Why do urban slums exist in cities in the United States? This is a question that Namrita Talwar decided to find out. In this article she discusses why they do exist in cities and what people can do to upgrade these areas to make them more livable. “The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements 2003” found that urban slums were growing faster then expected. With the locus of global poverty shifting rapidly from rural areas to cities, almost one sixth of the world’s population is already living in unhealthy areas, more often then not without water, sanitation or security. The report warns that if no concerted action is taken, the number of slum dwellers worldwide will rise to 2 billion over the next thirty years (p. 414). Overall, Talwar states half of the world’s population—nearly 3 billion people—lives on less than $2 a day. She believes a major key to reducing slums lies in providing water, sanitation, storm drainage, basic access to roads, and electricity at a satisfactory level.
I know that I am a very lucky girl who lives in a decent household and I have parents who are there to help me out. After reading this article, it made me even more grateful to be blessed with all these things (water, sanitation, etc.) that I take for granted everyday. Since it is the holiday season I am always thinking of giving instead of receiving. I am glad that people are contributing to slum upgrading, even though it is a challenge to ensure that it is meaningful by investing in citywide infrastructure. The going seems tough for developing countries after reading this article, and the coming years will be a test for nations seeking slum development.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Journal #4: Lessons from Lost Worlds
Jared Diamond, the author of Lessons from Lost Worlds, really points out some interesting things that I need to consider for the future. He talks about how he was born in 1937 and never would dream about living, or even imaging, the date 2050. But when his twin sons were born in 1987, he soon realized that his sons would live to witness that date. He began to wonder about what world conditions would soon affect them in a bad way. Of course he is talking about face environmental problems and conditions that his generation never thought about back in his young days. He states that we all need to help out in some way and teach our children to help out the environment. He believes that environmental problems can indeed cause societies to collapse, just read the history books. Diamond states that we face big problems that will do us in if we don’t solve them, but we are capable of solving them. The risk we face isn’t that of an asteroid collision beyond our ability to avoid. Instead our problems are of our own making, and so we can stop making them. The only thing lacking is the necessary political will (p. 457).
For some reason as I was reading this article I kept thinking about all of the Terminator movies. I thought of this because I do wonder what our world will look like in 2050 and if our environment will be better or worse. I would like to say better, only to stay optimistic and continue to “go green” and care for the environment. I also wonder if, like Jared, if I ever have children I will want the best for them including the world that they live in. Jared Diamond’s last words in his article will stay with me when he says, “Knowing history, we are not doomed to repeat it”.
For some reason as I was reading this article I kept thinking about all of the Terminator movies. I thought of this because I do wonder what our world will look like in 2050 and if our environment will be better or worse. I would like to say better, only to stay optimistic and continue to “go green” and care for the environment. I also wonder if, like Jared, if I ever have children I will want the best for them including the world that they live in. Jared Diamond’s last words in his article will stay with me when he says, “Knowing history, we are not doomed to repeat it”.
Journal #3: Arranged Marriages Get a Little Reshuffling
In this article Lizette Alvarez, writer of Arranged Marriages Get a Little Reshuffling, talks about how arranged marriages in Britain are changing traditional standards. In Britain, young Indians and Pakistanis are pushing the cultural boundaries created by their parents and grandparents one step further by reshaping the tradition of arranged marriages. Arranged marriages are still the norm within these clannish, tight-knit communities in Britain, but, with the urging of second-and third-generation children, the nature of the arrangement has evolved, mostly by necessity. Now, meetings for arranged marriages take place in public venues without the family encounter first which many call speed dating. This very concept raises the hackles of some more old-fashioned parents, but many are coming around, in part out of desperation. But parents and elders, eager to avoid alienating their children, making them miserable or seeing them go unmarried, have shown considerable flexibility with arranged marriages. This is especially pronounced among the middle class, whose members tend to have integrated more into the British life (pg. 163).
I am not against arranged marriages, but I do think that people should get married because they love one another. In the article Alvarez also talks about how many people get divorced and argue that they should just have their family pick out their soul mate for them instead. I do not agree with that. People make mistakes and what if the arranged marriage does not work out in the long run either? It sounds more and more like the Indians and Pakistanis are mainly drifting away from arranged marriages anyway with speed dating. Speed dating to them is maybe some type of way of an arranged marriage, but to Americans, we do that as a form of dating for ourselves and do not call that a type of an arranged marriage. If people think that arranged marriages is the only way they can find love and their soul mate then let them think that. I personally think that these people are scared to play the field and scared to socialize.
I am not against arranged marriages, but I do think that people should get married because they love one another. In the article Alvarez also talks about how many people get divorced and argue that they should just have their family pick out their soul mate for them instead. I do not agree with that. People make mistakes and what if the arranged marriage does not work out in the long run either? It sounds more and more like the Indians and Pakistanis are mainly drifting away from arranged marriages anyway with speed dating. Speed dating to them is maybe some type of way of an arranged marriage, but to Americans, we do that as a form of dating for ourselves and do not call that a type of an arranged marriage. If people think that arranged marriages is the only way they can find love and their soul mate then let them think that. I personally think that these people are scared to play the field and scared to socialize.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Journal #2: Talking Trash
Andy Rooney, from the show 60 Minutes, brought up some very interesting points that I do every day but I never really think about. The point is that we (Americans) throw away way too much trash every day. New York City alone throws away 24 million pounds of garbage a day. This really got him to think of how much the entire Earth weights with all the trash that we contribute to it. Andy says that oil, coal, and metal ore are the most obvious extractions, but any place there is a valuable mineral, we dig beneath the surface, take it out, and make it into something else. We never put anything back. We disfigure one part of our land by digging something out and then move on to another spot after we use up all of its resources. He also states that we have gone overboard on packaging, and packaging is a big factor for contributing waste. The only reason why he believes we package everything is that a bag, can, or a carton provides a place for the producer to display advertising.
After reading this article I realize how bad I am contributing to the earth. I try and “go green” now as much as possible, but I never recycle as much as I could be doing. As for all the bags that I receive after grocery shopping, I usually just save them for garbage bags, and, of course, they are all plastic instead of paper. I even took an environmental class my freshman year at the University of Minnesota and told my professor in all of my papers how I am doing well for the environment. I guess it only lasted for that semester only for I have gotten a little lazy since then. From now on I will recycle even more and buy more organic, fresh items instead of items layered in boxes and packages.
After reading this article I realize how bad I am contributing to the earth. I try and “go green” now as much as possible, but I never recycle as much as I could be doing. As for all the bags that I receive after grocery shopping, I usually just save them for garbage bags, and, of course, they are all plastic instead of paper. I even took an environmental class my freshman year at the University of Minnesota and told my professor in all of my papers how I am doing well for the environment. I guess it only lasted for that semester only for I have gotten a little lazy since then. From now on I will recycle even more and buy more organic, fresh items instead of items layered in boxes and packages.
Journal #1: Digging up the Roots
This article was written by Jane Goodall was about morning and grieving about relationships that we no longer have in our lives. Jane is originally from London, but has spent much adult time in her life in the jungles of Tanzania engaged by the study of chimpanzees. Now Jane really cares for these chimpanzees, but she realizes that these chimps do not care for comfort, food, or love like her own dogs back at home. She loves these chimpanzees very much and cares for them as well, so when one of them passes, she grieves for them. She also grieves and feels much anger when she returns to some familiar sites in Tanzania twenty years later when we, mankind, have destroyed these chimps’ habitats. She feels that these habitats in this area used to be like paradise, but now that it is destroyed she asks “who would not mourn expulsion from paradise?”
I feel for Jane after reading this article. I myself have a dog at home whom is a pit bull named Fergie. I love Fergie so much and I love coming home from school and feeling her welcome when I open the front door. I know that when Fergie will pass someday I will also grieve and morn just like Jane. Also, after reading this article, I will do my best caring for other animals as well. I will continue to keep “going green” and contribute to helping out the environment so that these animals can live in a healthy habitat.
I feel for Jane after reading this article. I myself have a dog at home whom is a pit bull named Fergie. I love Fergie so much and I love coming home from school and feeling her welcome when I open the front door. I know that when Fergie will pass someday I will also grieve and morn just like Jane. Also, after reading this article, I will do my best caring for other animals as well. I will continue to keep “going green” and contribute to helping out the environment so that these animals can live in a healthy habitat.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Stop Illegal Downloading
Lexi Hanna
English 250 RA
Protest Essay
Mr. Perez
The internet has made a big impact within the music industry this past decade. Many people who listen to music have bought CDs, iPods, and MP3 players. Nowadays, people who own various types of styles of MP3 players download music off of websites such as iTunes, Rhapsody, etc. On the contrary, many people are now illegally downloading music that has copyrights from websites such as Limewire, Kazaa, and Napster. Why is downloading from these sites illegal? Music listeners are downloading the music for free. Many people will argue that downloading for free is not a big problem; just look at how rich the music artists are—they’ve got it made! But downloading music with copyrights for free is illegal and many people are finding out the expensive consequences of these actions. All music listeners should stop downloading off of free illegal websites and take into consideration struggling upcoming artists and a bad background record if caught illegally downloading.
Music listeners vary in age differences, and many music listeners typically like a certain type of music. Of course not all music listeners tend to listen to what their roommate, siblings, or father enjoys. Many people have different preferences and with these different preferences the internet has provided a massive amount of music available to them. The main audience that has really started to pick up on illegal downloading is young students, ranging from junior high to college level students. The record industry and upcoming artists are faced with a threat of online piracy operating on two fronts: one comprising PC and music enthusiasts, high-school kids in college dorms innocently trading their favorite artists’ music by e-mail; and the other involving file-sharing and pirate web sites offering downloads of copyright material, usually on a no-charge basis, profiting instead from advertising revenue (Mewton). The fact that MP3 files can be easily passed between individuals’ computers as e-mail attachments is not the only worry for the music industry. Of possibly greater significance is the fact that there is nothing to stop a bootlegger legally purchasing a CD by, say, David Archuleta, inserting it into his PC’s CD-ROM drive, ripping the tracks and making them freely available as MP3 files on his web site (Mewton).
How did this all start? Napster. Back in 2000, Napster was the most prominent of several controversial software applications that allowed music listeners to search the internet for MP3 files which match your specific criteria (Mewton). MP3 files contained not only the music, but also details of the artist, record company, track duration and all kinds of interesting information about the track in question on what is known as the ID3 tag, which enabled Napster to select the MP3 files relevant to that person. It has a phenomenal archive to choose from because, unlike other MP3 web sites, Napster did not actually store any of the files itself. Instead, it acted as a conduit, allowing users across the globe to access each other’s private collections, a.k.a. “peer-to peer networking” (Mewton). The question at that time was is Napster acting illegally by providing the software that enables MP3 music files to be freely downloaded without paying the copyright owners? The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) seemed to believe so. The RIAA took Napster to court asserting “contributory” copyright infringement by Napster (Mewton). The initial court ruling (that the major record companies and publishers represented by the RIAA be granted a preliminary injunction against Napster) was therefore encouraging for the worldwide record industry, as it was the first time that there had been a court ruling determining that the copyright rules that apply in the real world also apply in the virtual (online) world (Mewton).
Now that Napster is gone, music listeners are now referring to web sites such as Limewire and Kazaa. These are free downloading websites as well and are illegal just like Napster. Many listeners who download from this site can get caught and pay some expensive consequences. Free peer-to peer software is often packaged with spyware, adware, or Trojans, which can threaten your computer's security. In addition, the traffic generated by peer-to-peer file sharing of music and movies slows network response time and detracts from the network resources available for academic and research uses (Avoid Illegal Downloading). Many of the files available on these networks are not authorized by the copyright holder to be downloaded and shared. These files are illegal. By law, the individual liability for copyright infringement resulting from illegal downloading and file sharing is $150,000 per infringement (Avoid Illegal Downloading). That is years of tuition, income, and retirement money thrown down the drain and for what...a song?!
Representing music labels such as Sony and EMI, the Recording Industry Association of America said in March 2007 that it is going after students who have downloaded pirated music from the Internet at colleges, including UCLA and Columbia, sending more than 400 "prelitigation" letters that order the students to pay a settlement fee or face a lawsuit. At Berkeley, students are aware of the industry's efforts to target illegal downloaders, but few feel the legal pressure will slow the piracy. "Everyone knows," John Halushka, a 21-year-old junior at UC Berkeley, said about the risks of downloading pirated music from the Internet. "But no one thinks they'll get caught” (Lee).
For many aspiring music artists, the internet can either make them or break them. Downloading their music for free is not beneficial to the artist and therefore many do not end up with that top hit they need to succeed in the music industry. Marci A. Hamilton, a FindLaw columnist and a big fan of country music, states “was it not for copyright's ability to build fences around intangible goods such as lyrics and melodies, a performer like Loretta Lynn would not have been able to leave Butcher Holler, Kentucky, and share her gifts with the world. The list of country music stars that have come from humble beginnings is long, and the best country music never forgets its origins” (Hamilton). She also believes that “the world would have been a lesser place but for copyright's ability to pave the road for these stars to travel from rags to riches, from hillbilly country to the big lights. In a culture without copyright, only the rich, or the government-sponsored, could be this culture's full-time creators. Poor artists such as Loretta Lynn would have to flip burgers long into their music careers—and might even give up on music entirely” (Hamilton). Artists come and go very quickly in today’s volatile and unstable climate. There is absolutely no guarantee that, just because your first album has been successful, the second will equal or better its success. Some upcoming artists do not even get that second chance because of the piracy that is happening on the internet right now.
Now that the laws, consequences and thoughts are out of the bag about illegal downloading, here is what music listeners now can do to appreciate their music more and also help out their favorite artist to be able to record a new album soon. To legally download MP3 files, there are now plenty of different options available. Aside from looking up major record labels’ web sites directly or going to iTunes.com, you can also enter “MP3” in the search engine to search for web sites which are likely to contain MP3 files (Mewton). iTunes and Rhapsody are the two main legal downloading sites for music, music videos, and even movies. For iTunes, music listeners only pay 99 cents per song and albums are available cheap, around the ten dollar area instead of twenty dollars at stores like Wal-Mart or Target. Everyone who listens to music should always purchase an album or song legally. Doing this will help music artists in today’s industry, whether they are popular now or up-and-coming. If listeners keep downloading illegally for free, new artists will never get their chance to let us listen to their new style. Instead, we will only continue to here the same songs over and over and never hear something new and fresh.
Works Cited
Avoid Illegal Downloading and File Sharing. Northwestern University. 26 August 2008.
14 November 2008
Hamilton, Marci. Why Suing College Students for Illegal Music is Right. August 2003.
14 November 2008
Lee, Ellen. Music Industry Threatens Student Downloaders at UC. 22 March 2007. 14
November 2008
Mewton, Conrad. All You Need to Know About Music and The Internet Revolution.
United Kingdom: Sanctuary Publishing Limited, 2001.
English 250 RA
Protest Essay
Mr. Perez
The internet has made a big impact within the music industry this past decade. Many people who listen to music have bought CDs, iPods, and MP3 players. Nowadays, people who own various types of styles of MP3 players download music off of websites such as iTunes, Rhapsody, etc. On the contrary, many people are now illegally downloading music that has copyrights from websites such as Limewire, Kazaa, and Napster. Why is downloading from these sites illegal? Music listeners are downloading the music for free. Many people will argue that downloading for free is not a big problem; just look at how rich the music artists are—they’ve got it made! But downloading music with copyrights for free is illegal and many people are finding out the expensive consequences of these actions. All music listeners should stop downloading off of free illegal websites and take into consideration struggling upcoming artists and a bad background record if caught illegally downloading.
Music listeners vary in age differences, and many music listeners typically like a certain type of music. Of course not all music listeners tend to listen to what their roommate, siblings, or father enjoys. Many people have different preferences and with these different preferences the internet has provided a massive amount of music available to them. The main audience that has really started to pick up on illegal downloading is young students, ranging from junior high to college level students. The record industry and upcoming artists are faced with a threat of online piracy operating on two fronts: one comprising PC and music enthusiasts, high-school kids in college dorms innocently trading their favorite artists’ music by e-mail; and the other involving file-sharing and pirate web sites offering downloads of copyright material, usually on a no-charge basis, profiting instead from advertising revenue (Mewton). The fact that MP3 files can be easily passed between individuals’ computers as e-mail attachments is not the only worry for the music industry. Of possibly greater significance is the fact that there is nothing to stop a bootlegger legally purchasing a CD by, say, David Archuleta, inserting it into his PC’s CD-ROM drive, ripping the tracks and making them freely available as MP3 files on his web site (Mewton).
How did this all start? Napster. Back in 2000, Napster was the most prominent of several controversial software applications that allowed music listeners to search the internet for MP3 files which match your specific criteria (Mewton). MP3 files contained not only the music, but also details of the artist, record company, track duration and all kinds of interesting information about the track in question on what is known as the ID3 tag, which enabled Napster to select the MP3 files relevant to that person. It has a phenomenal archive to choose from because, unlike other MP3 web sites, Napster did not actually store any of the files itself. Instead, it acted as a conduit, allowing users across the globe to access each other’s private collections, a.k.a. “peer-to peer networking” (Mewton). The question at that time was is Napster acting illegally by providing the software that enables MP3 music files to be freely downloaded without paying the copyright owners? The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) seemed to believe so. The RIAA took Napster to court asserting “contributory” copyright infringement by Napster (Mewton). The initial court ruling (that the major record companies and publishers represented by the RIAA be granted a preliminary injunction against Napster) was therefore encouraging for the worldwide record industry, as it was the first time that there had been a court ruling determining that the copyright rules that apply in the real world also apply in the virtual (online) world (Mewton).
Now that Napster is gone, music listeners are now referring to web sites such as Limewire and Kazaa. These are free downloading websites as well and are illegal just like Napster. Many listeners who download from this site can get caught and pay some expensive consequences. Free peer-to peer software is often packaged with spyware, adware, or Trojans, which can threaten your computer's security. In addition, the traffic generated by peer-to-peer file sharing of music and movies slows network response time and detracts from the network resources available for academic and research uses (Avoid Illegal Downloading). Many of the files available on these networks are not authorized by the copyright holder to be downloaded and shared. These files are illegal. By law, the individual liability for copyright infringement resulting from illegal downloading and file sharing is $150,000 per infringement (Avoid Illegal Downloading). That is years of tuition, income, and retirement money thrown down the drain and for what...a song?!
Representing music labels such as Sony and EMI, the Recording Industry Association of America said in March 2007 that it is going after students who have downloaded pirated music from the Internet at colleges, including UCLA and Columbia, sending more than 400 "prelitigation" letters that order the students to pay a settlement fee or face a lawsuit. At Berkeley, students are aware of the industry's efforts to target illegal downloaders, but few feel the legal pressure will slow the piracy. "Everyone knows," John Halushka, a 21-year-old junior at UC Berkeley, said about the risks of downloading pirated music from the Internet. "But no one thinks they'll get caught” (Lee).
For many aspiring music artists, the internet can either make them or break them. Downloading their music for free is not beneficial to the artist and therefore many do not end up with that top hit they need to succeed in the music industry. Marci A. Hamilton, a FindLaw columnist and a big fan of country music, states “was it not for copyright's ability to build fences around intangible goods such as lyrics and melodies, a performer like Loretta Lynn would not have been able to leave Butcher Holler, Kentucky, and share her gifts with the world. The list of country music stars that have come from humble beginnings is long, and the best country music never forgets its origins” (Hamilton). She also believes that “the world would have been a lesser place but for copyright's ability to pave the road for these stars to travel from rags to riches, from hillbilly country to the big lights. In a culture without copyright, only the rich, or the government-sponsored, could be this culture's full-time creators. Poor artists such as Loretta Lynn would have to flip burgers long into their music careers—and might even give up on music entirely” (Hamilton). Artists come and go very quickly in today’s volatile and unstable climate. There is absolutely no guarantee that, just because your first album has been successful, the second will equal or better its success. Some upcoming artists do not even get that second chance because of the piracy that is happening on the internet right now.
Now that the laws, consequences and thoughts are out of the bag about illegal downloading, here is what music listeners now can do to appreciate their music more and also help out their favorite artist to be able to record a new album soon. To legally download MP3 files, there are now plenty of different options available. Aside from looking up major record labels’ web sites directly or going to iTunes.com, you can also enter “MP3” in the search engine to search for web sites which are likely to contain MP3 files (Mewton). iTunes and Rhapsody are the two main legal downloading sites for music, music videos, and even movies. For iTunes, music listeners only pay 99 cents per song and albums are available cheap, around the ten dollar area instead of twenty dollars at stores like Wal-Mart or Target. Everyone who listens to music should always purchase an album or song legally. Doing this will help music artists in today’s industry, whether they are popular now or up-and-coming. If listeners keep downloading illegally for free, new artists will never get their chance to let us listen to their new style. Instead, we will only continue to here the same songs over and over and never hear something new and fresh.
Works Cited
Avoid Illegal Downloading and File Sharing. Northwestern University. 26 August 2008.
14 November 2008
Hamilton, Marci. Why Suing College Students for Illegal Music is Right. August 2003.
14 November 2008
Lee, Ellen. Music Industry Threatens Student Downloaders at UC. 22 March 2007. 14
November 2008
Mewton, Conrad. All You Need to Know About Music and The Internet Revolution.
United Kingdom: Sanctuary Publishing Limited, 2001.
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