Presentation Pro 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc. C H A P T E R 8 Mass Media and Public Opinion.
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Moratorium on Offshore Drilling Must be Extended Mirador 8 Opinion 10/1/10 by Sophia Bollag The six-month moratorium on offshore oil drilling, scheduled to end by Nov. 30 at the latest, must be prolonged in order to protect the environment from further destruction. Less than a month after President Obama announced his plan to promote offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of some southeastern states, the April 20 BP oil spill in the Gulf prompted the administration to place a six-month moratorium on offshore drilling. Although the temporary moratorium’s proposed time limit is almost up, legislators have made no concrete decisions regarding the faulty safety standards governing offshore drilling. These issues must be addressed before the current moratorium can be lifted because neither the environment nor the economy can stand another oil- related disaster on the magnitude of the BP spill. The primitive tactics BP used while attempting to fix the leaking rig, the Deepwater Horizon, are downright terrifying. Technologically crude solutions, such as plugging the leak with debris, and cleaning up the oil using hay, dog hair and pantyhose, were suggested and employed in earnest. This was a rude awakening for American citizens who were under the impression that engineering in a first-world country such as our own would be capable of combating problems like the spill with relative ease. The bottom line is that technology is not advanced enough to allow us to fix technical problems which occur miles under the ocean. The leak itself, which took four months to fix, is testament to this fact, as is the inadequate clean-up of the oil. Although the oil appears to have mostly disappeared from the surface, due mainly to the 1.8 million gallons of dispersant BP dumped in the water, studies suggest that the clean-up is far from over and, at this point, potentially impossible. New research is emerging that indicates the microbes designated to “disperse” the oil have actually just broken it down into small droplets, thus allowing them to sink to the bottom of the Gulf. Samantha Joye, a professor in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia, has been studying the environmental impact of the spill for a month by examining sample results from the ocean floor. In some places, she and her team have found up to two inches of oil on top of the silt which makes up the sea floor. “I’ve collected literally hundreds of sediment cores from the Gulf of Mexico… And I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said in an interview with NPR on Sept. 10. Not only has the spill caused the worst environmental catastrophe in human history, but it has also decimated the fishing industry in the states ringing the Gulf. Prior oil spills have demonstrated that once the water in a region is contaminated, it takes a very long time for the fishing industry to bounce back. For example, the fishing industry in Alaska’s Prince William Sound still has not completely recovered from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, which is dwarfed in comparison to the BP spill. The current standards, which were in place at the time of the BP disaster, are clearly inadequate. It is both environmentally and economically irresponsible to drill for oil so far underwater that we do not have the appropriate technology to fix problems which might arise. A presidential committee has been commissioned to address the problems created by the oil spill and to assess the flaws in the policies regarding offshore drilling. However, they have come to few definite conclusions as to how these regulations should be improved to prevent spills in the future. At this point, with clearly insufficient safety regulations in place and only primitive technology, there is no safe way for the U.S. to continue offshore oil drilling. “16 and Pregnant” Illuminates Reality by Hannah Tennant “But that’s all about to change, because I’m pregnant.” These words signal the ringing in of a new episode of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant. This reality show details the lives of selected pregnant teenagers. Each teenage girl tells her story while a camera crew follows her journey through the beginning stages of motherhood. While all reality television is, by its nature, disgusting and exploitative, 16 and Pregnant manages to bring real issues into the show, instead of following the lives of party-goers on the Jersey Shore. The issues that Lauren Conrad faces, while seemingly of vast importance, are particular only to her and her Hills posse. 16 and Pregnant, however, brings to life problems that could become a reality to any number of teenagers. According to Livestrong, one third of girls will become pregnant before they reach 20. And unlike many tales of teenage pregnancy in the media, 16 and Pregnant doesn’t glamorize the issue. Gilmore Girls, which chronicled the lives of a quintessential mother-daughter pair, was based upon the mother becoming pregnant at 16 and having to make it on her own. Mother and daughter were welcomed into a tight-knit New England town, had minimal financial troubles, and they developed a beautiful, heart- warming relationship. The life they led seemed desirable. And in 2007, Juno hit the screens. We all laughed as Ellen Page chatted away on her hamburger phone, describing her unplanned pregnancy to her friend. Quirky as ever, she circled ads in the paper, searching for parents for her upcoming child, and explained to her offbeat family that she was in trouble. While slightly disappointed, they accepted the situation and supported Juno throughout. The main conflict in Juno revolved not around Juno or her family, but around the two prospective adoptive parents. But once all was said and done, everyone kissed and made up. The movie closed with glamorous Jennifer Garner cradling the beautiful newborn as Michael Cera and Ellen Page serenaded each other with their acoustic guitars. Perfect. By contrast, the lives of the teenagers on 16 and Pregnant aren’t as charmed and are definitely more realistic. Many of the girls live in broken homes, where their parents have either walked out on them, are divorced, or are involved with new significant others and have put their children at the bottom of their priority list. And instead of having loyal Michael Cera as their boyfriend, many of these girls are involved with boys who are wholly unprepared for fatherhood. 16 and Pregnant seems to be geared towards education as much as entertainment. At some point during the episode, the pregnant girl discusses the manner in which she got pregnant and exactly which contraceptives weren’t used. Furthermore, during commercial breaks, public service announcements are placed sporadically, with messages like “Teen pregnancy is 100% preventable.” Each episode concludes with a weary-eyed girl, having not slept in many days because of her wailing baby, describing her regrets to the camera. The show is able to convey the strain that the pregnancy is having on these girls’ lives. Often, the camera crew is inside the delivery room, and documents the immense pain that the girls experience. It shows the screaming matches that these girls get into with their families and boyfriends, and the problems the girls face when it comes to finishing their education. And recently, MTV introduced a spin off of 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom. This reality show selected four girls who were originally on 16 and Pregnant and follows their lives. Teen Mom portrays the burden of unexpected motherhood. At first, shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom seem to be a cheap attempt at bad natured entertainment. But upon closer inspection, these shows are providing a very real look into a future best avoided. As one 16-year- old mother remarked, “My mom was a teen mom and she told me how hard it was going to be; I wished I would’ve listened. This is not how my life was supposed to be.” MTV’s reality show provides a glimpse into the difficult lives of today’s pregnant teenagers Testing of the new capping system at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was halted on Thursday, July 15, 2010, when a leak- ing valve had to be replaced. So production of oil from the Q4000, flaring at right, went back into effect at sunrise over the site. Photo: C.Cole/MCT Graphic: M. Fischer
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by Hannah Tennant by Sophia Bollag up. The movie closed with glamorous Jennifer Garner cradling the beautiful newborn as Michael Cera and Ellen Page serenaded each other with their acoustic guitars. Perfect. By contrast, the lives of the teenagers on 16 and Pregnant aren’t as charmed and are definitely more realistic. Many of the girls live in broken homes, where their parents have either walked out on them, are divorced, or are involved Photo: C.Cole/MCT Graphic: M. Fischer
Transcript of p. 8 opinion
Moratorium on Offshore Drilling Must be Extended
Mirador8 Opinion 10/1/10
by Sophia Bollag
The six-month moratorium on offshore oil drilling, scheduled to end by Nov. 30 at the latest, must be prolonged in order to protect the environment from further destruction.
Less than a month after President Obama announced his plan to promote offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of some southeastern states, the April 20 BP oil spill in the Gulf prompted the administration to place a six-month moratorium on offshore drilling. Although the temporary moratorium’s proposed time limit is almost up, legislators have made no concrete decisions regarding the faulty safety standards governing offshore drilling. These issues must be addressed before the current moratorium can be lifted because neither the environment nor the economy can stand another oil-related disaster on the magnitude of the BP spill.
The primitive tactics BP used while attempting to fix the leaking rig, the Deepwater Horizon, are downright terrifying. Technologically crude solutions, such as plugging the leak with debris, and cleaning up the oil using hay, dog hair and pantyhose, were suggested and employed in earnest. This was a rude awakening for American citizens who were under the impression that engineering in a first-world country such as our own would be capable of combating problems like the spill with relative ease.
The bottom line is that technology is not advanced
enough to allow us to fix technical problems which occur miles under the ocean. The leak itself, which took four months to fix, is testament to this fact, as is the inadequate clean-up of the oil. Although the oil appears to have mostly disappeared from the surface, due mainly to the 1.8 million gallons of dispersant BP dumped in the water, studies suggest that the clean-up is far from over and, at this point, potentially impossible. New research is emerging that indicates the microbes designated to “disperse” the oil have actually just broken it down into small droplets, thus
allowing them to sink to the bottom of the Gulf.Samantha Joye, a professor in the Department
of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia, has been studying the environmental impact of the spill for a month by examining sample results from the ocean floor. In some places, she and her team have found up to two inches of oil on top of the silt which makes up the sea floor. “I’ve collected literally hundreds of sediment cores from the Gulf of Mexico… And I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said in an interview with NPR on Sept. 10.
Not only has the spill caused the worst environmental catastrophe in human history, but it has also decimated the fishing industry in the states ringing the Gulf. Prior oil spills have demonstrated that once the water in a region is contaminated, it takes a very long time for the fishing industry to bounce back. For example, the fishing industry in Alaska’s Prince William Sound still has not completely recovered from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, which is dwarfed in comparison to the BP spill.
The current standards, which were in place at the time of the BP disaster, are clearly inadequate. It is both environmentally and economically irresponsible
to drill for oil so far underwater that we do not have the appropriate technology to fix problems which might arise. A presidential committee has been commissioned to address the problems created by the oil spill and to assess the flaws in the policies regarding offshore drilling. However, they have come to few definite conclusions as to how these regulations should be improved to prevent spills in the future. At this point, with clearly insufficient safety regulations in place and only primitive technology, there is no safe way for the U.S. to continue offshore oil drilling.
“16 and Pregnant” Illuminates Realityby Hannah Tennant
“But that’s all about to change, because I’m pregnant.” These words signal the ringing in of a new episode of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant. This reality show details the lives of selected pregnant teenagers. Each teenage girl tells her story while a camera crew follows her journey through the beginning stages of motherhood. While all reality television is, by its nature, disgusting and exploitative, 16 and Pregnant manages to bring real issues into the show, instead of following the lives of party-goers on the Jersey Shore. The issues that Lauren Conrad faces, while seemingly of vast importance, are particular only to her and her Hills posse. 16 and Pregnant, however, brings to life problems that could become a reality to any number of teenagers. According to Livestrong, one third of girls will become pregnant before they reach 20. And unlike many tales of teenage pregnancy in the media, 16 and Pregnant doesn’t glamorize the issue. Gilmore Girls, which chronicled the lives of a quintessential mother-daughter pair, was based upon the mother becoming pregnant at 16 and having to make it on her own. Mother and daughter were welcomed into a tight-knit New England town, had minimal financial troubles, and they developed a beautiful, heart-warming relationship. The life they led seemed desirable.
And in 2007, Juno hit the screens. We all laughed as Ellen Page chatted away on her hamburger phone, describing her unplanned pregnancy to her friend. Quirky as ever, she circled ads in the paper, searching for parents for her upcoming child, and explained to her offbeat family that she was in trouble. While slightly disappointed, they accepted the situation and supported Juno throughout. The main conflict in Juno revolved not around Juno or her family, but around the two prospective adoptive parents. But once all was said and done, everyone kissed and made
up. The movie closed with glamorous Jennifer Garner cradling the beautiful newborn as Michael Cera and Ellen Page serenaded each other with their acoustic guitars. Perfect. By contrast, the lives of the teenagers on 16 and Pregnant aren’t as charmed and are definitely more realistic. Many of the girls live in broken homes, where their parents have either walked out on them, are divorced, or are involved
with new significant others and have put their children at the bottom of their priority list. And instead of having loyal Michael Cera as their boyfriend, many of these girls are involved with boys who are wholly unprepared for fatherhood. 16 and Pregnant seems to be geared towards education as much as entertainment. At some point during the episode, the pregnant girl discusses the manner in which she got pregnant and exactly which contraceptives weren’t used. Furthermore, during commercial breaks, public service announcements are placed sporadically, with messages like “Teen pregnancy is 100% preventable.” Each episode concludes with a weary-eyed girl, having not slept in many days because of her wailing baby, describing her regrets to the camera.
The show is able to convey the strain that the pregnancy is having on these girls’ lives. Often, the camera crew is inside the delivery room, and documents the immense pain that the girls experience. It shows the screaming matches that these girls get into with their families and boyfriends, and the problems the girls face when it comes to finishing their education. And recently, MTV introduced a spin off of 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom. This reality show selected four girls who were originally on 16 and Pregnant and follows their lives. Teen Mom portrays the
burden of unexpected motherhood.At first, shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom
seem to be a cheap attempt at bad natured entertainment. But upon closer inspection, these shows are providing a very real look into a future best avoided. As one 16-year-old mother remarked, “My mom was a teen mom and she told me how hard it was going to be; I wished I would’ve listened. This is not how my life was supposed to be.”
MTV’s reality show provides a glimpse into the difficult lives of today’s pregnant teenagers
Testing of the new capping system at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was halted on Thursday, July 15, 2010, when a leak-ing valve had to be replaced. So production of oil from the Q4000, flaring at right, went back into effect at sunrise over the site.
Photo: C.Cole/MCT
Graphic: M. Fischer
