alaska-fin-whale-die-off-mystery>. This article describes the cases of the thirty large whales that washed up on Alaskan coasts recently. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have declared it an “unusual mortality event”, which started an official investigation into the cause of death of these animals. Along with the 30 whales (11 fin whales, 14 humpbacks, one gray whale and four unidentified species) have been found stranded on islands along the gulf of Alaska. NOAA has been investigating these animals and the possible changes in their ecosystems. They want to know exactly what has been causing these deaths in randomly large amounts, and how they can prevent more from happening. Although not completely sure, NOAA’s best guess as to why the deaths are occurring, is because of a large amount of algal growth in the whales’ ecosystem. Further investigation is being conducted to either prove or disprove this theory.

Botelho, Greg. "Over 100 Whales Dead after Washing up on New Zealand Beach." CNN. 15 Feb. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/14/asia/new-zealand-whales-stranded/>. A group of about 200 whales washed ashore into Farewell Spit on New Zealand’s South Island northern tip. The currents mixed with the outward coastline caused the mammals to get stranded on the beach. Volunteers, conservationists, and experts all arrived on the beach to help the whales. Covering them with towels, and pouring water over their dehydrating bodies were all they could do while they found a way to refloat them back into the water. By the second day, more than half of the whales had died. In the end, the volunteers and experts only had about sixty whales left to try to save. Although the Department of Conservation in New Zealand responds to about 86 incidents per year on average, the significant amount of whales that washed ashore (all at once) is definitely suspicious to them.

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Final Precis

Xiomara Oliva

In Ecologies of Empire, writer Jake Kosek explains how the heightened government interest in using the honeybee as a military tool has brought upon them a forced evolution. His major claim of how the government (in the United States as well as globally) has created a new use of the honeybee for warfare strategies such as swarming and landmine detection. Kosek presents this controversial information to the public in order to provide possible explanation as to why honeybee population has drastically declined over the recent years, and what we can expect from this new species in the future.

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How I fell in love with 516 arts

I crossed the road from my car to the “516 arts” museum in downtown Albuquerque. The outside portrayed a prestigious building, as if I’d walk in and find a man on a piano playing a variation of classical music. As I entered the exhibit, I was greeted by a young man sitting at a desk labeled “coordinator”. To the left of me on the wall, was the prettiest piece of art I’ve seen recently. “Jerry’s Map” is a beautiful and obviously extremely intricate piece at first glance. I was immediately mesmerized by the bold colors in the art; seas of blue varied in shades that fused with microscopic intricacy of geometric shapes. I couldn’t decide whether I was looking at a map typical to what a meteorologist would use, or someone’s mindless doodles. There’s a fine line between “complete genius” and “absolutely ridiculous” art that I never knew existed, and this map is right on it. In a short clip explaining the process of creating it, the artist Jerry Gretzinger walks us through what was the flow of his effortless creativity onto the paper which would eventually turn into the map.

In my head, this map is exactly what the general concept of math would look like. Not only does the map itself show a long process (like a puzzle), but the process of creating the map itself is like a formula Gretzinger ingeniously created.

Birds’ eye view of “Jerry’s Map”

http://www.scotsman.com/webimage/1.3224397.1386435801!/image/1640293428.jpg 

The map is completely fictional. It portrays a birds’ eye view of a collection of cities surrounded by bodies of water, farmlands, and vacant land, each showing altitude variations depicted by different shades of color. In his video, Gretzinger explains the process of deciding how to add content to his map (buildings, land, railroads, etc.). The video is separated by sections, of which being “Growth and Decay”, which is where he talks about the transformation of what the original map looked compared to the final (how he added a collective group of buildings and land). The next section was “Cut Image Lines”, in which he talks about how he incorporated other art into his own (for example, cutting out models’ limbs from magazines to use as sand dunes, and using newspaper cutouts to add intellectual value to his work). The next is “New Worlds Forming” which offers more perspective about the growth of the cities, finally naming them and giving them life. The last section to the process, which is the most important not only to the contribution to this piece of art, but to the exhibit as a whole, is “The Future Predictor”. Gretzinger expresses his admiration with the cards, saying there’s a “message in the combinations”.

This expresses a similar issue along with the work of Sandow Birk and Elyse Pignolet in their art pieces titled “A Conservative Map of the World/A Liberal Map of the World” as they both show the ever-changing modern world we live in. The maps express how the modern world functions in both a Conservative point of view, as well as that of a Liberal.

“A Liberal Map of the World”

http://badatsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/37_img3185-600x444.jpg

Together, both art pieces contribute to the common theme of rapid worldly evolution and change. The entire function of “Knew Normal” came across as enlightening to me. They allowed me to step back and reflect on the speed of which a world and society can change with ease.

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Annotated Bibliography

Xiomara Oliva

Neporent, Liz. "Honeybees Trained to Sniff Out Cancer." ABC News. 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/11/25/honeybees-trained-to-sniff-out-cancer/>.

This article is about the new ways honeybees are being used, which is to be able to detect cancer. Portuguese scientist Susana Soares has created a new strategy that may be one of the simplest, fastest, way to detect cancer. The process requires people to breathe into a glass dome which encases several trained bees. The bees are then able to smell and detect whether or not it has the odor they were trained to detect. According to Soares, the bees are able to be trained within ten minutes to identify several different diseases, including cancer, to assimilate the odor of cancer in one’s breath with a food reward. Although this ingenious new strategy seems to be revolutionary, it of course has its skeptics. Soares assures them that the device is still in need of more intensive independent studies before releasing it to the public. Jake Kosek offers a similar argument in his article Nuclear Natures when discussing the multiple uses the government (and other parties) has for the honeybee.

Parry, Wyne. "Did Nazis Study Insects for Use in Biological Warfare?" Live Science. 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. <http://www.livescience.com/43568-did-nazis-study-insect-biowarfare.html>.

This article provides information about the scientific research being carried out by the Nazi SS, creating an entomological research institute in order to create new and creative ways to attack their enemies. The German researchers studied insects in depth. Some of their work included investigating disease borne insects that would often harm the health of SS troops and concentration camp guards, specific mosquito and flea species that could easily carry malaria and other diseases. This ties into the information Jake Kosek provides in his Nuclear Natures article about how bees are being used for war attacks.

Wansel, Geoffrey. "Bugs of War! From Killer Hornets to Murderous Fleas, a New Book Reveals How Insects Can Be Weapons of Mass Destruction." Daily Mail. 22 Jan. 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1123150/Bugs-war-From-killer-hornets-murderous-fleas-new-book-reveals-insects-weapons-mass-destruction.html>.

This article gives a brief summary of the insects and tactics used in the worlds’ history during combat, and also emphasizing the ease in which a terrorist can use entomology to take down a country and its people. The writer gives us many examples of these attacks, for example the beehives that were thrown at enemy armies in Roman history, the Middle Ages, and the 14th century, the scorpions that were dropped on Roman legions in the second century AD, and the Black Death epidemic following the hurling of disease infested corpses during the 1300’s. According to the article, entomological warfare has been responsible for some of the largest epidemics in the history of the world. This provides further information relating to Jake Kosek’s Nuclear Nature article regarding bees in modern entomological warfare.

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Annotated Bibliography

Xiomara Oliva/ENGL 110

"Vol. 1, No. 10: Human Plutonium Injection Experiments." MindNet Journal. Ed. Mike Coyle. Vericomm, 1994. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.whale.to/b/plutonium.html>.

This article is about the human radiation experiments that took place throughout the 1900’s in order to learn more about the effects of plutonium on the human body. Studies had been conducted in the past on animals, but researchers wanted to go in depth on learning specifically the retention and excretion of plutonium if introduced to the body. These experiments only began because the earlier animal studies did not provide appropriate data. The species that were used for the experiments provided different excretion rates as humans, therefore the data was not capable of being correlated correctly. This article is connected to that of Jake Kosek because it connects to the human experimenting he writes about in the “Biopolitical Bodies” section of the chapter. It also provides an interpersonal perspective of the victims of these experiments and how it affected them and their families in the long run.

“Radiation and Human Radiation Experiments”. Targeted Individuals Canada. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.<http://targetedindividualscanada.com/2011/08/22/radiation-and-human-radiation-experiments/>.

This article is written specifically to inform the greater public of the human rights violations that took the form of human radiation experimentation during the 1900’s. The article expands on providing data on how the test subjects (children, prisoners, pregnant women, and black and or brown people were typically used for these experiments) were hardly ever informed of the fact that they were being exposed to plutonium, radioactive iron, and other deadly chemicals. The tests were morally and lawfully wrong; the scientists performing the tests were deceiving the test subjects and directly violating their human rights in order to get data. The fact that the government knew about these experiments and kept it a secret from both the test subjects and the public is detestable. This article connects to the Jake Kosek piece in that it gives literal and accurate data and information about the tests that he introduces in the “Biopolitical Bodies” section of the chapter. It also provides a short clip/preview of Hole in the Head, a movie about Vertus Hardiman, a man who was tested on when he was five years old. The test lead to the maldevelopment of a significant part of his head and brain.

"News Update 06/21/01: British Scientists Stole Bodies of Deceased Children for Secret Nuclear Tests." CCNS. 21 May 2001. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://nuclearactive.org/index.html>.

This article explains further into Operation Sunshine mentioned in the article written by Jake Kosek. It gives evidence about how certain British and American researchers and scientists, such as Willard Libby, were involved in these immoral actions. The article also informs the public about how scientists would exchange and ship bones with each other in order to share their findings about radiation in the children’s’ bones. Most importantly, it brings up the issue of consent. The article clearly states that the children’s’ parents were definitely not informed that their bones (and bodies) were being taken, and definitely not for scientific purposes. This ties in directly with the Biopolitical Bodies section of the chapter in Kosek’s chapter.

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Final Precis

In Nuclear Natures written by Jake Kosek, he emphasizes the debate among whether or not the creation of the Los Alamos National Labs (LANL), was essentially beneficial to the Los Alamos people. He presents both sides of the debate to the reader regarding the benefits and detriment of the creation of LANL. The author narrates as he passes through towns surrounding Los Alamos while sharing the life of Paula Montoya in order to give insight into how LANL has affected citizens.

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Annotated Bibliography

Xiomara Oliva

World Nuclear Association (Chernobyl)

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Chernobyl-Accident/. Web.

This article gives insight into the disaster that occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986. According to the studies conducted after the meltdown, a certain “flawed” reactor was being managed by “inadequate” workers. The mix of the two caused chaos in this Ukraine city.

Along with diagrams, this article is efficient in explaining exactly how and why this catastrophe occurred. It efficiently informs the reader about the process leading to the event in a simplistic form to which a reader can follow along, as did the article Welcome to Albuquerque: Nuclear Meltdown Capital of the World written by David Correia. Both articles give concrete information to fully report on all sides of the issues; they provide time frames (specific dates, times, and places), number data (percentages, statistics, census reports), and direct quotes from officials working on diminishing the effects of the meltdown.

The ongoing fallout from Japan's nuclear meltdown (East Asia Forum) http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2015/03/07/the-ongoing-fallout-from-japans-nuclear-meltdown/. Web. This article goes in depth to describe the effects of the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant spill into the Pacific Ocean following the earthquake and tsunami. Along with describing how the spill caused major turmoil in Fukushima, this article describes why the people of Japan were cautious in turning on the reactors again (they had placed 54 nuclear reactors in rest since the spill).

This article is similar to Welcome to Albuquerque: Nuclear Meltdown Capital of the World written by David Correia, because both articles accentuate the complicated process of cleaning up the mess caused by these spills. For example, they both go into detail about what the high cost to clean it up would be, and the long timeframe in which it can be done.

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Memoir. “Vail Avenue”.

-FIRST DRAFT-

Vail Avenue

The tree sways and I can smell the freshness of it’s leaves. The birds sing as they wake up in their warm nests, and they greet me goodmorning. The sunlight shines from the east over the roof of my home, and falls in thin gentle rays.

In my mind, my memories are rosy filtered and hazy, but I remember them because my life depends on it. My neighbor will never appreciate the massive tree that towers over his home as much as I do. Its roots grow underneath the house, literally being the foundation for the home. Cement covers the uplifted crack in the floor from the bulging tree root underneath. In that cement, are the names of my two sisters, my mother, written along with my own. That apartment was my beginning.

My mother lived there with a few of her brothers and sisters when they first crossed the border from Mexico. No older than fifteen, she found her first job cleaning houses to help pay rent. The epitome of hard work. Along with my family, I hold this place very close to my heart, and fresh in my memory. I day dream about being in that two bedroom apartment again. Laughing and crying with my sisters and mother, reliving my best memories. Despite my new home, or any that may come in the future, that apartment will always be the only one I was truly happy in, the only one that really means anything to me at all.

“How do you self-identify?” is often a question presented to most everyone in their adolescence. I always went with the easy answer: Mexican. Despite the fact that I am a child of mixed races, I identified with the one most familiar to me. My parents officially divorced when I was three, and I only  saw my father three times growing up. The only memory of them ever being together, and the first of my father (who I call my “Sperm Donor” for comical effect), is of them fighting in the driveway. I only remember laying on the couch with a pillow over my head, but nothing specific. Sometime while I was in middle school, my mother bought take-out from a local Honduran restaurant. She wanted to introduce me to the food from where my father was born. I never cared for it. It wasn’t until I got to high school that I did a lot of self evaluating, and decided that although I held no relationship with my father, it didn’t mean I didn’t hold his blood. I now self identify as Latina, and FINALLY know which box to check on questionarres. That apartment was where I understood the difference between the types of love that people often come across in their lives. I understood that material gifts cannot and should not replace the loss of someone in my life, nor should I put up with it.

It was the place where I learned that death was to be expected and anticipated. Our first family pet was a cat, and his name was Tato. It was an accidentally made up name, given by yours truly. When first introduced to me, I was told that this warm, fat, fury creature was called “gato”, which is Spanish for “cat”. Naturally, a three year old girl learning two languages at the same time would get her words and letters mixed up, so I began calling it Tato, mixing up the letters T and G, and it stuck. A few inseperable years passed with this cat, and we were glad that we had welcomed this stray cat into our home in the first place. One day coming home late from school, we saw a kid about seven or eight years old sitting on the curb in front of our drive looking down at a black figure in front of his feet. Curious, my mom slowed the car, and rolled the windows down. I will never forget the poor boys’ face. He looked as if to be mourning; shoulders slouched, head down, frowning. It was then that the headlights of our old white van shone upon the black figure which was our cat laying on top of a flourescent green “Yard Sale” poster board. His abdomen was visibly flattened and crushed, he had been run over in front of our home. We brought him inside knowing that he was about to die. I remember surrounding him in a cirle with my sisters and mother on the kitchen floor, petting his bloody fur untill he stopped panting. Although the death of a pet is much different than the death of a family member or friend, it was the basis for which I would handle all other deaths in the future; with strength and acceptance.

It was where I learned that life was beautifully difficult. I am thankful that I was able to watch my mother struggle throughout what was basically the entirety of my childhood. I was forced to understand the realities of a lower class minority family being held together by a single mother of three, whereas most children are sheltered from them, letting them think the world is a perfect shade of pink. I watched her push through her anxiety and depression, how she stressed at the beginning of every month, and how she made us understand that we didn’t celebrate birthdays of Christmas because we had little to no money to spend. I learned the difference between a “want” and a “need” while still in Elementary school, while my peers wouldn’t learn it until highschool, in their financial literacy class. Watching my mother deal with these difficulties with such finesse gave me a model as to how to deal with them on my own now. It was where I found my first role model and aspired to be even half a woman my mother is.

Living in this apartment held a lot of “first times” for me. One cold and early October morning, I sat on top of the five foot brick wall that bordered our front yard, and saw my first hot air balloon. I discovered an overwhelming sense of bliss watching them float around with the mountains in the back scenery. I saw my first praying mantis and black widow on that same wall, and decided then and there that I hated bugs. Even after my family and I moved out, it held a lot of significance to me. It wasn’t so much the stuff we owned that ocuppied space that held significance, as much as the structure and rooms itself. There was a teacher who worked at the same school my mother did that moved into our apartment. My mother had told her about the vacancy and she took advantage of the opportunity. A few days later, she moved into the apartment with her teenage son, and soon after, my sisters and I would never leave the place. We were invited over for movie nights, charades, and cooking. I played my first video game Mortal Kombat, and watched my first Harry Potter movie. It wasn’t until they moved out years later, that our occasional escapes to our home was ended.

Therefore, my life depends on being able to remember these memories and lessons, because should I ever forget, I would forget who and where I came from. I would forget to embrace and appreciate difficulties. I would forget to be stronger than the rest.

I smell rain coming through the clouds. Crickets chirp from somewhere in the bushes, and a dog barks at a stray cat down the street. The moon shines big and clear from above my home, and soothes me to a sleep.

-REVISION-

Vail Avenue

The tree sways and I can smell the freshness of it’s leaves. The birds sing as they wake up in their warm nests, and they greet me good morning. The sunlight shines from the east over the roof of my home, and falls in thin gentle rays.

In my mind, my memories are rosy filtered and hazy, but I remember them because my life depends on it. My neighbor will never appreciate the massive tree that towers over his home as much as I do. Its roots grow underneath the house, literally being the foundation for the home. Cement covers the uplifted crack in the floor from the bulging tree root underneath. In that cement, are the names of my two sisters, my mother, written along with my own; “Abby, Noemi, Oralia, Xiomara”. The tree stands tall and strong, just as my mom always looked to me. Despite her five foot two stature, she has always looked a greater being to me than most see her. She protects my sisters and I, plants her wisdom in me with each of her deep-rooted lectures, and is the foundation for how I carry myself. That apartment was my beginning.

My mother lived there with a few of her brothers and sisters when they first crossed the border from Mexico. No older than fifteen, she found her first job cleaning houses to help pay rent. The epitome of hard work. Along with my family, I hold this place very close to my heart, and fresh in my memory. I day dream about being in that two bedroom apartment again. Laughing and crying with my sisters and mother, reliving my best memories. Despite my new home, or any that may come in the future, that apartment will always be the only one I was truly happy in, the only one that really means anything to me at all.

“How do you self-identify?” is often a question presented to most everyone in their adolescence. I always went with the easy answer: Mexican. Despite the fact that I am a child of mixed races, I identified with the one most familiar to me. My parents officially divorced when I was three, and I only  saw my father three times growing up. The only memory of them ever being together, and the first of my father (who I call my “Sperm Donor” for comical effect), is of them fighting in the driveway. I only remember laying on the couch with a pillow over my head, but nothing specific. Sometime while I was in middle school, my mother bought take-out from a local Honduran restaurant. She wanted to introduce me to the food native to my father. I never cared for it. It wasn’t until I got to high school that I did a lot of self evaluating, and decided that although I held no relationship with my father, it didn’t mean I didn’t hold his blood. I now identify as Latina. Despite the indifference towards my father, I fully embrace my heritage. That apartment was where I understood the difference between the types of love that people often come across in their lives. I understood that material gifts cannot and should no replace the loss of someone in my life, nor should I allow it.

It was the place where I learned that death was to be expected and anticipated. Our first family pet was a cat, and his name was Tato. It was an accidentally made up name that I gave him. When first introduced to me, I was told that this warm, fat, fury creature was called “gato”, which is Spanish for “cat”. Naturally, a three year old girl learning two languages at the same time would get her words and letters mixed up, so I began calling it Tato, mixing up the letters T and G, and it stuck. A few inseparable’ years passed, and we were glad that we had welcomed this stray into our home in the first place. One day coming home late from school, we saw a kid about seven or eight years old sitting on the curb in front of our drive looking down at a black figure in front of his feet. Curious, my mom slowed the car, and rolled the windows down. I will never forget the poor boys’ face. He looked as if to be mourning; shoulders slouched, head down, frowning. It was then that the headlights of our old white van shone upon the black figure which was our cat laying on top of a fluorescent green “Yard Sale” poster board. His abdomen was visibly flattened and crushed, he had been run over in front of our home. We brought him inside knowing that he was about to die. I remember surrounding him in a circle with my sisters and mother on the kitchen floor, petting his bloody fur until he stopped panting. Although the death of a pet is much different than the death of a family member or friend, it was the basis for which I would handle all other deaths in the future; with strength and acceptance.

It was where I learned that life was beautifully difficult. I am thankful that I was able to watch my mother struggle throughout what was basically the entirety of my childhood. I was forced to understand the realities of a lower class minority family being held together by a single mother of three, while most children were sheltered from them, letting them think the world is a perfect shade of pink. I watched her push through anxiety and depression, how she stressed at the beginning of every month, and how she made us understand that we didn’t celebrate birthdays of Christmas because we had little to no money to spend. I learned the difference between a “want” and a “need” while still in Elementary school, whereas my peers wouldn’t learn it until high school in their financial literacy class. Watching my mother deal with these difficulties and manage to raise three girls on her own with such finesse gave me a model as to how to deal with them on my own now. It was where I found my first role model and aspired to be even half a woman my mother is.

Living in this apartment held a lot of “first times” for me. One cold and early October morning, I sat on top of the five foot brick wall that bordered our front yard, and saw my first hot air balloon. I discovered an overwhelming sense of bliss watching them float around with the mountains in the background, and wondered how it felt to be so high in the clouds. I saw my first praying mantis and black widow on that same wall, and decided then and there that I hated bugs. Even after my family and I moved out, it held a lot of significance to me. It wasn’t so much the stuff we owned that occupied space that held significance, as much as the structure and rooms itself. There was a teacher who worked at the same school my mother did that moved into our apartment. My mother had told her about the vacancy and she took advantage of the opportunity. A few days later, she moved into the apartment with her teenage son, and soon after, my sisters and I would never leave the place. We were invited over for movie nights, charades, and cooking. I played my first video game Mortal Kombat, and watched my first Harry Potter movie. It wasn’t until they moved out years later, that the occasional escape with my sisters to our home ended.

As a result, my life depends on being able to remember these memories and lessons, because should I ever forget, I would forget who and where I came from. I would forget to embrace and appreciate difficulties. I would forget to be strong.

I smell rain coming through the clouds. Crickets chirp from somewhere in the bushes, and a dog barks at a stray cat down the street. The moon shines big and clear from above my home, and soothes me to a sleep.

-REVIEW-

Xiomara Oliva ENGL 110 SLO Review I have used a couple of the Student Learning Objectives (SLO’s) in order to fully edit my memoir to the best of my ability. The first of the two strategies that I used was “Writing as a Process”. This strategy urges students to use different ways to planning, researching, composing, and revising their own work in order to reach the highest level of quality. During the process of writing my memoir, I first decided to list which specific memories I definitely wanted to include in my memoir. I chose the memories of my old apartment that would give the reader a look into what my life was like living in the apartment with my sisters and mother. After my work was revised by a peer, I was given an opportunity to add more details that would make the piece more personable. My peer advised me to speak more about my sisters and speak about memories I had with them in the apartment, but I felt as though if I expanded on my memories about them it would distract the reader from the emphasis I was trying to put on the influence that only my mother had on me. My peer also advised me to expand on the tree in the front yard of the apartment, and about how I finally began to identify as Latina. The second strategy was that of “Grammar and Usage”. It is defined as improving fluency in the usage of American English in a sentence, paragraph, and document as a whole. When editing the memoir for the last time, I read and reread to see if I could catch any spelling or grammar mistakes that a computer would miss. I did so a few times in order to achieve fluency throughout my work. I also experimented with different variations of a certain word in a sentence to see which would fit best. If I wanted to switch a word, I would use several synonyms and use the one that flowed easier with the rest of the sentence. Overall, the writing, revision, and editing of my memoir has helped me pinpoint the errors that I commonly make when writing.