This was, in my opinion, one of the most boring papers I've written, but Fielder still gave me 15/15, so I guess it's a good one.
Obama’s Moratorium
According to the New York Times, 48,500 barrels of oil are spilling into the Gulf every day. Every day because of someone’s careless mistake, 48500 barrels seep into the ocean-ruining ecosystems, killing marine life. President Obama ordered a moratorium on permits for offshore drilling, but this cannot reverse the mistake already made. Off-shore drilling should continue; however, stricter regulations and more investigations of off-shore drilling permits are necessary to ensure that the explosion that took place on April 20, 2010 will not happen again.
Although the moratorium was supposed to halt any new off-shore drilling permits after April 20, according to the New York Times, “federal regulators have granted at least 19 environmental waivers for gulf drilling and at least 17 drilling permits, most of which were for types of work like that on the Deepwater Horizon shortly before it exploded, pouring a ceaseless current of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.” If stricter regulations were followed, the illegal permits granted would not have been granted in the first place. The moratorium will also help government agencies get to the bottom of the original problem-the explosion on April 20.
The moratorium is already helping the government agency, Department of the Interior, crack down on BP. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said at a news conference, “If we find they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, we’ll push them out of the way appropriately.” President Obama seems to share my opinion on the matter and said, “It seems as if permits were too often issued based on little ore that assurances of safety from the oil companies. That cannot and will not happen anymore.” Not everyone shares my opinion.
Some would say that the moratorium is already failing and new regulations would be almost impossible to enforce-not to mention expensive. A law professor named Daniel J. Rohlf stated, “The moratorium does not even cover the dangerous drilling that caused the problem in the first place.” Current regulations are being glossed over to ensure that the big oil companies are happy, not caring if workers are safe or not. If new regulations were to be adopted, this would create more confusion and companies would continue to skate over the rules in place for safety.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Extra Credit
This piece was my second favorite paper to write, following the paper I wrote this morning for the final. We were told to do a cultural analysis paper on our book of choice. I read the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
“Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that Mariam.” From her earliest moments, Mariam found this to be true. It was no wonder she found Laila’s companionship to be a lifeline. Women in Afghanistan do not have any rights and must stick together if they wish to have any companions. As infants men are set high above women-receiving the best of every meal and having new gifts and clothes bought for them while girls receive the left-overs. Women need each other to keep going; everyone knows without friends to gossip with, women go a bit insane. In the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini it is evident that due to the lack of freedom for women in Afghanistan, a very close bond is needed to survive in the unhealthy patriarchal society they live in.
Many women were in relationships with men where they were cruelly neglected and verbally and physically abused. When Mariam and Laila attempted to escape a relationship like the one described above, their lives only got worse. “Ever since the failed escape, two and a half years ago, Mariam knew that she and Laila had become one and the same being to him, equally wretched, equally deserving of his distrust, his disdain, his disregard.” (245) the man who they depended on for food, shelter, and emotional support shut himself out of their lives. Mariam and Laila had to depend on each other for the emotional support that a husband is supposed to provide in American culture. Women in the United States have countless family members, friends, and organizations to help them get out of abusive relationships. In Afghanistan, there is no help. When Laila implied that Rasheed would kill not only herself but also Mariam if the officer sent them home after their attempted escape, the officer simply said, “What a man does in his own home is his business.” Mariam and Laila knew to keep the rights they had they needed to look out for each other.
To keep the few rights they had, women knew they had to look out for each other. The Taliban would not allow male doctors to see female patients so female doctors were required; they knew they needed to be very careful to keep their jobs. ‘“They want us to operate in burqa,” the doctor explained, motioning with her head to the nurse at the door. “She keeps watch. She sees them; I cover.”’ Their agreement is like setting a pick in basketball. You have their back; they shouldn’t have to ask for a pick. Your teammate knows they can depend on you to step up and clear the lane to the basket. Your reward is having the satisfaction of knowing without your pick, your teammate would have a very hard time getting to the basket, and probably would have gotten caught on their way. Having a close bond and looking out for each other saved many lives, and many more from beatings.
The close bond between Mariam and Laila saved Laila’s life. Mariam knew one of them would have to give themselves up and receive the punishment for killing their husband Rasheed or both she and Laila would die-she chose to give Laila, the younger wife, a mother- a chance at the life she dreamed of but could never achieve. Mariam looked out for Laila. Laila, as hard as it was to let go, accepted Mariam’s sacrifice and did not waste the gift that Mariam gave her.
“And so Laila resigned herself to moving on. For her own sake, for Tariq’s, for her children’s. And for Mariam for who still visits Laila in her dreams, who is never more that a breath or two below her consciousness.” Even after death, the companionship that made their lives bearable under Rasheed’s hard rules still lessons the blow of living a hard life. Even though Laila was in a relationship with Tariq, a man who would do anything to make her happy, she relied on the memory of Mariam’s silent strength- the bond they shared-to get through every day.
“Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that Mariam.” From her earliest moments, Mariam found this to be true. It was no wonder she found Laila’s companionship to be a lifeline. Women in Afghanistan do not have any rights and must stick together if they wish to have any companions. As infants men are set high above women-receiving the best of every meal and having new gifts and clothes bought for them while girls receive the left-overs. Women need each other to keep going; everyone knows without friends to gossip with, women go a bit insane. In the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini it is evident that due to the lack of freedom for women in Afghanistan, a very close bond is needed to survive in the unhealthy patriarchal society they live in.
Many women were in relationships with men where they were cruelly neglected and verbally and physically abused. When Mariam and Laila attempted to escape a relationship like the one described above, their lives only got worse. “Ever since the failed escape, two and a half years ago, Mariam knew that she and Laila had become one and the same being to him, equally wretched, equally deserving of his distrust, his disdain, his disregard.” (245) the man who they depended on for food, shelter, and emotional support shut himself out of their lives. Mariam and Laila had to depend on each other for the emotional support that a husband is supposed to provide in American culture. Women in the United States have countless family members, friends, and organizations to help them get out of abusive relationships. In Afghanistan, there is no help. When Laila implied that Rasheed would kill not only herself but also Mariam if the officer sent them home after their attempted escape, the officer simply said, “What a man does in his own home is his business.” Mariam and Laila knew to keep the rights they had they needed to look out for each other.
To keep the few rights they had, women knew they had to look out for each other. The Taliban would not allow male doctors to see female patients so female doctors were required; they knew they needed to be very careful to keep their jobs. ‘“They want us to operate in burqa,” the doctor explained, motioning with her head to the nurse at the door. “She keeps watch. She sees them; I cover.”’ Their agreement is like setting a pick in basketball. You have their back; they shouldn’t have to ask for a pick. Your teammate knows they can depend on you to step up and clear the lane to the basket. Your reward is having the satisfaction of knowing without your pick, your teammate would have a very hard time getting to the basket, and probably would have gotten caught on their way. Having a close bond and looking out for each other saved many lives, and many more from beatings.
The close bond between Mariam and Laila saved Laila’s life. Mariam knew one of them would have to give themselves up and receive the punishment for killing their husband Rasheed or both she and Laila would die-she chose to give Laila, the younger wife, a mother- a chance at the life she dreamed of but could never achieve. Mariam looked out for Laila. Laila, as hard as it was to let go, accepted Mariam’s sacrifice and did not waste the gift that Mariam gave her.
“And so Laila resigned herself to moving on. For her own sake, for Tariq’s, for her children’s. And for Mariam for who still visits Laila in her dreams, who is never more that a breath or two below her consciousness.” Even after death, the companionship that made their lives bearable under Rasheed’s hard rules still lessons the blow of living a hard life. Even though Laila was in a relationship with Tariq, a man who would do anything to make her happy, she relied on the memory of Mariam’s silent strength- the bond they shared-to get through every day.
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