senior seminar winter 2009 isp 4860 section 002 (bowen) class 6, february 18 course web site:

Senior Seminar Winter 2009ISP 4860

Section 002 (Bowen)

Class 6, February 18Course web site: www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/SenSemW09

2/18/09 Senior Seminar W09, Class 6 2

Agenda

• Pictures• New on course website• Late / returned / future assignments• Research: MLA Citations (repeat)• Content:

The credit crunch and the Ecosystem are both complex systems

Ecosystem services (from last week) Food / fish

• Writing Sentences and Grammar


New Course resources

• www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/SenSemW09 Using the WSU Research Databases Selected Databases (from Deborah Tucker) Under “Other sites of interest” – links to:

• Articles organized on paper topics, although some cross over topics

• Global warming forcing fish and birds to move North – may lead to further problems with feeding

• More cuts, worldwide, at GM and Chrysler• Moodle

How to upload your picture in News Forum

http://www.is.wayne.edu/drbowen/SenSemW09


Assignments Coming Up• Past: choice of topic, Paper Planner for

Chapter 1• For tonight

List of references, file via Moodle• Next Week (February 25: draft of Chapter 1

(the overview chapter, file via Moodle)• Two weeks (March 4) Drafts of Chapters 2

and 3 (status and trends, file via Moodle• Three weeks (March 11) Revised Chapter 1• Four weeks: Spring Break


Research portfolio

• Self-assessment will be repeated two more times during semester March 4 (self-assessment) April 8 (self-assessment and Instructor

assessment)


Late Assignments

• Still four people without Moodle accounts:See me ASAP! Brian Delaney Fran Jones Cardale Patterson Andra Williams

• Choice of topic - eight missing: Duwayne Best, Brian Delaney, Fran Jones,

Doris Neal, Cardale Patterson, Stan Sloane, Andra Williams, Gloria Whitfield


Late Assignments

• Chapter One Planner: nine missing Duwayne Best, Brian Delaney, Fran Jones,

Doris Neal, Gaile Patterson, Cardale Patterson, Stan Sloane, Andra Williams, Gloria Whitfield

• Only two lists of references turned in at 7:30 AM today

• Reminders: Putting work off makes it pile up Putting work off means forgetting how Part of grade is getting work in on time


So What?

• If you are more than a week behind, get help From me:

• Office hours one hour before class• Telephone, email, IM, make appointment

Research Librarians• In person, at any WSU library


Economic Crisis

• Three efforts for recovery – save the economic system Stimulus Bank rescue from toxic assets Mortgages

• People who cannot meet paymentso Large effort for these people, negotiate payments down

• People who owe more than house is wortho Not clear to me about these. Some may walk away, but

not all, but who will walk away?


Economic Crisis

• Dennis Blair, National Intelligence Director Worldwide economic crisis is largest security

threat to US• Economic chaos may lead to reordering, US is on

top so has most to loseo Many angry at us – it started in US but many other

countries (Less Developed) are suffering more• If it continues for two years or so, could lead to

violence, some against US


Economic Crisis

• If everyone spends their money the way they see fit, does the economy work well? No: John Maynard Keynes, 1183 – 1946.

Government is “the spender of last resort” and must tax/borrow and spend to kick-start the money wheel, to stimulate the economy

Yes: Milton Friedman, 1912 - 2006. Dominated recent economics. If government borrows money, that drives up interest rates, innovation slows, economy slows


Economic Crisis

• Other Questions Is stimulus too big or too small? Will stimulus spending be productive

afterwards?• What type of spending?

Nationalize the banks, or not? Is it worthwhile bailing out Detroit? Are the banks the problem, or mortgages? Trickle down or trickle up? Buy American or not?


Complex Systems

• Two very complex systems: Ecosystem World financial system

• We (humans) are not very good yet at understanding or managing such complex system Particularly when systems change rapidly We need to get better at this “Complex Systems” as a field of study


Research - Databases

• Highly-recommended databases on purple handout ABI/INFORM Global Online Communication and Mass Media Complete Ebrary (eBooks) Expanded Academic ASAP FirstSearch GaneNet LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe

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Databases

• Highly-recommended databases on purple handout Library Press Display Netlibrary (eBooks)’ Opposing Viewpoint Center SIRS Researcher on the Web (starter only)

• Textbooks are also research sources, and list other references as well

• Websites of scholarly organizations www.aaas.org, www.sciencemag.org

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Google Scholar

• Free or not? References free on public Interent Some full-text as well Much restricted to paying customers, so

doesn’t cost you to use full Google Scholar through WSU

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Research - Searching

• Case-insensitive• Yellow handout• Boolean words: and, or, not

world and hunger: articles MUST have both words in it (not necessarily together or in that order)

world hunger: same as or – can have first only, second only, or both. Not necessarily in that order

“world hunger”: treated like one word17


Searching

• Boolean words: or is done before and

• water or drought and world means water and world, or drought and water

• Not mentioned but on handout: * (wildcard) fish* would get fish, fishing, fisherman, fishery,

etc.

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Searching - keywords• For many of the topics here, adding

“world” helps world and food is more specific that food by

itself, which would include recipes, for example

Would miss specific areas, but you can add these – world or africa and food

• Try the opposite (antonym) world and drought has more articles than

world and water Also try world and “water shortage” Or world and water or drought

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Keywords

• Thesaurus lists synonyms and antonyms http://www.bartleby.com/thesauri/ (Roget’s is

the standard thesaurus)

• Suggestions for search terms

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Research – Citing the Web

• MLA standard – Everyday Writer Pp 383 Author (if listed) Title / subtitle of page Print publication information

• Any given information about print publication

Electronic publication information (. after each)• Title of website, underlined, major words capitalized• Version number• Month and year

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Research – Citing the Web

• MLA standard – Pp 383 Access information

• Most recent date viewed• URL in < >, for homepage if more than one line,

plus Path (list of links with >)

• Practice – group exercise using handout

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Content: Consumption and Waste

• Money wheel spins one way• “Stuff” spins the other way

Packaging becomes waste immediately Some stuff is not used, becomes waste quickly

(food) Everything that was in the package also

becomes waste – just more slowly

• Running out of places to put the garbage• Can we find another way to spin the wheel?


Sovereign Wealth Funds

• Another effect of US economic unbalance• Sovereign Wealth Funds – the accounts

built up by our international creditors who are not market-based China $1.95 Trillion (petroleum, now mines) Saudi Arabia Russia

• Will they use that wealth against us? Probably more subtle effects


Content: Ecosystem Services

• Ecosystem services In SOP, “Prospects for Biodiversity” E.S.: emphasize what the natural world does

for us and put a dollar value on it• Not 100% precise: do we include aesthetic values

such as beauty and relaxation, and what are they worth in $?

One estimate (link on course website) $16-54T, when world GDP was $18T

• Much of estimated value outside of markets


Ecosystem Services• One list (Ecological Society of America, Union of Concerned

Scientists): moderate weather extremes and their impacts disperse seeds mitigate drought and floods protect people from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays cycle and move nutrients protect stream and river channels and coastal shores from erosion detoxify and decompose wastes control agricultural pests maintain biodiversity generate and preserve soils and renew their fertility contribute to climate stability purify the air and water regulate disease carrying organisms pollinate crops and natural vegetation


Ecosystem Services• Another list (Science article)

Atmospheric gas regulation Climate regulation Disturbance regulation Water regulation Water supply: Storage and retention of water Erosion control and sediment retention Soil formation Nutrient cycling Waste treatment Pollination Biological regulations of populations Habitat for resident and transient populations Food production Raw materials (e.g. lumber) Genetic resources Recreation Cultural


Ecosystem Services

• Biodiversity Importance: indicates how reliable that

service is• Biodiversity is the raw material for adapting to

changes• If biodiversity decreases, extinction gets closer• Without biodiversity, cannot genetically adapt to

changes• Humans can adapt in other ways than genetic but

natural world cannot


Ecosystem Services

• Biodiversity We are in the midst of large wave of

extinctions – one of biggest ever• May be due to us• Deforestation pressures to gain farmland

o We don’t even know what most of the species are

• Fresh and saltwater overfishing, loss of diversityo Fish are adapting: stay small, propagate early

» May not be healthy in long run

• Cropland - monoculture


Ecosystem Services

State of the World 2008


EcosystemServices• Not a food chain

but a food web• Many of the links

we don’t evenknow

• Yet increasingly,we are in chargebecause we areso dominant


Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

• UN project to do a comprehensive assessment of all ecosystems Years before and after 2000 Four areas of Ecosystem Services

• Provisioning (water, food, fiber, etc.)• Regulating (air and water purification, flood control,

etc.)• Cultural (Aesthetic, spiritual, recreational, etc.)• Supporting the other three (nutrient recycling, soil

formation, etc.)


Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

• General findings that are worse than previously thought Unfamiliar ecosystems in trouble also Interactions between ecosystems Unsustainable use

• Examples: overfishing, overgrazing, overlogging (Michigan)

Gap between world rich and poor is increasing


Biodiversity• Pretty sure species are disappearing at a

high rate

• Suspicion we might be a big cause (not that we are evil, but that we are ignorant) We can adapt to change quickly, and the

species we tend to we can help But wild species take thousands of

generations (insects and pests do well!) Forests, coral reefs, wetlands all shelter the

young of many species from predation


Biodiversity

• We need to become smarter about this

• Until then we probably need to be more cautious

• Is there a risk to us? We don’t know, but maybe


Content: Food / Fish

• Fish Pp 29 - 36

• Food: (Security) Pp 108 – 110 (Security) Pp 154 - 159


Fish

• Much overfishing around the world US has relatively good control here Keep fishing allowances down so that stock is

replenished

• Countries where fish is more important in diet often overfish as population and prosperity grow Subsidies to fishermen – can make little sense “Factory” Trawlers – full processing plants


Fish

• Coastal fish more numerous but overfished

• Trend is to have to fish further from shore, deeper waters, for fish that were once rejected (Figure 3 Pg 42)


Factory Trawlers


Food

• Issue today is Food Security – we have enough food, but many people do not have a reliable supply Pests, spoilage, pilfering

• However, recent gains are stalling, food no longer rising as fast as population

• For ~ 10,000 years, farmers selected best of local crop Much more productive of food for humans

than original wild versions


Green Revolution

• 1980s “Green Revolution” Government-financed research centers for

major grains Found best rice genes from around world, put

them in one type Done for all major grains Done through normal plant breeding, just

select the breeds and put them together Came to require many resources: irrigation,

fertilizer, pesticides (monoculture)


Green Revolution GMOs

• 1980s “Green Revolution” Often too expensive for poor farmers

• Now, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Private commercial development Select genes from across species, even

between plants and animals Transfer directly, without breeding Can decrease need for resources but seed is

expensive


GMOs• Genes make proteins, so plant has

proteins from different species Can tailor crops to type of farmland, etc.

• But proteins are from foods, so known to be safe for human consumption: “Frankenfood” DB: “like chewing strawberries and hamburger

together” Still, controversial in much of developed world Because of resource savings, poor farmers

have little choice, but still expensive


Food Supply• Biggest need for more food will come from

prosperity, if this leads to “eating higher on the food chain/web.” Factory farms generate large amounts of

animal waste, can be an environmental and aesthetic hazard

• Climate Change can disrupt agriculture• HIV/AIDS disrupting populations, killing

adults• Education needed to apply modern

methods


Food and Trade Policy

• US subsidizes food exports US farmers well organized, dependent US Food aid often requires purchase of food

from US

• Local farmers in poor countries often cannot compete with these subsidized prices


World Controversy

• Modern mechanized agriculture Vs improved earlier methods, e.g. less plowing (just make a slit)

• Arguments: Ecosystem can’t take increase requirements

for water, fertilizer, pesticides, plus do not like GMOs

Earlier methods, even improved, can’t produce enough food


Sentences

• A sentence: Verb (action) Subject (did the action) Complete thought (starts with capital, period at end)

• (Y/N) Because he hit the ball.

• (Y/N) John hit the ball.


Sentences

• Is it a sentence? Consider it all by itself. (Read it out loud)

• Common sentence problem #1: Sentence fragment – something that starts

with a capital and ends with a period but is not a sentence

• Because he hit the ball. John ran to first base.• Fix by joining to main thought with a comma (,)

o Because he hit the ball, John ran to first base.


Sentences

• Is it a sentence? Consider it all by itself.• Common sentence problem #2:

Run-on sentence – two or more sentences written as one

• John hit the ball he ran to first base.• Fix by breaking into two sentences

o John hit the ball. He ran to first base.

• Or by joining with semicolon (;) to show causalityo John hit the ball; he ran to first base


Number (singular/plural)

• Both subject and verb have number If these are not the same, signals conflict

• Members join the club• A member joins the club• “One s”

• Without a reason, do not change number from sentence to sentence (Bad) People should take care of their health.

You should take your vitamins.


Tense (past, present, future)

• Without a reason, do not change tense from sentence to sentence

Citations• “Scientific investigation is not, as many

people seem to suppose, some kind of modern black art.” (Huxley, 1)

• Cite the source even if you are paraphrasing


Punctuation

• Apostrophe (‘) Possession (‘s or s’)

• Some words inherently possessive, no ‘ (e.g. theirs)

Never for pluralization Contraction (don’t use contractions in the essay)

• “Should of gone” incorrect, from “Should’ve” for “Should have”

• Lists Separate list items with commas (last one is optional) If any list has a comma inside, separate items with

semicolon


Wrong Word

• Some words are commonly confused – memorize or use list or dictionary its Vs it’s whose Vs who’s their Vs there too Vs to accept Vs except Many, many more – see Online Writing

Tutor


Applying This

• Groups (earlier groups OK)• Get a set of cards, go off together• DO NOT WRITE ON CARDS (please)• Make choices, decide why that is the right

choice• Turn in group report:

Names Choices Explanations

senior seminar winter 2009 isp 4860 section 002 (bowen) class 6, february 18 course web site:

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