WAITING FOR THE SNOW TO FALL: FIRST NATIONS, FEDERAL POLICY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE by Brennan R. Lagasse Analysis Section

This analysis section gave me some good and helpful information about the "situation" in Snowbowl, Flagstaff, Arizona.
The analysis carefully takes you through the different phases that surround this issue. Everything from the ski resort expansion plans, the economic side, the ecosystem health concerns, the religious and spiritual tolerance, and how the USFS, NEP, EPA and The US Court System operate. 


But what really caught my attention (mainly because of last week's class) was the concern over the reclaimed wastewater, and how the EPA operate!
"As long as the EPA maintains its current regulatory framework, current reclaimed 
wastewater standards will remain legitimate and not ensure that a federal land-use 
decision is sustainable." (p. 151) "However, the EPA is not required to test for substances like caffeine, ibuprofen, or endocrine disruptors in reclaimed wastewater." (p.151) 
But are they required to test for those substances in regular spring water? 
The way I see it, those substances could just as easily be in our spring water as well.
Although the wastewater have a more dense content of sewage than spring water, we still let sewage out in our lakes, and that's were we get our spring water from. And if the EPA is not required to test for those substances to determine if the water is drinkable or not, then what is really the different?
As I see it, there is some big holes in EPA's testing, and I'm curious to hear more about the EPA and how they operate. Looking forward to see more of that video we started last class, maybe I will get some answers.

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ABSTRACT FOR FINAL PAPER

ABSTRACT

There is a uprising revolution, reform and realism taking place in the Middle East. A new chapter in the world history is about to register. Many probably don't even know the real reasons for these revolutions. It is often stated that people protest against oppression, dictatorial regimes, poverty, etc. A number of arguments is also that communication and social media like Facebook, Twitter, Internet, etc. is the cause of this. Others think that people have become rights-conscious. They believe that the people of these countries have a completely different attitude to the state and central government responsibilities. None of these reasons alone is the cause of these protests. The Middle East has a long and strange history.

From being the origin of mankind's first civilization to be a place in the 21 century, women are stoned and people are being executed without regard to the victims' rights.

I will examine historical actions that have occurred in the present conflict involving the revolutions in Middle East. And why these protests and revolutions keep on occurring.

The revolutions that have ensured departure to the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt's, has shaken the foundations of the Middle East and North Africa. We can see daily footage of Libya's dictator, Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi convulsive trying to hold on to his power. Former Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi believes that these revolutions will lead to rebellion against the theocracy in Iran. But the question that few might ask themselves in these revolutions, is whether the protesters really want to respect opposition and democracy.

Asking this question might sound controversial right now, but I will use historical context to support it. For all heads of state and former heads of state in the Middle East today, was young revolutionaries that rebelled against a tyrannic sleepy empire that ruled their countries. They claimed to be on the people's side to legitimize their actions, but they have repeatedly dismissed criticism of the regimes, either to demonize them as agents of Western imperialism, arbitrarily arrested and tortured and killed dissidents, or declared state of emergency. This is their reasoning for maintaining law and order. Will we see the same outcome from today's uprising revolutions? history has shown us that revolutions sooner or later have eaten their own children and destroyed each other.

WAITING FOR THE SNOW TO FALL: FIRST NATIONS, FEDERAL POLICY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE by Brennan R. Lagasse

I really enjoyed this reading. 

It brought up some good points and question that I really could relate to.
I'm born and raised in Norway, where people are known to be born with skis on their feet.
The house that I grew up in lay 300 feet away from a local ski resort, so when I was younger I could ski in and out from my backyard. Since then I have been traveling to different ski resort all over the world and questions like; "I wondered how ski resorts began in the first place and what preceded them?" (p.2) has often appeared in my mind. And i can relate to thoughts like; "My consciousness has evolved to question how the ski industry can operate in a sustainable manner by being healthy and just on a community level and an ecological 

level."(p.2)

The reading gave me some good insight and answers to how some ski resort choose to operate. It's sad to see how some ski resorts like Arizona Snowbowl uses loop holes and powerful corporations to abuse nature and the sacred places of  thirteen Native American tribes. And I hope we will see some changes being done in the ski resort business in the future, towards a more social just and environmental friendly future.