Robert Romano

10/24/16

Intd: Science Writing

Approximately 200 words

The Clan of One Breasted Women

The family of Terry Tempest Williams was severely crippled by the devastating disease of breast cancer and Williams did not know why breast cancer was killing her family. The government was testing nuclear bombs near her town and the radiation was having devastating effects on the town. Eventually, a lawsuit was filed against the government, but the government pleaded for “sovereign immunity,” which meant that the king can do no wrong. Williams was raised as a Mormon and a big law in her family was to not ask questions or “not to rock the boat.” Finally, after William’s father had confirmed that a flash of light that Williams had saw was a bomb being tested, she knew it was time to speak up. She did this by writing a book, The Refuge, and in March 1988 she crossed the Nevada Test Site line and entered the town of Mercury.

I can relate to the experiences of Williams because I witnessed a couple of my family members pass away from the disastrous effects of smoking cigarettes. I can relate to her because when my family members smoked, cigarettes were not yet known to the public as harmful carcinogens.

   Erik Buckingham                                                    approximately  200 words

SUNY Genseoo

INTD 105: Science Writing

ekb7@geneseo.edu

“Thoughts on ‘Land Divided, Coast United'”

By: Erik Buckingham

In “Land Divided, Coast United”, Josie Glausiusz describes the harsh conditions of those living in Gaza, an area facing a water and sewage crisis. She explains how Israel and Hama have been clash repeatedly over the water utility in Gaza.  Both Hama and Israel share the Gaza strip and the 90,000 cubic meters of raw or partially treated sewage, which is eventually emptied out into the Mediterranean Sea, affecting beaches that children play on (Glausiusz, 2).

Both countries are struggling to resolve these issues because of a blockade by Israeli forces, which prevents not only war materials but also water sanitation materials from being transported to Hama. Fortunately, an organization called Eco Peace has brought together environmental activists from Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories to work together to bring clean water to the Gaza strip.

I think that Eco Peace is an example as to how everyday people from differing countries can come together to rise above a government that is stubborn and uncompromising. This company is focusing on the people affecting by dirty water, who are being affecting by worms and protozoa, instead of focusing on the grudge that the Israeli government has with Hama.

Jason Gerbsch                                                             Approximately 200 words

jg33@geneseo.edu

INTD 105: Science Writing

The main topic of the article concerns the crisis Palestine is encountering involving water and sewage.  Waste treatment in Gaza City was designed to treat up to 40,000 cubic meters of sewage per day.  However, the actual amount produced exceeds that, measuring about 150,000 cubic meters of sewage.  The only solution has been to dump the excess into the Mediterranean Sea.  In doing so, the largest supply of water is threatened, not only for Palestine, but for Israel as well.  Palestine has the potential means of solving this problem, but the materials required to do so have been withheld by Israel after a tunnel was discovered built by Hamas to infiltrate the country.

After reading the article, I understand Israel’s fears of giving Palestine materials that could serve a dual purpose of war and peace construction, but I feel that Israel should set aside this rather staunch stance in favor of one that could benefit millions of people.  By providing the necessary materials and the extra electricity required, Israel could improve the lives of millions of Palestinians, safeguard the future of both Palestine’s and Israel’s main water supply, and possibly improve Palestinian-Israeli relations through such a humanitarian action.

Paul Weissfellner

Dr. Fenn

INTF 105-19: Science Writing

October 26, 2016

Land Divided, Coast United

In her article “Land Divided, Coast United,” Josie Glausiusz gives the reader a brief introduction to Gaza’s water and sewage crisis. She focuses on the struggles faced by the individuals responsible for maintaining the water and sewage treatment systems while also providing background about how the situation reached where it is today and factors that prevent it from improving. A blockade by Israeli forces prevents many materials, including those needed to repair and improve infrastructure and to treat sewage, from entering the Gaza strip because they could also be used by terrorists to launch attacks against Israel. One thing that really spoke to me was her repeated calls for cooperation between Israel and Gaza to fix these issues. Israel, historically, has been a global leader in purifying water and making it usable. For 5 months, I lived in a small community in the middle of the desert, about 50 km from the Gaza border, and saw the results of Israeli irrigation and water purification techniques: grass, trees, and acres of olive orchards, all irrigated by brackish water drawn from beneath the ground. Israeli-Gazan cooperation with regards to water would be a powerful thing, able to provide access to cleaner water and a higher standard of living to hundreds of thousands of people.

Logan Steffens                                                                                                165 words

Lts6@geneseo.edu

10-26-16

INTD:105-19

Throughout “Land Divided, Coast United” written by Josie Glausiusz she addresses the issue of pollution throughout the middle east specifically the part close to the Mediterranean Sea. There has been a lot of conflict in this region between the Hamas and Israeli forces leading to 50 days in which they bombarded each other leading to more than 2,000 deaths in Gaza and Israel. Because of the conflict so much sewage has been dumped into the Mediterranean Sea that it could fill 36 Olympic sized swimming pools every day. This sewage has even affected the fresh water supply in this region. In Gaza “about 72 percent of the population is serviced by a poorly maintained sewage system” which has led to widespread waterborne infections, so much so that 26 percent of all illnesses in Gaza are water associated illnesses. This problem is similar to how the Unites States tested nuclear bombs in the past in Nevada affecting families in Utah written about by Terry Tempest Williams.

Racheal Devine                                                 about 150 words

INTD: Science Writing

rmd20@geneseo.edu

Land Divided, Once United

In “Land Divided, Coast United” by Josie Glausiusz from Hakai Magazine, she explains the issue of waste and clean water in Gaza and the issues between Gaza and Israel. She makes the point that there is over 36 olympic swimming pools dumped of sewage dumped into the Mediterranean Sea every day. This makes an increase in organic matter in the sea and could be very harmful to marine life. But the main point of this essay was that if Israel and Gaza shared their knowledge instead of preventing one place to function and make sewage plants and water plants then they would both make a lot of progress. I don’t relate to this very much but I do know it is happening in the world and even near us. This also makes me think why Israel won’t help Gaza with starting up the plant, if they have people monitor where the materials go then there would be no threat they were doing anything else with them.

In Josie Glausiusz article, “Land Divided, Coast United,” she talks about the problems that the Gaza and Israel people face due to their conflicts between each other. The drinking water of the two countries is at risk of pollution after the dumping of a lot of human waste. Also, there is electricity shortages. This is a result of the war between the two countries. To resolve these vital issues, it is important for the two countries to work together so that the people can meet their basic needs to live a healthy life. This situation is similar to when people were using fertilizer that was seeping into a nearby lake which polluted the water and killed a majority of the fish. However, unlike Gaza and Israel, the community worked together to switch the kind of fertilizer they used that had the least impact on the ecosystem surrounding the lake.

Matt Klein                                                            approximately 250 words

mgk6@geneseo.edu

INTD 105-19: Science Writing

“Land Divided, Coast United” Response

By Matt Klein

            In her article “Land Divided, Coast United,” Josie Glausiusz demonstrates how political tension can blind national leaders from the needs of the people. Due to the conflict between Israel and the Islamic organization Hamas that controls the Gaza Strip, Gaza is unable to obtain the resources it needs to maintain a clean water supply. As a result, “over 90,000 cubic meters of raw or partially treated sewage [is dumped] into the Mediterranean Sea every day.” This leads to serious problems as the sewage pollutes beaches and the water supply, leading to disease. The sewage is also wasted because it is too saline for agriculture. Though Gaza is working with outside organizations such as EcoPeace, Israel refuses to cooperate, denying Gaza the proper equipment because it could also be used for military purposes. Those struggling with the water problem argue that Israel should look past the political situation and realize that, since they share the same coast, what is good for one country is good for the other.

Although there is no major political conflict in the United States, the issue of pollution control is similar to Gaza’s water issue. US manufacturers produce lots of waste in the form of chemicals and greenhouse gases that need to be disposed of properly. If the government allows these businesses to have their way, there is a much larger chance of global warming effects and damage to the environment. Our government does work to prevent this, though, in the form of controlling how much waste factories produce and how it must be disposed of.

Alec Toufexis

agt9@geneseo.edu

INTD105-19

It is evident in this article that even though two countries are in conflict they need to come together in attempts to meet their basic needs. As a result of war, water treatment plants have been destroyed and a large amount of human waste is being dumped into river beds that, with the rains, will ultimately end up polluting ground water and and seeping into the ocean. It is a shame that Gaza and Israel haven’t been able to work together on the issue but hopefully in the future they will realize that their collaboration could eventually be in the best interest of both parties. This situation is similar to that of a park near by my house. There is a significant amount of pollution in it and there seems to be no action to clean it up or stop the act all together. The community needs to act together in order to resolve the problem.

Emma Cooke                                                                 Approximately 150 words

erc8@geneseo.edu

INTD 105 Science Writing

“Land Divided, Coast United”

            In this piece on the state of water and sewage management in Gaza, Josie Glausiusz discusses the specifics of the problems face by the people of Gaza and the involvement of the Israelis. According to Glausiusz the biggest issue Gaza faces presently is Israel’s refusal to provide additional electricity for an already constructed water treatment plant. Despite funding from the World Bank and assistance from other international organizations, the main problem in Gaza is Israel’s refusal to assist. However, the current state of Gazan water, where “today, about 72 percent of the population [of Gaza] is serviced by a poorly maintained sewage system” (Glausiusz 6) and “[the dumping of sewage into the Mediterranean] can pose a risk to not only humans via recreational water use but also to marine mammals” (Glausiusz 7) suggests to me that this is an international crisis. While I have never seen such devastating pollution in my area, I do live on the coast of Lake Ontario where the condition of the beaches and the lake itself have deteriorated for years.