Rachel Carson's Silent Spring: the positive and negative

the positive:

Carson's novel helped open up questions as to the negative impacts that industry has on the environment, with specific regards to DDT, which is the most potent pesticide in the world. Through extensive research, she exposed the dangers of DDT on nature, and the threats it posed. The reason it is so dangerous is that, unlike other pesticides, it has the capability of killing hundreds of different kinds of bugs at the same time, instead of just one or two, like other pesticides. Not only this, but it enters the food chain, entering the fatty tissues of both humans and animals, causing cancer and genetic damages. After a single application to crops, it remained toxic for months, even after it had been diluted by rainwater. Consequently, it harmed countless birds and animals, contaminating the whole food chain's food supply. Ultimately, the novel depicts a world in which all of nature is silenced by the harmful affects of DDT.



the negative:
The reason quite a few people take issue with this novel is that, as an unintended outcome, it caused the deaths of millions of people around the world. As her novel took effect on the widespread use of DDT around the world, and the harmful effects on the environment started to slow down, the number of people dying of malaria started to go up. While there were very harmful effects to nature due to DDT, it did regulate the spread of disease, which is often carried by mosquitoes. Without this pesticide, millions of people died.

for more information, go to:
http://www.nrdc.org/health/pesticides/hcarson.asp
AND
http://www.ohiopma.org/pdfs/insight/DDT/artId=21219.pdf

Bulimia Nervosa

bulimia nervosa- an eating disorder characterized by restraining of food intake for a period of time followed by an over intake or binging period, which results in feelings of guilt and low self-esteem. This is followed by periods of purging, which is often accomplished by vomiting or ingestion of laxatives.

So is it really that big of a deal? Decide for yourself. Here are a few facts:

1-3% of adolescents are affected by bulimia in the United States. Now, there's about 307,006,550 in America. That means that about 3,070,065 - 9,210,196 people have bulimia.

Bulimia is more common in women than men. While only 5-15% of people with bulimia are male, studies show that this rate is starting to increase.

Men and women who suffer from bulimia share the same characteristics: need for acceptance, inability to cope with family/relationship/emotion issues, and low self-esteem.

Men with bulimia usually belong to a specific subgroup, such as wrestlers and homosexuals, both of whom have an increased rate of bulimia.

In regards to ethnicity, bulimia most commonly affects Caucasian girls, specifically of the middle and upper socioeconomic classes. Still, this does not exclude men and women of all cultures and ethnicities.

While bulimia is most common in prepubertal girls, concerns of body image are starting to have an impact on girls as young as nine. In fact, a recent study shows that 70% of sixth-grade girls said they were first concerned about their weight around this age. Bulimia is also not uncommon among the elderly.

I didn't actually know much about bulimia until I came to college. I've only ever known one person who has/had bulimia, and for her it's a recurring problem. She suffered with it a long time ago, but it still affects her, both in eating habits and the temptation to purge her body after every meal. It's a terrible problem to have, and I think it's important to take active measures in preventing and curing it. I think that, with the current mindset of "the perfect body" prevailing modern culture, rates of bulimia-and other eating disorders-will only increase.

For more information, go to:

http://bulimia.emedtv.com/bulimia/bulimia-statistics.html