Tow #25 "The Koch Attack on Solar Energy"

Reading goals: clearly identify purpose of article
Writing goals: concise thesis and strong arguments supported by article


In this weeks Sunday Review issue in NYtimes, The Editorial Board wrote an article about the Koch industries attack on the nation's shift towards renewable energy. Koch industries are heavily involved in the manufacturing and distribution of petroleum, chemicals and energy. They see the expanding solar panel businesses as a threat to them and recently have found a new tax on solar panels they support to make renewable energy less appealing to the public. Through the use of statistics and short, terse sentence structure authors clearly portray The Koch industries as a menace to an advancement that "the country needs: solar energy panels".

The Editorial Board first uses statistics to convince the public why it is important to move towards renewable energy sources. Citing the benefit of renewables for the economy as well as environmental reasons, the authors state, "more than 143,000 now work in the solar industry...43 states require utilities to buy excess power generated by consumers with solar arrays." By using relevant statistics, the article makes it obvious that we as a country are already implementing renewable energy sources and look to increase this number in the near future to the benefit of the public.

Furthermore, they demonize the Koch industries by explaining that the Koch brothers are supporting a new tax that charges advocates for the use of solar panels each month by describing their actions in terse sentences. These effective pauses allow the author to emphasize the diction and display a sense of urgency- that what the Koch industries are doing is detrimental to the environment and people. 

Through the use of statistics and terse sentence structure, The Editorial Board of NYtimes aims to call out and inform the public of the Koch industries actions and encourage them to support renewable energy in the future.

IRB #4 Gulp

After reading two books from Mary Roach's series: Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife and Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, I decided to choose chose Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal as my next IRB book. I really enjoy her spunky twist on scientific stories and dry sense of humor so I'm excited to discover the answers to these quirky questions: "How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Why doesn't the stomach digest itself? Can wine tasters really tell a $10 bottle from a $100 bottle? Why is crunchy food so appealing? and Can constipation kill you? Did it kill Elvis?"

Tow #24 "How the media deals with victims"

The media invading people's personal privacy is a constant controversy in our country. Often the media is seen as a nuance that constantly crosses the line in our everyday lives. However, Carol Costello, a reporter for CNN argues that although this may be true in some cases, media is ultimately crucial to society because it "gives a voice to the voiceless" and allows the public to know what is going on in the world. Costello uses anecdotes and citations to prove her point.

Costello immediately introduces her article by addressing the counterargument with personal anecdotes, thereby establishing herself as a credible source. She disproves the stereotype that all reporters are portrayed as nosy people who will do anything to get the latest scoop, and states that in fact, "[reporters] loathe asking grieving family members to go on camera. Using the Flight 370 disappearance as an example, Costello recalls that she personally was sick to her stomach when cameras kept on filming after grieving relatives repeatedly asked reporters to leave. She admits that some reporters are exploitative and cross the line, but not all of them are.

On the other hand, Costello contends that a journalist will not know whether a victim wants to share his or her story until they are asked. Sometimes, victims who have experienced brutal conditions actually want to share there story with the world as a message to the others out there. In 1980, after turning down Phyllis Cottle's rape victim story because she thought it wasn't right, Costello later saw another interview with Cottle where she pleaded, "Catch him. Help find the man who did this." In this way, Costello shows that reporters are a crucial part in sharing the horrific stories of those who are voiceless with the world which needs to be aware.

Costello effectively convinces the audience that media plays an important role by seeking justice for those unfairly taken advantage of by advocating these events to the world through the use of anecdotes and citations.