Extra Credit 3: "Is Wal-Mart Good For America?" (1 hour)

Brendan Forte

Extra Credit

                                                   Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

Summary

            In this documentary, Frontline talks about the relationship between United States job losses and the average American’s desire for low prices. They explore Wal-Mart’s way of doing business and how it has changed the economy. There are many controversies about the influences of Wal-Mart on the United States. Several questions are asked in this documentary such as, “How are prices so low? How do they keep track of it all? How do they know what to stock?” Frontline tries to answer these questions so they can answer the most important question; “Is Wal-Mart good for America?”

Body

            Wal-Mart is known for its main focus, which is low-prices. Low prices make many people happy and it attracts more costumers but the way they get these prices may be bad for America. Wal-Mart has about 6,000 global suppliers, and about 80 percent of them are based in China. A man named Gary Gereffi said, "China is the largest exporter to the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart is the leading retailer in the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart and China are a joint venture." Why China? Employees in China are willing to work for very low wages. They work for a about a salary of only 50 cents and hour which adds up to about $100 a month. This makes it possible to import products for a very cheap price, and then sell for a cheap price while still making profit. Although purchasing products for low prices is good, it also has negatives effects. It makes it hard for workers to make a decent salary. This is why people debate if Wal-Mart is good or bad for America.

Geography

            This documentary talks about Wal-Mart in America. The stores are in America but they get a majority of their products from China. China is a big emerging market for American exports. Twenty years ago, there were rice fields where all of the factories in China are today. People flooded into China looking for work. Along the highways there are factories ready to give people work. These factories export billions of dollars of goods to America.

Demography

            Chen Jen, South China is sophisticated city of about 7 million people. This is a location where many factories are located. Many young Chinese people flooded into the industrial area that was no bigger than Missouri. There were about 40 million migrant workers that came to these factories for work. The factories export goods to Wal-Mart’s in America. The low prices affect a large population of Americans, some being good affects and some bad.

Economics

            Wal-Mart estimates that it imports about $15 billion of Chinese products and maybe way more. They say that they are growing in sales so that number can continue to increase. “Wal-Mart is providing a gateway into the American economy for oversea suppliers in China and elsewhere and there doing it on a scale that is unprecedented” says Professor Gary Gereffi. In Long Beach, California, there is about $36 billion dollars, worth of consumer goods imported. There is about $3 billion dollars worth of raw materials exported. When that is added up, America makes about a $120 billion trade deficit with China. We have a trade partnership with China that benefits us because Americans have the incomes needed to buy Chinese products but the Chinese do not have incomes to buy American products. A number of jobs have been lost due to Chinese competition and in some places jobs are created because of Chinese competition. The low prices help American consumers save money on some products so they can buy more, which brings more business to other places and creates more job opportunities. The problem with Wal-Mart in America is that since it sells products for a cheap price, they do not pay their employee’s a good salary. There are many pros and cons of Wal-Mart on the American economy and this is a huge factor of controversy.

Culture

            Wal-Mart affects many different people such as blue-collar workers, and low to middle income families who are struggling to make a decent living. It also affects Chinese factory workers who struggle with unfair working conditions, long hours, and low wages. On the positive side, owners of these factories and stores are making good money and it can also help low to middle income class people because they can purchase cheap products.

Conclusion

             I have learned a lot from this documentary. There are many positive and negative effects of Wal-Mart on America and I now see where the controversy comes from. Some people may benefit from the cheap prices of the products but for the same reason, some struggle. 

Bibliography

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/view/

Extra Credit 2: "The Meth Epidemic" (1 hour)

 Brendan Forte

The Meth Epidemic

Summary

Have you ever heard the terms “speed, meth, or glass”? All of these terms are referring to the drug methamphetamine. This drug started along the West Coast in the 1970s by motorcycle gangs. Since then, it has spread all across the United States. It has become extremely dangerous, and destructive. In this documentary, The Meth Epidemic, the meth rampage in America is investigated. Frontline shows the effects, impact, difficulties and troubles that make the drug so dangerous.

Body

“The Meth Epidemic” explains the potential solutions to stopping the problems with methamphetamine. There are so many problems that come from the deadly drug and there are two specific things that have been tried to stop the crisis. The first thing attempted was to limit the sale of epherdrine, and pseudophedrine, which are two drugs found in cold medicines. The way they limit the sale is to have customers register at the counter, which limits the amount they could purchase in a period of time. This wasn’t successful because the White house and Congress exempted cold medication from the regulatory proposals.

The second attempt made was to regulate the attempt of the source of ingredients. The chemicals pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, sophisticated chemicals and can only be produced in only a handful of big legal laboratories, which makes it easy to track. In 1994, a customs agent discovered a large shipment of ephedrine on a plane traveling from India to Mexico. Over 18 months, there was enough of the chemical to produce 2 billion hits of meth.

Geography

            Methamphetamine started along the West Coast in California and Oregon but had quickly moved to the Midwest. The drug continued to move across the United States and eventually it reached the East Coast.  Originally, meth labs were only found in the west, but now they can even be found in the east coast from Maine to Florida. Although methamphetamine was once only affecting a small part of the United States, it is now affecting the country as a whole.

Economics

            Economic factors are a huge part of the meth epidemic. Everyone wants money. People make the dangerous drug and sell it to make a profit. It starts with one person and then more and more people start to get large amounts of it and sell to make money. People also need money to buy the supplies to make the drug. They go to stores and purchase all of the ingredients necessary.

Politics

            The government has made laws to try to stop the use of meth. They called for international control on epherdrine, and pseudophedrine to try to slow down the rate of methamphetamine being made. Unfortunately, this did not work. Their second attempt was to regulate the source of the drug. Since only a few amount of labs can make these highly sophisticated drugs,  they tried to limit the production but that too, was unsuccessful. The government cannot do much because people find ways to make the drugs illegally anyway.

Culture & Demography

            In our American culture, we are taught that drugs are illegal, and not right. Many people do not care what others say. The drug has spread across the United States and there is a large diverse population of daily users. People decide to try the drug once, and then they get addicted to the high. This documentary is a warning to show the negative affects it can have on an individual, or family. Regardless of what others think, death is still a consequence, and the danger of the drug is extreme.  

Conclusion

This documentary made it very clear that methamphetamine can do so many terrible things to people. It started as a small drug that only few people used on the West coast, but now it has spread across the United States, and many people suffer from the drug addiction. There have been attempts to limit the use of meth but they have not been very successful. In all, I have learned a lot about the meth epidemic and I hope that eventually there is a way to stop the large population of meth use.

Bibliography

Frontline, The Meth Epidemic. N.p., 2012. Web. Aired 17 May, 2011

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/

Extra Credit 1: "The Real CSI" (1 hour)

Brendan Forte

The Real CSI

Summary

            Forensic science is not what it looks like on television. This episode of “The Real CSI” on PBS goes into detail about real forensic science cases. It shows courtroom presentations, and goes behind the scenes in real situations involving Crime Scene Investigation. Two examples talked about are the Casey Anthony case, and the investigation of a Madrid terrorist bombing.

            Many people are interviewed throughout this documentary as well. Some are even individuals who have made convictions of innocent people accidentally due to wrong analyzing of evidence. Have you ever heard people say “No two people have the same fingerprint”? In this documentary you see how that can go wrong and the reasons why it may not be scientifically proven. Evidence in crime scenes, are analyzed very carefully and if it is not used properly, murderers can be left on the streets. This is “The Real CSI”.

Body

            The documentary started off with a case involving a terrorist bombing in Madrid. There was a bomb set off in a subway that killed thousands. The Madrid CSI found fingerprints on a bag of detonators that were looked at carefully. Many forensic scientists agreed that the fingerprints belonged to a man named Brandon Mayfield who served in the military. Days after being arrested, and convicted of committing this crime, Brandon was told that they found the real man who did it. The scientists who looked at the fingerprints were wrong. Although there were sixteen matching points, the fingerprints belonged to a different man. The partial fingerprints found were not enough evidence, and an innocent man could have been put in jail for something he did not do.

            In the trial of Casey Anthony, there was a different situation. Thirty-one days after her 3 year-old baby went “missing”, she contacted the police. There was plenty of evidence found, but no witnesses. Was she the killer of her own child? Many trials were held to decide if she was guilty or not. There were many investigators who say she was clearly guilty from many pieces of evidence found. In the end, she was proven not guilty. Recently, I learned that the Florida county FBI overlooked evidence that showed on the day she claimed to leave, someone in her home searched “fool-proof suffocation”. Due to double jeopardy she cannot be re-tried, but does this change the mind of the people who proved her not guilty? I think it does.

Geography

            With CSI, geography can be important in certain cases. These are two examples, but crimes occur so often, and location and areas are an important factor used with evidence. Brandon Mayfield lived in Washington County, Oregon. In 2004 he was convicted of the Madrid train bombings. The bombings occurred in Spain in the city of Madrid. Casey Anthony lived in Orlando, Florida. The missing babies remains were found near her home on the edge of Anthony’s neighborhood about 10 miles southeast of downtown Orlando.

Demography

            Crime scene investigation takes many things into account. Populations of areas and the people living in a certain area can be important information when analyzing data. An example of this was when a man presented the same exact fingerprints to the person who claimed Brandon Mayfield was guilty. Only this time, he changed the back round information of the case. In four out of five times, the person analyzing them said they did not match. Before the back round information as changed, they said they were 100% right about the match of the prints. This shows that other information about the people being looked at, may influence the decision of some scientists.

Economics

            Economics was not directly talked about in this documentary, but it is still very important in forensics. For example, the economic status of a person may determine how good of lawyer they may get. Also, more money can help forensic teams do more research. More research can lead to more accurate results.

Culture

            Culture, or beliefs have a great impact on people. In our culture, there are many T.V. shows that people watch that show forensic science cases to be solved within a day or two. We make CSI look more quick and easier that what it really is. Realistically, it is humans putting together evidence to see if they can match the person to the crime and mistakes may occur.

Politics

 Although it is not mentioned a lot in the documentary, politics can influence CSI. For example, criminal prosecution may vary based on where the crime took place. In the United States, there are laws that keep our nation in control. When someone violates a law, agencies such as crime scene investigators are called in to find out who did it, what they did, and how they should be punished. Different governments have different laws based on what the crime was and what the punishment should be. Also, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is a government agency that receives an annual budget of about $8 billion to protect the nation from attacks, political corruption, white collar crime, organized crime, cyber crime and more. In all, politics does have a large role when crimes occur because Federal agencies are used to find, and punish the criminal and keep them off the streets. 

My Opinion

            This documentary was very good. I am interested in the forensic science field. I believe it was amazing when people are caught based off of evidence found and analyzed. I also love shows that include this topic such as CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Bones etc. I liked how in this episode, it explained behind the scenes of what forensics is all about, and mistakes that can go wrong. I learned from this, and I think more people should be aware of it.

Bibliography

Frontline, The real csi. N.p., 2012. Web. Aired 17 April, 2012.  <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/real-csi/>.

Blog 1: Surviving The Dust Bowl

Brendan Forte

Blog 1: Surviving The Dust Bowl

Summary

            Beginning in the 1930s there was a period of drought causing severe dust storms that lead to death of crops, animals, and even people. This period was known as the Dust Bowl. It began when thousands of settlers, looking for a new prosperous start settled in the southern plains to harvest wheat on virgin land. States and railroad companies  lured people in, hoping to start something great. Every inch of the southern plains was being turned into profit from crops of wheat. Farmers went from horses to tractors, plowing about fifty acres of land a day. Over 100 million acres of empty plains were turned into wheat farms with no concern that anything bad might happen. Greed was the driving force and that was the beginning of the Dust Bowl.

Geography

The southern plains in Texas, Oklahoma, and some parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas started as rich green fields. When settlers moved in, they took it over making it farmland filled with grains. Thousands of people moved into the area with the same plan. Eventually 100 million acres of green plains were turned into wheat filled crops. A lot of that land should not have been touched. What the farmers failed to realize is that you can only remove so much topsoil before the land is made barren. It was not a natural cycle for so many millions of acres to have soil and grass removed. The effects on the land were devastating.

In 1931, the rain stopped. Drought set in causing the wheat to wither upon the naked and vulnerable land. Winds blew continuously, drying out the fields and blowing layers and layers of heavy, dirty dust everywhere. On April 14^th 1935, the skies turned black, and there was silence. Seconds later there were clouds covering the southern plains like no one has ever seen. Nothing was left on the farmlands turning it virtually into waste. It took over one thousand years to build up one inch of soil, and it took one day to blow it all away. That day was eternally named, “Black  Sunday”.

Demography

            When word got out that the southern region would be a great area for success, the population increased significantly. It went from about 800,000 in 1880 to about 5.6 million in 1930. The farmers got off to a good start with their new land. Although the 1920s Great Depression was just ending, they learned to make a living with the farmlands that they created.  Everyone was looking for the next great adventure to make money and the Great Plains seemed to have the answer. People in the Great Plains were not suffering from the depression because in the beginning  of the 1930’s, the crops were fruitful and money was being made. The influx of population was tremendous to the area .  The people who came to farm provided a reason for the area to be built up with other jobs in mercantile and banking . The crops and the profit justified the growth of towns and businesses. But then the dust came and everything changed.

            The farmers stayed as long as they could. Some declared defeat before others.

Due to the continuing tragedy of the dust, cows were bought by the government and slaughtered because farmers couldn’t feed them. Food was scarce and starvation was a real concern. Many were resolved to stay no matter what. In fact, a man named John McCarty, who was the editor of a Texan newspapers assured people the rain would come again and one week after Black Sunday, created the “Last Man Standing Club.” It was started to build up the courage of the farmers and make them want to stay on the land . They even had a pledge that they repeated when they met. Some were strong enough. Others suffered as much as they could  and had to go. Death and disease were rampant. In 1935 over 1/3 of the deaths in Kansas were due to  dust pneumonia and it was similar in the other states in the Dust Bowl.  By 1938 with the drought still continuing and the dust still blowing, the faith of the people started to snap. For many it was time to move on.

Economics

When 1931 hit and the rain stopped, the economy went downhill. Many individuals had hoped that it was just temporary, but as years past the feelings died down. People started to give up causing them to fall into another economic depression. The Dust Bowl contributed to hardships such as unemployment, business losses, and bank closures. In 1932, the first Federal aid was given for drought relief and in 1937, it was reported that drought was the main reason for people getting economic assistance. The drought was big enough to affect the nation as a whole. The government reached about $1 billion in economic relief due too drought.

The government also stepped in in 1934 and purchased the cows from farmers for $16.00 and calf for $3.00. Cattle slaughter was heart wrenching for the farmers who said it was horrible to see them killed as they are what had provided milk for their families.  It was what they had to do. Money was scarce and farmers could not make a living.

In 1938, a massive conservation crusade began and  Washington said that farmers would be given incentives if they adopted the conservation methods to farm . It was a desperate time and they would do anything to help boost the economy.

Politics

            During 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the President. The government had to respond to the situation so they came up with the New Deal. This was “a series of economic programs enacted in the United States between 1933 and 1936” (Rosenmen, 1945). The New Deal government enforced reform plans to try to recover from the downfall. When people had nothing left including food and water, Roosevelt’s New Deal made sure that the government would offer them some. Many did not want to accept the fact that they could not provide for their families but they were forced to.

There were also programs for recovery, like the “Farm Security Administration” who stressed “rural rehabilitation” to improve the lifestyle of sharecroppers, and tenants. Another example is the Soil Conservation Service. This group made sure that the soil was not going to be eroded and they made it more suitable for efficient farming. One more important group was the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation. They did something called “cattle slaughter”. This means that they sent all of the cattle that they could find and cent them to a slaughter house to be killed and used for meat. The meat was packaged and distributed to the poor and the hungry. All of these organizations under Roosevelt’s new Deal were very helpful in the recovery and during the Dust Bowl.

Conclusion

            The 1930s were a struggle for many thousands of people. It was looked at, and advertised as a new beginning but it turned into a disaster. Farmers moved into the southern Great Plains and turned it into 100 million acres of farmland. They had a successful start but they soon learned that they might have overdone it. The air was dry and rain was nowhere to be seen. Not only was there a drought, but also dust was picked up from the ground and tossed, creating mounds of dirt. Soil that took a thousand years to make was gone in one day. Crops died leaving all of the land to be wasted. It was hard for many people to breathe, and some even suffocated because of the thick clouds of dust that was over them everyday.

After years of no rain, horrible living conditions, sickness and death, people started to pack their belongings and move west.  Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to make recovery reforms with his New Deal Plan but it was not easy. The damage that had been done was tremendous and some would never recover. Most hope was lost and many felt the rain would never come again. At the end of 1938, the rain did begin to fall and soon hope was reborn.

 The Dust Bowl was a disaster for farmers looking for a way to get rich. Greed had dominated the mindset. By baring all of the natural covering of grass and topsoil and farming it with crops of wheat, in addition to the fact that a drought had set in, the Dust Bowl was created. The harsh years of the Dust Bowl forced people to accept the limits of the land.  This time period in the Great Plains remains one of the most devastating times in American history.

Bibliography

Roosevelt, Franklin D.; Rosenman, Samuel Irving, ed. The Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt (13 vol, 1938, 1945); public material only (no letters); covers 1928–1945.

Michele Buonanduci (Lead Author);Jeffrey Lee (Topic Editor) "Dust Bowl". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment)