HP English Movie Review
Skylar Herrera-Ross
HP English ¾
Molly Fenn
February 9, 2016
Mad Max Fury Road Review
George Miller, an oscar winning director has proven his expertise before with previous Mad Max movies, whose action and adventure scenes could be compared to those of Mad Max Fury Road’s, but this time he has taken it to a whole new level. Mad Max Fury Road received six Oscars in 2016 making it one of the most successful films of the year. No wonder the movie was recognized, it’s fast paced action scenes make it almost impossible to take your eyes off the screen.
Set well after the downfall of civilization, warrior Imperator Furiosa defies Immortan Joe, leader of the War Boys, a group of warriors infected by radiation, by smuggling his five wives out of the Citadel. Once Joe has realized what Furiosa has done, he sends an army of War Boys to retrieve his wives and the desert chase beings. Nux, a War Boy that is too weak to fight on his own, carries along a “blood bag”, Max Rockatansky, to give him the blood he needs to fight. Max, a former captive of the War Boys, forms an alliance with Furiosa as the chase progresses, and together try to escape from the army chasing them. The film follows Furiosa war rig as she attempts to elude the savage War Boys through a fast-paced high speed car chase through the desert. Mad Max Fury Road directed by George Miller is by far one of the best sci-fi-post apocalyptic themed cinematic masterpieces this year, because of the set and costume designs, gripping action scenes and original storyline.
To begin, the set and costume design done by Jenny Beavan was incredible. Beside the fact that Max’s face mask reminded me of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises, the costumes were very unique. Furiosa had a prosthetic arm which is something I have never seen in an action movie before. The way the War Boys were portrayed; pale, bald and wearing dark black make-up gave them this eerie, spooky feel. Immortan Joe’s costume is arguably one of the most detailed and thought-out costume of them all. He wore a mask made from horse teeth along with thick black tubes that connected to an oxygen tank. His chest plate was perfectly molded to his body along with his huge steel belt buckle. The wives were wearing dirty rags which helped develop the culture of the society they were living in. Not only did the cinema feature phenomenal costumes, but it also had exciting combat scenes.
There were three key factors that made the fight scenes mind-blowing; the special effects, the weapons used and the cinematography. As far as special effects go, there was always fire involved and lots of explosions. People were flying from car to car getting tossed around like dolls. All of the effects looked realistic and were not over emphasized. The weapons used in these scenes were also impressive, my favorite being the explosive fire spears. The fire spears were thrown into the wheels of an enemy's car and would immediately erupt in flames. The movie also featured a variety of hand and machine guns as well as knives and daggers. The most resourceful weapons had to be the vehicle themselves. The War Boys would surround their car with spikes and metal bars which they used by ramming into the other rigs with. On the down side, I feel like there were too many repetitive fight scenes, there's only so much you can do while you are driving a car in a desert. It would have been nice to see a variation rather than repetition of fight scenes. Finally, the angles used throughout the action scenes made it exhilarating to watch. You always felt like you were in the car next to them and would jump out of your seat every time someone would get attacked. The action and adventure both go into the storylines big picture: to create an epically original film.
Lastly, between the desert car chases and the unheard of costumes and characters, plot progression is extremely original. If someone told you you had to make a two hour long film about a car chase in the desert, you would say that is impossible. Yet, somehow, George Miller was able to pull it off. The theme of this movie is already difficult to work with; you are in a desert. There are no plants, no animals, nothing to work with. Simply taking on the task of filming in a desert was a challenge, let alone original. While there are not many movie that take place in the desert, there are movies that relate to the same theme. Fury Road can be compared to Mockingjay, written by Suzanne Collins, in the sense that it takes place in a dystopian era revolving around combat and a deviant main character. Similar to The Hunger Games series, the Mad Max series theme of deviance becomes more relevant in the later sequels. Back to the topic of originality, it is unheard of to create an action movie where one of the main characters has a prosthetic limb. Miller decided to take the theme and run with it- with so many things that could have gone wrong, he really did a great job compiling this masterpiece.
All in all, the depth that George Miller went into in Mad Max Fury Road, could be more than qualified as an exemplary science fiction movie. Miller had over the top set and costume designs, thrilling action scenes and an original storyboard. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good thrill ride along with amazing cinematography and a different outlook on your typical sci-fi movie.
Works Cited
"Fury Road." Mad Max Costumes. Mad Max Costumes, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
"The Hunger Games." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Dir. George Miller. Perf. Mel Gibson and Mike Preston. Warner Bros., 1981. DVD.
Mad Max: Fury Road. Dir. George Miller. Perf. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. Warner Bros., 2015. Film.
"'Mad Max' Director George Miller: The Audience Tells You 'What Your Film Is'" NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
"Oscars Winners." The Oscars. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
HP English ¾
Molly Fenn
February 9, 2016
Mad Max Fury Road Review
George Miller, an oscar winning director has proven his expertise before with previous Mad Max movies, whose action and adventure scenes could be compared to those of Mad Max Fury Road’s, but this time he has taken it to a whole new level. Mad Max Fury Road received six Oscars in 2016 making it one of the most successful films of the year. No wonder the movie was recognized, it’s fast paced action scenes make it almost impossible to take your eyes off the screen.
Set well after the downfall of civilization, warrior Imperator Furiosa defies Immortan Joe, leader of the War Boys, a group of warriors infected by radiation, by smuggling his five wives out of the Citadel. Once Joe has realized what Furiosa has done, he sends an army of War Boys to retrieve his wives and the desert chase beings. Nux, a War Boy that is too weak to fight on his own, carries along a “blood bag”, Max Rockatansky, to give him the blood he needs to fight. Max, a former captive of the War Boys, forms an alliance with Furiosa as the chase progresses, and together try to escape from the army chasing them. The film follows Furiosa war rig as she attempts to elude the savage War Boys through a fast-paced high speed car chase through the desert. Mad Max Fury Road directed by George Miller is by far one of the best sci-fi-post apocalyptic themed cinematic masterpieces this year, because of the set and costume designs, gripping action scenes and original storyline.
To begin, the set and costume design done by Jenny Beavan was incredible. Beside the fact that Max’s face mask reminded me of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises, the costumes were very unique. Furiosa had a prosthetic arm which is something I have never seen in an action movie before. The way the War Boys were portrayed; pale, bald and wearing dark black make-up gave them this eerie, spooky feel. Immortan Joe’s costume is arguably one of the most detailed and thought-out costume of them all. He wore a mask made from horse teeth along with thick black tubes that connected to an oxygen tank. His chest plate was perfectly molded to his body along with his huge steel belt buckle. The wives were wearing dirty rags which helped develop the culture of the society they were living in. Not only did the cinema feature phenomenal costumes, but it also had exciting combat scenes.
There were three key factors that made the fight scenes mind-blowing; the special effects, the weapons used and the cinematography. As far as special effects go, there was always fire involved and lots of explosions. People were flying from car to car getting tossed around like dolls. All of the effects looked realistic and were not over emphasized. The weapons used in these scenes were also impressive, my favorite being the explosive fire spears. The fire spears were thrown into the wheels of an enemy's car and would immediately erupt in flames. The movie also featured a variety of hand and machine guns as well as knives and daggers. The most resourceful weapons had to be the vehicle themselves. The War Boys would surround their car with spikes and metal bars which they used by ramming into the other rigs with. On the down side, I feel like there were too many repetitive fight scenes, there's only so much you can do while you are driving a car in a desert. It would have been nice to see a variation rather than repetition of fight scenes. Finally, the angles used throughout the action scenes made it exhilarating to watch. You always felt like you were in the car next to them and would jump out of your seat every time someone would get attacked. The action and adventure both go into the storylines big picture: to create an epically original film.
Lastly, between the desert car chases and the unheard of costumes and characters, plot progression is extremely original. If someone told you you had to make a two hour long film about a car chase in the desert, you would say that is impossible. Yet, somehow, George Miller was able to pull it off. The theme of this movie is already difficult to work with; you are in a desert. There are no plants, no animals, nothing to work with. Simply taking on the task of filming in a desert was a challenge, let alone original. While there are not many movie that take place in the desert, there are movies that relate to the same theme. Fury Road can be compared to Mockingjay, written by Suzanne Collins, in the sense that it takes place in a dystopian era revolving around combat and a deviant main character. Similar to The Hunger Games series, the Mad Max series theme of deviance becomes more relevant in the later sequels. Back to the topic of originality, it is unheard of to create an action movie where one of the main characters has a prosthetic limb. Miller decided to take the theme and run with it- with so many things that could have gone wrong, he really did a great job compiling this masterpiece.
All in all, the depth that George Miller went into in Mad Max Fury Road, could be more than qualified as an exemplary science fiction movie. Miller had over the top set and costume designs, thrilling action scenes and an original storyboard. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good thrill ride along with amazing cinematography and a different outlook on your typical sci-fi movie.
Works Cited
"Fury Road." Mad Max Costumes. Mad Max Costumes, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
"The Hunger Games." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Dir. George Miller. Perf. Mel Gibson and Mike Preston. Warner Bros., 1981. DVD.
Mad Max: Fury Road. Dir. George Miller. Perf. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. Warner Bros., 2015. Film.
"'Mad Max' Director George Miller: The Audience Tells You 'What Your Film Is'" NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
"Oscars Winners." The Oscars. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.
College English 1A Final Essay (11 pages)
Skylar Herrera-Ross
English 1A (eve)
Maurice Jones
May 19, 2016
Effects of Minimum Wage Employment
Minimum wage. A term used to define the “lowest wage permitted by law”. A term that is supposed to represent the amount of money one can afford to make without dropping under the poverty line. A term that is not true to its intentions. Minimum wage differs from living wage meaning the amount of money paid each month does not need to reach the minimum living standards in any certain city. While living on minimum wage families are forced into eating processed meals every day of the week, forced to pop pills in order to ease pain and could even find themselves on the streets. Low wage workers are experiencing increasingly dangerous living conditions that have unfortunate effects on the body in the long run. People poison their bodies with chemicals and preservative simply because they are trying to survive. They work doing back breaking labor just to do it all over again the next Family atmospheres are also heavily influenced by a minimum wage incomes. While parents are working all day, their children are left, unsupervised, left alone to get into trouble. Not only are they left to get into trouble, but they are also taught that these unhealthy eating habits are acceptable. They are taught to eat whatever is cheapest and fills them up even if the food is detrimental to their bodies. Working all day disallows minimum wage workers to have time for themselves. They are either working or caring for their family which leaves little to no time for themselves. Lastly, minimum wage jobs fail to appropriately contribute to their workers benefits. Jobs that provide base pay provide few if any benefits. Health benefits, retirement benefits and family leave are all unaccounted for when it comes to what should be required from a profession. If these benefits were reconstructed to better suit the workers, a lot of these minimum wage problems would not be an issue anymore. By failing to provide proper benefits, minimum wage employment endangers the working class by not affording them the salary that would allow for them to have a healthy lifestyle.
Lasting physical effects on the body have been known to be the result of minimum wage jobs in America. Pain and suffering are common side dishes to the main meal served when agreeing to work for minimum wage pay. To begin, low wage workers do not have an abundance of money to spend on a healthy diet and that can be seen through the negative effects it has on their body. Stephanie, a blogger for The Empowered Dollar, describes living off minimum wage as “Suffocating. Desperate. Drowning. Hopeless.” She felt as if she were in a constant cycle of an unhealthy lifestyle. With only being paid 8 dollars an hour, Stephanie was forced to heavily budget her spending whether that meant skipping meals or walking 2 miles to the Bart every morning. She found herself eating McDonalds’ cheap 2$ burgers a couple times a week. Little did she know, those burgers were going to have a lasting effect on her body. In fact, just an hour after consumption, foods high in sodium and trans fats can have tremendous effects on the body. Take a Big Mac for example, a common item ordered off the McDonalds menu. According to Ollie McAteer and the Fast Food Menu Price (FFMP), in the first 30 minutes after eating a Big Mac, your body is undergoing an attack from the chemicals one has just eaten. The 970 milligrams of sodium contained in one burger is enough to mimic symptoms of dehydration. This overload of salt is excessively difficult on the kidneys which makes one’s heart beat faster to compensate for the unexpected load of salt. In turn, this sets off a chain reaction that causes one’s heart to beat faster which can cause high blood pressure and, in the long run, a stroke or heart attack. The scariest part is that the symptoms for these awful health issues can be seen within the first hour of eating one burger. Imagine if someone was eating multiple burgers a week, or even in one day! Also, the Big Mac bun has alarmingly high levels of high fructose corn syrup, a drug that has been proven to be addictive and shows that once this style of eating has started, it is very difficult to stop. (FFMP) Now, these unfortunate low wage workers are hooked on an unhealthy meal plan that can ultimately lead to a coronary attack, or worse, death. Not only are low wage workers eating food that is unhealthy for their bodies, but they are simple not eating enough food to supplement their bodies. Workers have been known to skip meals or eat remarkably small portions of food just to save money. Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed, a memoir about her experiences living as a minimum wage worker, describes the typical meal of one of her coworkers, Holly, “...[T]he relevant point about Holly is that she is visibly unwell-possibly whiter, on a daily bases, than anyone else in the state. We’re not just talking Caucasian here; think bridal gowns, tuberculosis, and death” and “I’d be surprised if she weighs more than ninety-two pounds before breakfast, assuming breakfast is even on her agenda. During an eight hour shift, I never see her eat more than one of those tiny cracker sandwiches with peanut butter filling, and you would think she had no use for food...” (Ehrenreich 94-95). In In one of Ehrenreich’s previous jobs, she uses another one of her coworkers, Carlie, as an example of the unhealthy diets minimum wage workers have, “I am enormously relieved when Carlie announces a half-hour meal break, but my appetite fades when I see that the bag of hot dog rolls she has been carrying around on our cart is not trash salvaged from a checkout but what she has brought for her lunch.” (Ehrenreich 30) As can be seen, diets like these are anything but a healthy meal. A roll of bread and a few crackers does not properly supplement one's body, especially when they are working a laborious job like being a housekeeper. These women are being malnourished simple because their jobs do not pay them enough to afford a nutritionally substantial meal. Health issues are not the only baggage that comes along with working minimum wage employment, physical damage is also visible.
While working in jobs that involve intensive labor, one's body will without a doubt feel the effects of the work over time. Take Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed for example. In her book, Barbara explains the troubles that arise while she works as a housekeeper in Key West. She explains how her job requires her to stoop low to scrub bathtubs and remain in a constant bent over state while she vacuums a 30 lbs, obviously outdated vacuum for over four hours straight. Doing this back breaking work everyday eventually gets to her as Barbara's body starts to feel the physical effects of the active job. In order to continue her work, Barbara needs to pop four Advils in between cleaning rooms just to ease the pain. The recommended dosage for adults is two pills every six hours so that fact that Barbara carelessly takes four pills is a bit alarming. Yet, it is simply an indicate to show how much pain she is in and how desperate she is to subdue it. Many other minimum wage workers find themselves in similar situations where they are forced to drug themselves in order to make the work physically bearable. There is a very slim chance one can escape this cycle because as long as minimum wage jobs are refusing to supply workers with health insurance, there is no way they would be able to afford it on their own. This is why they resort to pain relief medications instead of seeing a doctor to fix the problem. Drug abuse caused by minimum wage employment is not the only form of physical damage caused on workers. There have been many cases of employees getting hurt on the job. Working with boiling hot oils, in a crowded, sometimes slippery place is a recipe for disaster. According to CNN News, out of a poll of 1,426 industry workers, 4 out of 5 of McDonald’s workers have been burned on the job. As can be seen, that is an extremely high number of workers that have gotten injured on the job. Not only is it dangerous to work with flammable, hot liquids, but it is even more precosious to work with them under intense, stressful situations. Over one third of the workers surveyed reported their injury was partially caused by pressure to perform quickly. Stress, and other mental illness can come as baggage while working a low wage job. Often times, workers are caught between a web of jobs, working multiple shifts at different occupations in order to pay for all of their expenses. This can add a lot of pressure on one’s mentality and their ability to perform. This pressure and stress can lead to serious mental illnesses in the future. According to Melissa J. Doak Social Welfare, “poor people also have more mental health problems. In 2008-09 only 1.1% of people with incomes 400% of the poverty level or higher reported that they suffered from serious psychological distress within the past 30 days. However, 4.9% of people with incomes 100% to 199% of the poverty line and 9% of people with incomes below the poverty level reported such psychological distress.” (Social Welfare 131) There are trends of increasing levels of psychological distress though poor, or minimum wage workers. On top of the countless negative effects for working as a minimum wage employee, between, internal health, physical health and mental distress, these factors can haunt one at home and create an unhealthy family atmosphere as well.
It can be difficult raising a family while working multiple minimum wage jobs whether you have a significant other or not. While one is working an 8 hour shift, where is their child? What lessons is the child learning from growing up watching their parents work tirelessly? What effects does this behavior have on the family’s dynamic? All of these questions arise when considering the drawbacks of working for a minimum wage paying corporation. When a parent leaves a child by themselves, either locked up all day or out, alone to venture for themselves, it can put stress on the child. From a young age children are taught to look up to their parents to learn. If children are watching their stressed out parents run around from job to job, they might get the wrong impression of what growing up sound look like. It is important that the parent is there for the child to teach them crucial lessons. In fact, Dan Gartrell, author of Guidance Matters, says “Executive functions include the child’s abilities to manage impulses, engage in memory activity and learning, and interact effectively with others. According to research summaries by Gunnar, Herrera, and Hostinar (2009) and Lubit (2006), high stress during a child’s early life is detrimental to the development of healthy executive functioning.” (Guidance Matters 59) Evidently, development as a child is crucial to the child abilities to understand and react to situations growing up. Opposed to the lack of teaching the child, certain lessons taught to the child from the perspective of a minimum wage worker has its negative effects as well. As mentioned earlier, workers with their limited budgets, must buy foods that are within reach of that budget. They are reduced down to cheap meals from quick drive throughs, and yes, that is what they feed their children as well. Parents are teaching their children that it is ok to eat fast foods daily. Because they are merely focussing on getting food into their body, the parents are not teaching their children about the unhealthy habits they are building. They are taught to eat whatever they can- food is food. So, once the children grow up, they know nothing better than to eat as their parents had taught them- to eat junk. Minimum wage workers are creating a sick, obese society because the way that they are living is taught to their children and the children of their children.
Lastly, the environment in the homes of low wage workers is one of an unhealthy atmosphere. Once the over worked parents come home, they are exhausted and need to replenish themselves, either with food, or sleep. So, once again the children are put as a second priority because, sadly, money must come first. The children are taught that this is what a healthy family lifestyle looks like when this type of environment is not healthy at all. The parents may come home frustrated and in pain which limits what they can actually do to spend time with their children. If a parent spent the day bending over back and forth vacuuming it may be physically excruciating to bend over and play action figures with their child. A family where the parents cannot spend time with their child is an unhealthy one, and unfortunately, that is an effect of working a minimum wage job. But, all of these problems have solutions and while the minimum wage industries need to reconstruct their benefits, with improvements, minimum wage jobs can be more than decent.
Minimum wage jobs must provide decent benefits to their workers including reform on health benefits, family leave and retirement. Health benefits are one of the most important necessities a job can offer. Without good health, one cannot properly do their job. It is especially important that low wage corporations provide health insurance because these jobs are some of the most taxing on the body. Minimum wage does not grant enough money to allow the working class to visit the doctors every time they get an injury. This is why it is only fair that low pay workers are rewarded with proper health care. Corporations must not let their employees suffer under the firm hand of minimum wage and its lack of benefits. These health care benefits should be provided by the government so that health benefits are fair through out all minimum wage jobs. One corporation that is less wealthy than the other cannot simply “opt out” of providing heath benefits to their workers. The government with provide equal payment to each minimum wage company depending on the number of workers employed. Health benefits go hand in hand with family leave when it comes to unfair benefits for workers. Currently, there are little to no family leave benefits in minimum wage jobs. It is terribly important for corporations to provide these necessities because it's only fair to their workers. In any other just occupation, the employer will allot family leave time. They do this because it is unavoidable that family members will get sick or hurt. By not providing time for an employee to take off in order to take care of one of their family members, you are making them choose between money (and possibly losing their job) and their family, and no one should ever be put in that position. Companies often overlook the benefits of retirement in their employees as well. Retirement benefits are severely important to low wage workers. As workers grow older, it becomes harder for their bodies to keep up with the high pressure, high labor lifestyles they have been living. A recent book published by the U.S Department of Labor states, “...America’s working families deserve flexible supports that meet their Modern Family needs...As Secretary of Labor, I have been inspired by the state's, cities and employers who are “Leading on Leave.” I have traveled to states and communities that are taking up the charge and adopting paid family leave policies. I have met the families, businesses, local governments, and grassroots organizations working together to build a movement for paid leave. President Obama has made a clear commitment to expanding access to paid leave by calling for action in the State of the Union, convening a national White House Summit on Working Families, increasing paid leave options for the federal workforce, and funding research grants to support the development of paid leave programs in states and cities across the country.” (USDL 5) As can be seen, there have been aggressive movements to increase the accessibility of family leave. So far there have been improvements on this issue in the past couple of years but there is still much more to be done. This issue is extremely important to families all across America and it’s about time something is being done to support those people. In order to properly repay them for the hard work they have put into the company, owners must give employees the benefits they deserve. The employers can provide the employees with these benefits by taking 5% of their paycheck and automatically putting it into a protected retirement fund. This fund, like others, cannot be touched until the worker reaches the age of 62 and is applicable for retirement. This ensures a steady income into one's savings and guarantees-even if the worker is unknowledgable on the topic of retirement/savings- money for the worker once it became time to retire. By initiating this act, it will show employees that their employers genuinely care for them and their life after work. The employer will show their appreciation, rather than cheating employees out of benefits, companies must do the right thing by providing health insurance, at least two weeks paid family leave, and retirement insurance to all of their employees. These two weeks of family leave, along with the other health and retirement benefits that companies should be supplying their workers with, is merely the tip of the iceberg on problems that need to be readjusted in minimum wage jobs.
Current minimum wage jobs do not provide just benefits and instead create an unhealthy lifestyle for their workers and their workers families. Jobs that pay minimum wage are dangerous to the employee. Physical injuries like getting burned by hot oils in a crowded workspace, joint and body pains from the constant movement necessary in one's occupation are both common in minimum wage work. Mental distress is also a common issue as low wage work is quite stressful and mentally demanding. One may not realize it but these faults can be excessively costing on an individual. Not only does the lack of pay and benefits affect an individual worker's health, but it also influences the dynamic of the worker's family. A working person comes home exhausted and hungry only to somewhat satisfy those needs and go back to work the next day. The children and significant other of the worker are all facing the effects of minimum wage. Children are lead on to believe that it is ok or even healthy to eat from fast food outlets every week, they are taught that the dynamic of their family is healthy when it is not. Companies have gotten away with cheating workers out of acceptable benefits for decades. But, in order to cure the constant cycle of poverty and low wage workers, companies must provide each individual with health care, time off for their families and retirement benefits. Low wage corporations must realize that treating their employees right by giving them fair benefits needs to happen. They must not ignore all the hard work each member has put into their company and they need to make beneficial changes immediately.
Works Cited
Ball, Christopher. Guidance Matters: Developing a National Strategy for Guidance in Learning and Work. London: Royal Society of Arts, 1993. Print.
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: On (not) Getting by in America. New York: Metropolitan, 2001. Print.
"Facts About Low Wage Work." Facts About Low Wage Work. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.
Lobosco, Katie. "McDonald's Workers Allege Unsafe Working Conditions." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.
McAteer, Ollie. "What Happens to Your Body One Hour after Eating a Big Mac Will Put You off McDonald's." Metro What Happens to Your Body One Hour after Eating a Big Mac Will Put You off McDonalds Comments. N.p., 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 19 May 2016.
Plus, Information, and Melissa J. Doak. Social Welfare 2011: Fighting Poverty and Homelessness. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson/Gale, 2012. Print.
Stephanie. "When Finances Hurt: How I Survived on Minimum Wage - The Empowered Dollar." The Empowered Dollar. N.p., 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 May 2016.
U.S Department of Labor. The Cost of Doing Nothing. N.p.: n.p., 2015. Print.
Clean Water Speech Final Copy
As we all know, water is a basic necessity for all sources of life. Clean water that is. Antoine De Saint-Exupery, a French aristocrat, writer and poet once referred to water as, “Not necessary to life, but rather life itself.”
Did you know know that 1 in 9 people in the world lack access to clean water? That’s equivalent to 750 million people. To put that into perspective that’s almost 2 and ½ times the United States population. These millions of people suffer from diseases like cholera, dysentery and diphtheria. The most common symptom that these three diseases share, is Diarrhea. 1.5 million people die every year from diarrheal diseases and 88% of diarrheal disease are linked to unsafe water supplies. Fortunately, there are easy, affordable ways to purify water.
For starters, there’s the “ Water is Life’” straw. The straw works by sucking water through three different purifying compartments. The first compartment contains a charcoal filter, the second compartment cotains iodine crystals, and the third compartment is composed of membrane filters. The first-stage of the filtration system reduces harmful particles, from 125 microns to a minimal 15 microns. The active carbon in the charcoal, removes the iodide taste as well as medium-sized bacteria. The filter is constructed from durable plastic about 10 inches in length and 1 inch in diameter. The straw has a strap that can be hung around the user's neck as he/she places the end of the straw into the water source. These straws are primarily meant for children, the most vulnerable to waterborne diseases. The filter can clean more than 800 liters of water total or 2-3 liters of water per day. The straws cost $10 a piece to prduce and are an easy and conveinient way to purify water.
Another purifing device is a UV Waterworks. This device contains a germicidal Ultraviolet lamp, which disables the DNA of microorganisms in the water. Four gallons of water can be disinfected each minute. The original UV Waterworks is about the size of a microwave and weighs about 15 pounds. This disinfector is being used in homes, schools, and hospitals in third-world countries. If any malfunction occurs, an electrical valve shuts down the entry port, allowing no water to enter. This product only costs 20 cents per person per year according to The Officers of National Drinking Water Mission.
Lastly, we have the drinkable book. As you can see this purifier is in fact, a book. These pages provide safe water tips as well as clean water for up to four years. The drinkable book is composed of cardstock coated with silver nanoparticles that attract bacteria and toxins when water flows through it. This device works like a generic filter---just put the cardstock over a container and pour the contaminated water over it. This product targets families rather than individual users because of it’s ability to purify large amounts of water at a time. Thanks to chemist Teri Dankovich and her team working at McGill University we have the cheapest and most creative product on the market.
Globally, the greatest barrier to clean water is money. The water purification systems I’ve just presented, however, are examples of cost effective technologies available right now. Of course there are other expenses to take into consideration such as packing, shipping, and assembling costs. Following Haiti’s catostophic 2010 earthquake, Water is Life supplied thousands of purifier straws to aid Haitians. For these reasons, organizations like Water is Life and Just One need donations to boost distributions.
In conclusion, there are many simple and effective options to purify water. By distributing these purifiers million of people will improve their quality of life. It’s crucial to the health and economy of developing nations to have clean water. Thank you.
Did you know know that 1 in 9 people in the world lack access to clean water? That’s equivalent to 750 million people. To put that into perspective that’s almost 2 and ½ times the United States population. These millions of people suffer from diseases like cholera, dysentery and diphtheria. The most common symptom that these three diseases share, is Diarrhea. 1.5 million people die every year from diarrheal diseases and 88% of diarrheal disease are linked to unsafe water supplies. Fortunately, there are easy, affordable ways to purify water.
For starters, there’s the “ Water is Life’” straw. The straw works by sucking water through three different purifying compartments. The first compartment contains a charcoal filter, the second compartment cotains iodine crystals, and the third compartment is composed of membrane filters. The first-stage of the filtration system reduces harmful particles, from 125 microns to a minimal 15 microns. The active carbon in the charcoal, removes the iodide taste as well as medium-sized bacteria. The filter is constructed from durable plastic about 10 inches in length and 1 inch in diameter. The straw has a strap that can be hung around the user's neck as he/she places the end of the straw into the water source. These straws are primarily meant for children, the most vulnerable to waterborne diseases. The filter can clean more than 800 liters of water total or 2-3 liters of water per day. The straws cost $10 a piece to prduce and are an easy and conveinient way to purify water.
Another purifing device is a UV Waterworks. This device contains a germicidal Ultraviolet lamp, which disables the DNA of microorganisms in the water. Four gallons of water can be disinfected each minute. The original UV Waterworks is about the size of a microwave and weighs about 15 pounds. This disinfector is being used in homes, schools, and hospitals in third-world countries. If any malfunction occurs, an electrical valve shuts down the entry port, allowing no water to enter. This product only costs 20 cents per person per year according to The Officers of National Drinking Water Mission.
Lastly, we have the drinkable book. As you can see this purifier is in fact, a book. These pages provide safe water tips as well as clean water for up to four years. The drinkable book is composed of cardstock coated with silver nanoparticles that attract bacteria and toxins when water flows through it. This device works like a generic filter---just put the cardstock over a container and pour the contaminated water over it. This product targets families rather than individual users because of it’s ability to purify large amounts of water at a time. Thanks to chemist Teri Dankovich and her team working at McGill University we have the cheapest and most creative product on the market.
Globally, the greatest barrier to clean water is money. The water purification systems I’ve just presented, however, are examples of cost effective technologies available right now. Of course there are other expenses to take into consideration such as packing, shipping, and assembling costs. Following Haiti’s catostophic 2010 earthquake, Water is Life supplied thousands of purifier straws to aid Haitians. For these reasons, organizations like Water is Life and Just One need donations to boost distributions.
In conclusion, there are many simple and effective options to purify water. By distributing these purifiers million of people will improve their quality of life. It’s crucial to the health and economy of developing nations to have clean water. Thank you.