A Plastic Problem: “Taking a Look at Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans.” by Ralph G. Stahl

The another describe our behavior and influence manufacturers by avoiding purchase of items wrapped in plastic as much as possible. We also
can be more diligent in cleaning and sorting our recyclable plastics in accordance with our local recycling protocols especially.
plastic. In this Points of Reference, the harm caused by plastics in the oceans and what we might do about it.

1. “Microplastics (bottle caps, beads, degraded items) and microplastics (drink bottles, single‐use bags, etc.) find their way into the world’s oceans by various routes, harming people and wildlife and proving costly to collect and remove. Publications in Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) journals show that plastics are difficult to test and cause potential ecological risks in diverse aquatic environments (Rochman et al. 2016; Peng et al. 2017)”

2. “Not all “recycled” plastic gets reused. Once collected by recyclers, plastics are sent to be fuel for generating electricity or
sorted and compressed into large cubes for transport. Often, plastic that is clean and fully recyclable gets combined with plastic.
that is not clean and not fully recyclable, making the entire cube unsuitable for reuse. Each of us can learn more about the proper
procedures for cleaning and sorting our potentially recyclable items and follow them accordingly.”

“Junk Raft: An Ocean Voyage and a Rising Tide of Activism to Fight Plastic Pollution.” by Marcus Eriksen,

The author explains how a journey from the Gulf War to the Gulf of Mexico, ailed from Los Angeles to Hawaii on the Junk, “a raft made from plastic bottles, with thirty old sailboat masts for a deck and a Cessna 310 airplane as a cabin.” The author sought to attract attention to this growing problem by imitating the path taken by trash routinely dumped into the ocean, where it is “shredded and pulverized” into microplastics. Eaten by unwitting birds and fish who mistake it for nourishment, it enters the food chain with disastrous consequences, which the author describes graphically.

1.“These hazards include the microbeads of plastic found in toothpaste and cosmetic creams and the plastic foam from insulated cups and coolers. To the extent that this problem is recognized, the plastics industry, and many conservative legislators, seeks to lay the blame on consumers who litter, refusing to take any responsibility”.

2.“The book, however, is not simply a polemic. Eriksen succeeds in dramatizing a significant problem and enlisting popular support, noting some immediate steps that can be taken to create recyclable products. the advocacy groups are beginning to register success as consumers become more aware, and he gives the example of the plastic bag ban in Hawaii. Eriksen explains that one of the keys to a successful campaign is to get manufacturers to shoulder some of the blame”.

“Even Tiny Plastic Pieces Can Carry Pollution Throughout the Oceans.” by New York Times

Fish and birds can nibble or enhance complex in angling gear or different plastic jetsam, but what about tiny pieces of flexible in the ocean they emanate produce used to clean ships or decaying larger pieces of flexible. The atoms maybe transported by currents and eroded by organisms far from the beginnings, or they manage decrease below.

1.“The article focuses on a study on the pollution caused by plastic pieces in oceans. According to the study conducted by researchers including Emma L. Teuton of the University of Plymouth in England, even microscopic pieces of plastic can absorb pollutants. It also states that the study was published in the journal “Environmental Science & Technology.”

2. The particles could be carried by currents and eaten by organisms far from the sources, or they could sink to the bottom. The researchers estimated that even tiny amounts of plastic could significantly increase the concentration of phenanthrene in a common sediment-ingesting worm, the lugworm, and from there accumulate up the food chain.

Plastic (cover story), National Geographic, by Daly Natasha and Royte Elizabeth

The article offers information on plastic waste in the ocean and waste to mitigate plastic pollution. Hundreds of species of marine animals have been reported to have ingested or become entangled in it, and it’s negatively impacting our ecosystems and resulting in traumatic environmental effects. Through powerful imagery, the exhibition makes the important case for the need to find a balance between using this material and protecting our environment. the planet over plastic and to share how they will make efforts to reduce their use of single-use plastic. 

1.“Plastic wasn’t invented until the late 19th century, and production really only took off around 1950, we have a mere 9.2 billion tons of the stuff to deal with. Of that, more than 6.9 billion tons have become waste. And of that waste, a staggering 6.3 billion tons never made it to a recycling bin—a figure that stunned the scientists who crunched the numbers in 2017.”

2. “Ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. Some are harmed visibly strangled by abandoned fishing nets or discarded six-pack rings. Many more are probably harmed invisibly. Marine species of all sizes, from zooplankton to whales, now eat microplastics, the bits smaller than one-fifth of an inch across”. 

 Plastic Problem: “Taking a Look at Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans.” by Stahl and Ralph GA 

This Article Talks about frugalities that respond to changes in services practice spending. We need to change our act and influence manufacturers by preventing purchase of items covered in flexible as much as attainable. We also need more hard-working in cleaning and categorizing our recyclable assets in accordance with our local reusing codes and maybe catch more involved accompanying our local reusing organizations.

1.“Not all “recycled” plastic gets reused. Once collected by recyclers, plastics are sent to be fuel for generating electricity or sorted and compressed into large cubes for transport. Often, plastic that is clean and fully recyclable gets combined with plastic that is not clean and not fully recyclable, making the entire cube unsuitable for reuse”.

2.“Many of us live in countries with consumer-driven economies that respond to changes in consumer behavior (spending). We can change our behavior and influence manufacturers by avoiding purchase of items wrapped in plastic as much as possible. We also can be more diligent in cleaning and sorting our recyclable plastics in accordance with our local recycling protocols and maybe get more involved with our local recycling organizations.”

 Ocean Plastic Crisis: “Mental models of plastic pollution from remote Indonesian coastal communities.” by Phelan Anna and Ross Helen

This Article Talks about the crisis facing the world’s oceans from plastics is well documented, yet there is little knowledge of the perspectives, experiences a complex set of factors contributing to extensive plastic leakage into the marine environment. The rising standard of living has allowed people in low resource, remote communities to buy more single-use plastic items than they could before information and opportunities of the marshy institutions binding uncontrollable quantities of credit card on their beaches and in their attempting waters. 

1.“The crisis facing the world’s oceans from plastics is well documented, yet there is little knowledge of the perspectives, experiences and options of the coastal communities facing overwhelming quantities of plastics on their beaches and in their fishing waters. In emerging economies such as those in the Coral Triangle, the communities affected are among the poorest of their countries.”

2. “The majority of marine plastic results from land-based sources. Plastic waste generated in coastal regions, that is ineffectively managed, is most at risk of entering the marine environment. While the majority of global plastics waste is generated in the Global North, a large portion of manufacturing of single-use plastic packaging has shifted to Asia. Meanwhile the rising standard of living in the fast-growing economies of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, has allowed people in low resource remote communities to buy more single-use plastic items than they could before.

“The War on Drugs That Wasn’t: Wasted Whiteness, ‘Dirty Doctors,’ and Race in Media Coverage of Prescription Opioid Misuse” by Julie Netherland et al.

Netherland, J., & Hansen, H. B. (2016). “The war on drugs that wasn’t: Wasted whiteness, “Dirty doctors,” and race in media coverage of prescription opioid misuse. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 40(4), 664–686. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-016-9496-5

The article “The war on drugs that wasn’t: Wasted whiteness, “Dirty doctors,” and race in media coverage of prescription opioid misuse” by

Netherland and Hansen examines the racial biases in media coverage of the opioid epidemic. The authors argue that the media often depicts

opioid addiction as a problem of poor and non-white individuals, ignoring the reality that opioid addiction affects people of all races and

socioeconomic statuses. Furthermore, the authors discuss how the media has portrayed prescription opioid misuse as a result of “dirty doctors”

rather than holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in the epidemic. The article highlights the concept of “wasted

whiteness,” which refers to the idea that white people who struggle with addiction are portrayed sympathetically while non-white people with

addiction are criminalized. Finally, the authors call for a shift in the media narrative to acknowledge the true nature of the opioid epidemic and

to address the systemic issues that contribute to addiction.

  1. “Media coverage of prescription opioid misuse is characterized by the same racializing dynamics that have shaped the coverage of other drug problems: it overrepresents urban problems, ignores rural and suburban ones, portrays Black and Latino users as pathological, and whites as victims” (Netherland et al, 2016).
  2. “By locating the problem within individual doctors and users, this narrative deflects attention from systemic issues that make opioid misuse more likely, such as the aggressive marketing of painkillers and a lack of access to addiction treatment” (Netherland et al, 2016).

“Despite push to legalize, War on Drugs still matters” by Tama J

Tama, J. “Despite push to legalize, War on Drugs still matters.”. Brookings, 28, Jul. 2016, https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/despite-push-to-legalize-war-on-drugs-still-matters/

The article “Despite push to legalize, War on Drugs still matters” argues that despite the growing momentum towards legalizing drugs, the War

on Drugs policy still matters in the United States. The article was published by Brookings in 2016 and provides a nuanced analysis of the War

on Drugs policy. The article highlights the negative consequences of drug use and addiction, including the impact on public health and safety.

The article argues that the War on Drugs policy was established to address these concerns, but that it has been largely ineffective in achieving

its goals.

  1. “States face the very difficult task of managing consumption levels via unique regulatory regimes that promote scarcity, while simultaneously trying to price out illicit suppliers” (Tama, 2016).
  2. “Illicit Economies are persistent, and legalized marijuana regimes may be ripe for exploitation” (Tama, 2016).

In the Eye of the Storm by Erika Friedl et al

Erika Friedl is an award winning author and the professor of anthropology at Western Michigan University. Many of her publications and contributions revolve around women and religion, specifically Islam. She and her contributors wrote the book, “In the Eye of the Storm: Women in Post-revolutionary Iran,” which highlights, as the title states, women’s lives in post-revolutionary Iran. The scope of this book takes place after 1979 and into the late 1900s, providing key factors of change to women’s lives that inadvertently decreased their social standing in many areas of life such as domestic life, life in the workforce, life in the media, etc. A significant thing to note is that the content also examines women’s protest in Iran post-revolution, and how their demands for more freedom in society have been answered to an extent. The main takeaway I want for this source to highlight in my essay is to provide post-revolutionary details, and any positive or negative outcomes. This source is also helpful as it contains information that is universal in the sense that it can be included in either my thesis or the counter-thesis to support it. 

  • 1 – “Since an Islamic society needs women in occupations such as medicine, education, and law, and since the Constitution calls on the government to facilitate and provide for the development of women, this bill would permit women to work and look after their families at the same time. Mr. Forughi believed that if women wanted fully to accept their responsibilities as described in the Quran, they should not work outside the house” (Friedl et al).
  • 2 – “On the other hand, comparison over time indicates that the situation has been improving during the decade of the Islamic Republic. The gender age gap in literacy has decreased from 23 percentage points to 19 percentage points overall, and among youths of 15 to 19 years of age it has decreased from 26 percentage points to 16 percentage points. The female proportion of the school enrollment has also increased in the last 15 years, and figures for the last five years show that the increase has continued quite steadily under the Islamic Republic” (Friedl et al).

Populism and Feminism in Iran by Haideh Moghissi

Moghissi, Haideh. Populism and Feminism in Iran. Cuny-Si.primo.exlibrisgroup, 2016

Hadieh Moghissi is an Iranian-Born sociologist, working as an Emerita Professor for York University in Toronto. She was also the founder of the Iranian National Union of Women, and had experienced the Islamic Revolution first hand. She wrote the academic journal, “Populism and Feminism in Iran,” which discusses the timeline of the women’s question in the country around the time of the revolution. The content of the journal addresses many instances of changes to law that had affected Iranian women, female counter-attacks of such laws, and analysis/explanation of them. Moghissi argues that the hindrance towards female progressiveness in Iran is attributed to the dictatorial power of the Islamic Regime. As such, the revolution had sparked many gender awareness ideas to fly around the country as women were being stripped of so much in society. This source will be important to include during the analysis and pre-analysis of my thesis as it shows the female reaction toward the revolution, as well as providing some reasoning as to why the Islamic Revolution changed women’s social life the way that they did.

  • 1 – “Both Islamist and socialist forces engaged in frequent criticism of feminists and feminist ideas. In these areas, the left contributed to the saliency and acceptance of Islamic populist themes. So male-centered were their views of social change and their definitions of democracy that they left no space for women’s democratic rights and voices” (Moghissi 2)
  • 2 – “A key factor in understanding this pattern, I will argue, is the central importance of female sexuality and sexual control in Islamic culture. It helps explain why the homogenizing forces of Islamic culture  are expressed with utmost clarity and strength in the assertion of male control and authority over women’s lives and in the uniformity of policies in the areas of women’s rights and status” (Moghissi 13).