Ironic?

Photo from www.secretsofthefed.com 

This is clearly a cartoon referencing the liberty with which pesticides are sprayed on food, even when they are known to be highly toxic to humans. Your eye is drawn first to the words in the "bubble", and then to the rest of the image. The skull and crossbones indicate that the spray is highly toxic, as well as the mask and gloves that the person is wearing. The squirrel in the image states that the situation is very ironic, because the person is spraying toxic chemicals on food that we eat every day. The meaning behind this is that we eat these foods without realize the poison that they come in contact with. The purpose of this cartoon is to raise awareness about the excessive amounts of pesticides that are sprayed on foods. Many people do not realize that these pesticides will end up in our body. It is directed towards a general audience of all ages and gender.

I personally think that this cartoon is a perfect representation of pesticide use. It is bringing attention to the issue and causing people to think about the short term and long term effects that this constant use of chemicals is having on us.

Harmful Impact of Pesticides

Biziuk, M. "Occurrence and Determination of Pesticides in Natural and Treated Waters."Science Direct. Sciverse, 22 Nov. 1996. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.

This is a source that will help me in my research of the negative effect of pesticides on the environment. 

I was able to determine this to be a credible source because it was accessed via the "Science Direct" database. I know that it is scholarly because it was published from the Technical University of Gdansk in Poland, by the chemistry department. Also, it includes a works cited page, which is common among scholarly works. 

This article begins by identifying water as a very valuable and increasingly diminishing resource. The authors explain that pesticides are a large contaminant in surface water and ground water, and that water is one our most valuable resources. The article then explains the most common pesticides found in water, and why this is such a problem. Lastly, the article describes techniques for pesticide removal from surface water. 

Overall, this is a good article, but some of the information is not relevant to my research. It is particularly confusing as the author talks about the more scientific techniques for removing pesticides from water. However, the beginning of the article is easy to understand and relays important information. 

Our Lives with Animals

Most of us come into contact with animals throughout our day. Have you ever imagined what our lives would be like without our beloved pets? They are always there when you need someone to listen, and they never have a negative thing to say. What could be better?

I have a dog, 2 cats, and a horse that I cannot imagine living without. Animals are so central to my life that I would honestly feel empty without them. My dog "Rosie" came into my life four years ago, totally by chance. I was a sophomore in high school, and had just started driving. While driving on a rural highway, I pulled into a driveway to switch places with my mom. When I looked out the window, I noticed a tiny, emaciated dog behind a tree. I had never seen an animal in such terrible condition in person; only in photographs. I could count every bone in her body. Although it took some patience, we finally caught her and put her into the car with us to drive straight to the veterinarian's office. Exhausted, she fell asleep in my lap on the car ride and we knew that we had to keep her. After the vet declared that she "only needed a little TLC", we took her home.

Rosie has been the best dog we have ever owned, and I think she is truly grateful for the chance we gave her. Can you share any memorable animal stories of your own?