#annotated bib

           Jose Armenta a Marine dog hander working with sweeps on IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) is in Afghanistan in the Helmand Province, one of the highest casualty dense areas of the Afghanistan war. Sent with almost every patrol made by the Marine forces in the area to aid the sweeping of IED’s Jose and his dog Zenit are constantly under judgment from the marines on patrol for doing their job under pressure. With recent history of handlers being severely wounded or killed Jose is mounted with more pressure for him and his dog to perform, later resulting in an accident in which Jose loses both legs. After losing the legs to an IED Jose want’s the dog, treated like any piece of equipment, back to him and is met with large amounts of paperwork to be approved for this process. The dog released form duty and now seen as surplus or decommissioned equipment to the Military resumes his life with Jose helping to anchor Jose as a person before his accident, during his deployment, and after the accident.

           Using this article to show how military organizations, as well as other linked governmental agencies, may see dogs and other animals of labor as equipment used to the single purpose and are readily able to be replaced. The Human aspect of the article may be used also to try to gather sympathy for an argument to be made to the callousness that the military sets up within the animal handlers that may transfer over to civilians after a traumatic experience. Or as a counterargument to the benefits of using dogs as a successful technology to help prevent larger incidents and to reduce losses if the incident still happens, with only losing the dog and maybe a few others over losing a large patrol group.

           Heyes, J. D. "Drug-sniffing Dogs Are a Law Enforcement Hoax, Signaling Drug Alerts Even When No Drugs Are Present." NaturalNews. Natural News, 29 Aug. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

           In the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals a lawsuit was made from a man convicted for possession of drugs to review the conviction due to the dog involved in the flagging that led to the search for drugs may have been faulty. The conviction was upheld, due to evidence amounted other than the dog flagging the convict, but left the question to the court on reliance of dogs when flagging for drugs. Although training for dogs needs to have them at above a 90% accuracy rate for detections some dogs end up with higher false flag rates that may be from drug residue but still lead to question the authority of searches due to the flags of dogs. The court later ruled that methods for promoting the flags, whether positive or negative, was inconsistent for promoting proper flagging behavior and has been discontinued in Illinois, where the convict in question was arrested.

           The piece showcases how the dogs themselves are not always accurate and even in false positive situations the behavior of the dogs is to give the dog a reward. The article can also allow for the overextension of police power in search situations on the reliance of dogs instead of mostly on other senses such as conversation and definitive signs of nervousness when asked questions pertaining to narcotics. The article also provides insight on how a case linked with dogs and drugs can be waived by mostly due to the concept of the criminal appealing for retrial due to the conviction on drug possession due to insufficient cause for a search.

 Goldberg, Jonah. "Don't Abandon Our Dogs of War." National Review Online. National Review, 3 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

           Dogs in the military by officials are seen as military equipment able to be left behind if needed, to the handlers and the soldiers working with the dogs they are seen in active service as a rank higher than the handler, gaining precedence over the handler in care. In a documentary by National Geographic on dogs in the battlefield it shows how crucial the dogs are to the military effort on the ground and how they affect the military personnel around them. But because of how officials view the dogs they are disregarded when they are retired from service and may be left in the battlefield. Private organizations are involved in trying to get some of the military dogs sent back to the US to join their old handlers and some litigation has been made to confront the issue but it is not a priority when faced with the treatment of human veterans.

Bienaimé, Pierre. "The US Navy's Combat Dolphins Are Serious Military Assets." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

           Since the 1960’s the US military began doing training with dolphins with SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command) and has recently received funding for the year as well as projected funding from the pentagon until 2020. The US Navy initially started the marine mammal training program to see on how to improve the mechanical and processing equipment of the Navy. Later on it turned to train dolphins which have been used around the world in security and clearing operations. Due to the capabilities of the dolphin’s bioacoustics they are a vital asset to naval operations and will be until modern robotics and sensory technology is on par or ahead of the capabilities of dolphins.

           The use for his article would be for the current uses of the militarized dolphin and how the government is still putting in efforts to fund the marine mammal program. This article also lists some of the deployments of the navy dolphins in active theaters of war as well as day to day patrolling. The article also illustrates the dependency of the navy on the use of the dolphins for the tasks it already uses them for.

           "Dolphins in the Military." Dolphins-World. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

           The history of the Navy’s marine mammal from inception in the 1960’s and the operations throughout the 20th century was beneficial to the navy for its uses of bioacoustics scanning and longtime patrolling of secured waters. Throughout different operations and through the years after declassification and reduced funding the navy had to try to ease the economic strain of maintaining the dolphins. In an attempt to give the dolphins to a sanctuary in Florida, which was met with some controversy after they were released into the while without permits resulting in the recapturing and returning of the dolphins to the navy.

           This article shows the side effects of the navy’s marine mammal training program on the lack of ability to re-integrate the dolphins into the wild as well as the lack of utility for the dolphins past the military use. On the same aspect of looking towards the incompatibility the article also shows how singular the purpose the dolphins have even within the military and the singular existence of the trained dolphin.

Hoare, Philip. "Let Slip the Dolphins of War." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 May 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.

           With regards to the use of dolphins in the military the moral question of using dolphins in military aspects is the same as having a dolphin in any other form of captivity. Although dolphins and whales have specialized parts in the brain linked to higher intelligence and emotion found in other animals they are yet to be seen in dolphins and still have a vague line of moral standards as with other intelligent animals. Other behaviors showing violence and sexual aggression have been seen in dolphins bringing to question their intelligence and further blurring the disposition to use the dolphin in war.

           With Russia gaining control of Crimea and the services that go along with it they are going to re-equip the military dolphins also stationed. The history for using trained aquatic mammals stems out not only to the Russians but to the American Navy as well, with training of bottlenose dolphins and seals done in the past. The Navy has done training since the 1960’s to be able to locate underwater mines or intruders because previous and current mechanical equipment does not compare to the finesse  and accuracy that aquatic mammals show when either detecting underwater mines or equipment to locating intruders and objects out of place.

In context with Jake Kosek’s “Ecologies of an Empire: On the New Uses of the Honeybee” this article demonstrates how other developed uses of animals have affected militaries not only within one country but has been used internationally. The uses of marine mammals specifically illustrates how creatures with specific traits are repurposed for a singular use that is beneficial to the military. The repurposing of the animals has also created a new dependency on them as a resource for surveillance that finding a mechanical replacement would be currently impracticable as well as more expensive than seeking for an alternative solution to the reliance on the animals.

  Kristof, Nicholas. "The Giant Rats That Save Lives." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Apr. 2015. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.

In Angola Gambian pouched rats are being used to clear out minefields in fields that were previously unable to be utilized due to the mines. A project named HeroRats is providing funding to train the rats to be able to detect the explosives within the mines and mark their location. With the rats scanning through the minefields it can be up to twenty times more efficient than humans doing the same task over the same amount of time and the rats also don’t trigger the mines to go off as well as not providing false positives with other metal objects that can be detected via metal detectors, which are used in human sweeps of minefields. He rats also have other purposes such as being able to detect tuberculosis. The use of the rats has reduced rates of incident when sweeping landmine fields as well as produced a less time consuming and cheaper way to detect tuberculosis and get more time efficient help, reducing the diseases spread.

Along with Kosek’s essay on “Ecologies of an Empire: On the New Uses of the Honeybee”, this report can help link similarities in research being done with other animals to achieve the same goals, like sweeping minefields and marking the mines. Although through this piece the author promotes the use of the animal itself without taking a look at the effect at the population or relationship of the Gambian pouched rat in the wild when they are needed to be bred to be trained in controlled enviornments.

Vanderbilt, Tom. "History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian." History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. Smithsonian Magazine, Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.

Within the United States, animals have always been looked towards as a means to solve certain issues that arise within certain parameters of operation. In the 1960’s Animal Behavior Enterprises, ABE, was contracted by the CIA to provide espionage training for animals requested by the CIA. The Behavioral training done at ABE reached as far as training for animals on commercials to being contracted by other government agencies for more specified animal training. The Navy’s training of aquatic mammals was helped by scientists at ABE as well as used to research the best capacity for the animals in which fields to use them in. ABE also worked with birds to meet certain roles, ranging from detection of group movements to going to a designated area to retrieve or to drop off an item. With the training of the animals the CIA and other agencies would use them in the field to make use of their intended purpose. After 1975 ABE ceased its contracts with government agencies and the CIA and eventually closed, while the methods and processes of training animals from insects to mammals were retained while the uses of animals from the time have disappeared due to technology filling in the specific roles animals were then used for.

Banerjee, Subhankar. "Exposing the Environmental Risks at Los Alamos National Labs." Alternet. N.p., 19 July 2011. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

           Subhankar Banerjee went to interview geologist Robert H. Gilkeson for his work in having earned the “Whistelblower Award” from the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability. While interviewing Banerjee uncovers that at Los Alamos National Labs although millions of dollars are being spent to put in place groundwater monitoring wells other actions are skewing evidence that is done by the labs with the intention of doing so. Gilkeson later explains that the monitoring wells are crucial to maintaining proper accountability for the labs because of the millions of cubic feet of nuclear and chemical waste in LANL territory that was threatened by the Los Conchas fire in 2011 which shut down the labs for a week. Continuing the interview Banerjee then gathers evidence from Gilkeson that LANL and its areas that contain unlined dumps, shafts and pits are on two fault lines in which any seismic activity above .75 on the Geiger meter would be amplified by 75% than expected and could cause a disaster similar or worse to the Fukajima reactor meltdown that same year. The issue therein that lies with the information is the lack of data and knowledge on the fault lines in which LANL has given reports on, does not exist or the gaps in data are too large to be considered reliable to use.

           My Analysis: Subhankar Banerjee’s interview of Robert Gilkeson could be used in an analysis of Los Alamos National Labs and how although processes to monitor contamination in local areas. The article can also be used to show how LANL is attempting to allow itself to continue and expand operations on which it would need additional permits or data to do. The article also brings to light on how LANL would want to create information to benefit its own studies and to allow for projects to continue to run without fear of retribution from federal regulatory agencies.

             Malone, Patrick. "LANL Officials Downplayed Waste’s Dangers Even after Leak." The Santa Fe New Mexican. N.p., 15 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.

           Malone Patrick reports on the history of the active removal of nuclear waste left behind from cold war productions (legacy waste) throughout the nation and specifically mentions the Las Conchas fire and the rush to repackage all waste within Los Alamos National Labs by the end of 2014. Due to the time restraints LANL and its contractors began to cut corners to save on time to be able to retain its $2.2 billion dollar annual contract with the DOE (Department of Energy). Due to these cutting corners a particularly acidic waste was found and during the packaging process was mixed with an organic fluid absorber (cat litter) and was then added with a neutralizer for the acidity, then turning into a volatile and reactive chemical compound into a single drum. The drum then reacted on a truck inside of WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) as it was being moved to its final location within the plant causing an explosion and leaking low amounts of radiation while causing temperatures within to reach 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. The explosion then raised concern for additional barrels of nuclear waste as well as delay the WIPP function and making a $500 million dollar cleanup necessary over the course of five years to resume normal WIPP activity at the expense of the DOE.

           My assessment: This report does well in highlighting the dependence that LANL has to its DOE funding and that it will do what it deems necessary to maintain its funding, even cutting corners that result in easily preventable accidents. As a document that chronicles the timeline of the accident as well as the process in which the accident was allowed to take place the piece would be effective when writing a condemning or a critical argument about LANL.

 Donahue, Bill. "Fear and Fallout in Los Alamos." Mother Jones. Mother Jones, May 2003. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.

           Bill Donahue interviews several LANL scientists to describe the culture within Los Alamos National Labs as well as the environment in which they work in. Interweaving interviews with fact drawn elsewhere Donahue speaks of issues within the labs from misuse of lab funds via credit card usage for private use as well as equipment going missing within the labs. In further interviews Donahue confronts mostly positive connotation for the labs, seeing as the interviewers were or are lab scientists. Explaining how in Los Alamos there is a high number of PhDs in the town and most of them working for the labs in how working with nuclear weapons desensitizes the scientists to what they can do and what an accident might cause.

Hunter, William. "Sandia Needs to Clean up Toxic Dump." ABQJournal Online. Albuquerque Journal, 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.

The article contrasts the difference in management and engineering between a fully engineered waste plant to handle nuclear waste and the Sandia Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL), including the $6 billion dollar Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to the unlined open pits of the MWL. As a contrast in severe accidents the author highlights a preventable incident with a salt truck in the WIPP and an accidental fire that should not have happened with uranium chips at the MWL. With these points brought up the author brings up the lack of responsibility that Sandia National Labs (SNL) holds with the MWL and any form of cleanup after an attempt to protect the environment and nearby inhabitants created by the New Mexico Environmental Department, as well as other claims to fix or monitor the MWL that are either defunct or insufficient.

My Assessment: As another source that tends to agree and support the trends and general statements of the Mixed Waste Landfill this source can be used to verify other sources and confirm facts. This source also shows in some layman’s terms on the disregard and the lack of follow up on SNL’s claims to prevent and contain spread of contamination. As a piece of supporting evidence it would add to an article written about the MWL.

 Correia, David. "Sandia National Laboratory Defends Its Toxic and Radioactive Landfill at Public Meeting." La Jicarita. La Jicarta, 19 Nov. 2014. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.

Using images and small paragraphs of text the author portrays how Sandia National Laboratory is wanting to promote that they are making progress on the removal or containment of the Mixed Waste Landfill while wanting to restrict what is shown to the public at the meeting held open to the public. With some images showing projections made by Sandia the spread of nucleosides from both air and groundwater movements while providing no statistical evidence otherwise as well as having a presenter give a speech giving an all clear for the MWL.

           My Assessment: The pictures along with the description and captions with them allow for evidence of Sandia’s true efforts and resources to the MWL and any containing or excavating of the waste to dispose of it for today’s standards. As a journalistic source it also shows how Sandia itself wants to self-promote their image as being progressive and reassuring that there is nothing wrong with the MWL and that it is completely safe to both the environment and to humans. Also the photos will allow for a different view and add on to the essay to emphasize the points as to how the story is wanted to be told by the proprietors of the incident.

  "Sandia Announces Completion of Mixed Waste Landfill Cover Construction." Sandia Announces Completion of Mixed Waste Landfill Cover Construction. Phys.org, 3 Nov. 2009. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

The Environmental Restoration Project at Sandia National Labs (SNL) reports that the completion of a project to cover the Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL) was completed in 2009, which would contain low level nuclear and chemical waste with ease. This was due to the orders of the New Mexico Environment Department in 2005 which required SNL to put a cover over the landfill to prevent any leakage and spread to the environment. The cover as well as the landfill will remain under surveillance and remain monitored until it is concessive that any leakage and radiation has been contained by the cover.

For one of my classes, I quickly realized that not everyone knows how to write an annotated bibliography. So I created a guide for the students which included examples on how to write said articles and felt that you guys would benefit from an excerpt. Have fun!

Best, Kris.

*disclaimer: in case you cannot tell, these articles are not real.