*So I never did compete in this season but I still hope to compete again before I get too old*
Hey new season of speech and debate! This year I am hoping to do a humorous interp. The only problem is that I don't have a book set in concrete yet so I can't give you that script... I am also hoping to do an after dinner speech (info below).
NCFCA Stuff:
LD Debate: http://www.ncfca.org/?i=12690&mid=1000&id=311960
Interp description: http://www.ncfca.org/InterpretiveEventRulesandDocuments
Platform Info: http://www.ncfca.org/PlatformEventRulesandDocuments
If you are ever bored and you need a laugh, you should look up NCFCA interps on youtube. One of the rules is that it has to be appropriate humor so it is all clean (if you stick to NCFCA that is).
Here are some of my favorites to get you started:
Bread and Jam for Francis interp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4ubzbtMkB8
2014 National 1st place After Dinner Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6gt9LE0SQo
NCFCA Stuff:
LD Debate: http://www.ncfca.org/?i=12690&mid=1000&id=311960
Interp description: http://www.ncfca.org/InterpretiveEventRulesandDocuments
Platform Info: http://www.ncfca.org/PlatformEventRulesandDocuments
If you are ever bored and you need a laugh, you should look up NCFCA interps on youtube. One of the rules is that it has to be appropriate humor so it is all clean (if you stick to NCFCA that is).
Here are some of my favorites to get you started:
Bread and Jam for Francis interp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4ubzbtMkB8
2014 National 1st place After Dinner Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6gt9LE0SQo
This is my speech that I wrote for a speech tournament in Spokane Washington.... I didn't break to an outround (semi finals), but I was close! It is titled The Plastic Fear.
Enjoy!
p.s NCFCA stands for National Christian Forensics and Communications Association
Enjoy!
p.s NCFCA stands for National Christian Forensics and Communications Association
Anna Chase
NCFCA Speech
Spokane, WA
February 26, 2014
The Plastic Fear
Recently I watched A Plastic Planet, a documentary by Werner Boote. (A Plastic Planet) I was so freaked out about what I saw and learned about plastic, that when I noticed the scratches on my very-much-plastic retainer, I began to pray regularly to the Lord that He would protect me from plastic toxins. I began to see just how much plastic we have in our homes, in my home. Some things that you just pass over, suddenly began to stand out as plastic: hairbrushes, bike handles, book covers, computers, phones, everything. We really do live in a plastic planet! There are many secrets about plastic, and my goal is to uncover some of them by answering these three questions: How toxic are common plastics? What types of plastics are recycled in my hometown of Bend, OR? And which of those plastics are used to make my plastic retainer?
Plastic is everywhere, some of it is toxic. Dangerous. The ‘stay away from us’ sort of toxic. But some of our most common plastics, you’ll be glad to know are just fine. There is one type of plastic, ABS plastic, that is found everywhere from high chairs to kitchen supplies to LEGOs. The consultants at The Soft Landing, a researching group dedicated to child-proofing homes, have collected research that shows conclusively that ABS is safe in its solid form, and that it also doesn’t leach harmful chemicals into your body (thesoftlanding.com). This is important to them as researchers and consultants, but it’s also important to me. The fact that ABS doesn’t leach chemicals into your body is especially good in the case of LEGOs, because when I babysit and find those little boys with rectangular bricks of multicolored ABS plastic in their mouths, I remove it for the sake of choking hazard, but not for the sake of imagined toxins. Now, there is one form in which ABS is toxic, as a vapor. ABS becomes a vapor when it is burned, but it also becomes a vapor in a 3d printer. Our family doesn’t have a 3d printer, but we have a friend who does, and as that technology becomes more common, we will have to be more careful about what happens to the fumes.
There are other plastics that are always toxic, in the form of a vapor or not. One toxic plastic is Bisphenol-A, known as BPA. The staff writers at Howstuffworks found that:
“94 of 115 peer-reviewed studies confirmed BPAs toxicity. For example, one study found that women with frequent miscarriages have approximately three times the blood levels of BPA as women with successful pregnancies.” (howstuffworks.com)
The Food and Drug Administration has removed BPA from baby bottles, sippy cups and that sort of thing (howstuffworks.com), and with good reason!
Plastics can be toxic to a person’s health, but Plastics are also toxic to our planet’s health.
The planet is littered with plastics that are not being recycled, just thrown into the landfill.
But wait! Aren’t all plastics recyclable? Well, sadly the answer is no-not-really. I found that my home town, like many other communities, can only recycle Polyethylene Terephthalate and High Density Polyethylene. (deschutes.com) Polyethylene Terephthalate is found in soft drink and water bottles; peanut butter containers; and salad dressing and vegetable oil containers. High Density Polyethylene is found in milk jugs, juice bottles; shampoo bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; and cereal box liners. (thedailygreen.com) There are other types of plastics on the recycling list commonly found in America. These other types of plastics, if not being recycled, simply contribute to global toxic waste. Several examples of each come from The Daily Green:
· Polyvinyl Chloride, found in: detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, and PVC piping
· Low density polyethylene, found in: Squeezable bottles, shopping bags; clothing; furniture; and carpet
· Polypropylene, found in: syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, and straws, and (Thedailygreen.com)
· Polystyrene, commonly referred to as styrofoam, found in: Disposable plates and cups, egg cartons, and carry-out containers. (Thedailygreen.com).
But what happens to them when they are placed into our curbside recycling containers? To learn more I went and talked to a representative at our local landfill, and asked him about recycling. He said that ALL the plastic mixed together is shipped to Portland, and that recycling plant sorts them by hand, and then melts them down and processes them. He said that the local plant accepts only Polyethylene Terephthalate and High Density Polyethylene because there are fewer chemicals so you can reuse it. But he also mentioned that they only accept those things for the sake of cost. They are paying money to ship the plastics to portland. In Portland they accept ALL types of plastics, even styrofoam.
Since my retainer isn’t on the aforementioned list, what in the world is it made of?
My dental retainer is made of acrylic plastic. The first thing I learned about acrylic plastics is that they tend to blow up if the polymerization process is done incorrectly! That made me want to take out my retainer, for sure! But, it doesn’t tell me if my retainer is poisonous or not. I found this article about acrylic plastics on madehow.com:
"Acrylic plastics’ manufacturing involves highly toxic substances which require careful storage, handling, and disposal. The polymerization process can result in an explosion if not monitored properly. It also produces toxic fumes. Recent legislation requires that the polymerization process be carried out in a closed environment and that the fumes be cleaned, captured, or otherwise neutralized before discharged to the atmosphere.
Acrylic plastic is not easily recycled. ... Large pieces can be re-formed into other useful objects if they have not suffered too much stress, crazing, or cracking, but this accounts for only a very small portion of the acrylic plastic waste. In a landfill, acrylic plastics, like many other plastics, are not readily biodegradable." (madehow.com )
I took action and when I went to my orthodontist I asked if there was another way to make my retainer. There was an awkward silence until my mom spoke up and said that if I was afraid of the waste in the landfill, that I could pass it down to my children as an heirloom. That broke the silence, but you could tell he was startled that I was even asking about it. He mentioned Vulcanized fiber saying that that it was the plastic that they used in the 1950s. Robert A. Zembower from toyofibre states that: Vulcanized Fiber is made of only cellulose. Cellulose is an organic compound, and an important structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants. Vulcanized Fiber is a tough, resilient, hornlike material that is lighter than aluminum, tougher than leather, and stiffer than most thermoplastics. (toyofibre.com) I couldn’t find a clear decision on whether Vulcanized fiber is poisonous or not, but since it’s basically made from natural fibers, it seems potentially safer than acrylic plastic!
The conclusion that I have drawn through my research is that plastics are poisonous; in either the way that they are made, used, or disposed of, they’re toxic. As I stand here wearing plastic glasses on my face, a plastic wristwatch that has been in contact with my body 24/7, and my plastic retainer that has been in my mouth for more than 2 years, I realize that we as a society need to raise the level of awareness about the plastic toxicity; it’s real. However, I find comfort from a verse in the book of Mark, “they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (New American Standard Bible, Mark 16:18 ) The Lord can protect me from poison, snakes and plastics. God can protect me, and I am choosing to meet this reality through faith rather than fear.
NCFCA Speech
Spokane, WA
February 26, 2014
The Plastic Fear
Recently I watched A Plastic Planet, a documentary by Werner Boote. (A Plastic Planet) I was so freaked out about what I saw and learned about plastic, that when I noticed the scratches on my very-much-plastic retainer, I began to pray regularly to the Lord that He would protect me from plastic toxins. I began to see just how much plastic we have in our homes, in my home. Some things that you just pass over, suddenly began to stand out as plastic: hairbrushes, bike handles, book covers, computers, phones, everything. We really do live in a plastic planet! There are many secrets about plastic, and my goal is to uncover some of them by answering these three questions: How toxic are common plastics? What types of plastics are recycled in my hometown of Bend, OR? And which of those plastics are used to make my plastic retainer?
Plastic is everywhere, some of it is toxic. Dangerous. The ‘stay away from us’ sort of toxic. But some of our most common plastics, you’ll be glad to know are just fine. There is one type of plastic, ABS plastic, that is found everywhere from high chairs to kitchen supplies to LEGOs. The consultants at The Soft Landing, a researching group dedicated to child-proofing homes, have collected research that shows conclusively that ABS is safe in its solid form, and that it also doesn’t leach harmful chemicals into your body (thesoftlanding.com). This is important to them as researchers and consultants, but it’s also important to me. The fact that ABS doesn’t leach chemicals into your body is especially good in the case of LEGOs, because when I babysit and find those little boys with rectangular bricks of multicolored ABS plastic in their mouths, I remove it for the sake of choking hazard, but not for the sake of imagined toxins. Now, there is one form in which ABS is toxic, as a vapor. ABS becomes a vapor when it is burned, but it also becomes a vapor in a 3d printer. Our family doesn’t have a 3d printer, but we have a friend who does, and as that technology becomes more common, we will have to be more careful about what happens to the fumes.
There are other plastics that are always toxic, in the form of a vapor or not. One toxic plastic is Bisphenol-A, known as BPA. The staff writers at Howstuffworks found that:
“94 of 115 peer-reviewed studies confirmed BPAs toxicity. For example, one study found that women with frequent miscarriages have approximately three times the blood levels of BPA as women with successful pregnancies.” (howstuffworks.com)
The Food and Drug Administration has removed BPA from baby bottles, sippy cups and that sort of thing (howstuffworks.com), and with good reason!
Plastics can be toxic to a person’s health, but Plastics are also toxic to our planet’s health.
The planet is littered with plastics that are not being recycled, just thrown into the landfill.
But wait! Aren’t all plastics recyclable? Well, sadly the answer is no-not-really. I found that my home town, like many other communities, can only recycle Polyethylene Terephthalate and High Density Polyethylene. (deschutes.com) Polyethylene Terephthalate is found in soft drink and water bottles; peanut butter containers; and salad dressing and vegetable oil containers. High Density Polyethylene is found in milk jugs, juice bottles; shampoo bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; and cereal box liners. (thedailygreen.com) There are other types of plastics on the recycling list commonly found in America. These other types of plastics, if not being recycled, simply contribute to global toxic waste. Several examples of each come from The Daily Green:
· Polyvinyl Chloride, found in: detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, and PVC piping
· Low density polyethylene, found in: Squeezable bottles, shopping bags; clothing; furniture; and carpet
· Polypropylene, found in: syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, and straws, and (Thedailygreen.com)
· Polystyrene, commonly referred to as styrofoam, found in: Disposable plates and cups, egg cartons, and carry-out containers. (Thedailygreen.com).
But what happens to them when they are placed into our curbside recycling containers? To learn more I went and talked to a representative at our local landfill, and asked him about recycling. He said that ALL the plastic mixed together is shipped to Portland, and that recycling plant sorts them by hand, and then melts them down and processes them. He said that the local plant accepts only Polyethylene Terephthalate and High Density Polyethylene because there are fewer chemicals so you can reuse it. But he also mentioned that they only accept those things for the sake of cost. They are paying money to ship the plastics to portland. In Portland they accept ALL types of plastics, even styrofoam.
Since my retainer isn’t on the aforementioned list, what in the world is it made of?
My dental retainer is made of acrylic plastic. The first thing I learned about acrylic plastics is that they tend to blow up if the polymerization process is done incorrectly! That made me want to take out my retainer, for sure! But, it doesn’t tell me if my retainer is poisonous or not. I found this article about acrylic plastics on madehow.com:
"Acrylic plastics’ manufacturing involves highly toxic substances which require careful storage, handling, and disposal. The polymerization process can result in an explosion if not monitored properly. It also produces toxic fumes. Recent legislation requires that the polymerization process be carried out in a closed environment and that the fumes be cleaned, captured, or otherwise neutralized before discharged to the atmosphere.
Acrylic plastic is not easily recycled. ... Large pieces can be re-formed into other useful objects if they have not suffered too much stress, crazing, or cracking, but this accounts for only a very small portion of the acrylic plastic waste. In a landfill, acrylic plastics, like many other plastics, are not readily biodegradable." (madehow.com )
I took action and when I went to my orthodontist I asked if there was another way to make my retainer. There was an awkward silence until my mom spoke up and said that if I was afraid of the waste in the landfill, that I could pass it down to my children as an heirloom. That broke the silence, but you could tell he was startled that I was even asking about it. He mentioned Vulcanized fiber saying that that it was the plastic that they used in the 1950s. Robert A. Zembower from toyofibre states that: Vulcanized Fiber is made of only cellulose. Cellulose is an organic compound, and an important structural component of the primary cell wall of green plants. Vulcanized Fiber is a tough, resilient, hornlike material that is lighter than aluminum, tougher than leather, and stiffer than most thermoplastics. (toyofibre.com) I couldn’t find a clear decision on whether Vulcanized fiber is poisonous or not, but since it’s basically made from natural fibers, it seems potentially safer than acrylic plastic!
The conclusion that I have drawn through my research is that plastics are poisonous; in either the way that they are made, used, or disposed of, they’re toxic. As I stand here wearing plastic glasses on my face, a plastic wristwatch that has been in contact with my body 24/7, and my plastic retainer that has been in my mouth for more than 2 years, I realize that we as a society need to raise the level of awareness about the plastic toxicity; it’s real. However, I find comfort from a verse in the book of Mark, “they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (New American Standard Bible, Mark 16:18 ) The Lord can protect me from poison, snakes and plastics. God can protect me, and I am choosing to meet this reality through faith rather than fear.