Hugh Duffy
Mr. Ippolito
AP Biology C Even
11/8/2020
Kelly, Caitlin. “An Island, Untamed and Divided.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3
Aug. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html.
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html
Before starting this current event, a contextual point must be made to maintain the integrity of this story. To begin, this article was written twelve years ago in 2008, however this does not take away from the credibility of its information. Additionally, the topic of which it addresses, the health crisis on Hen Island, is still running rampant today, completely disregarded by the City of Rye. Yes, the City of Rye in Westchester, only twenty minutes away.
“Hen Island” is a small islet found just ten minutes off the shoreline of Rye, New York. As of now, none of the island’s residents live there year-round, and only use the land for vacationing. For years, the City of Rye has disputed the fact that the island lies within their cities boundaries, claiming that it falls under the jurisdiction of New York State in order to avoid hearing further issues regarding the severe health crisis that faces the island. To this day, Rye’s City Council has disregarded litigation against them, making Hen Island a more than current event. So what is the issue on Hen Island? Why is it regarded by many as a health crisis?
In 2007, environmental inspectors described the island as “hellish”, with its extreme infestation of mosquitoes, alleging further that the island’s residents were poisoning the waters of the Long Island Sound. Ray Tartaglione, a former resident of Hen Island, brought the issues to light in the early 2000’s. He spoke with the Rye City Council, exposing the residents for having used horse troths to collect rainwater for plumbing and drinking purposes. Standing water is what mosquitoes lay their eggs in, making the island a breeding ground. Hen Island had no city water, gas, or electrical lines supplying the residents with modern plumbing or power. Tartaglione described the island as a “museum of 18th century technology.” When health inspectors first arrived on the island in 2013, they were immediately swarmed by mosquitos, claiming they covered their arms, legs, and eventually flew in their noses. Additionally, health inspectors revealed that residents of the island were dumping their sewage directly into the Long Island Sound, only a mile away from the edge of Rye Beach. Mosquitoes can fly up to twenty-five miles a day, and Hen Island was fueling a large spike in the mosquito population of Westchester. Over 15,000 inhabitants of Rye and its surrounding area are exposed to this increase in mosquito breeding, and this issue becomes even more scary in 2014. After reporting the mosquito infestation to health officials, it was tested and revealed that fifteen mosquitoes on Hen Island tested positive for the West Nile Virus. The West Nile virus, is a disease that, similar to COVID-19, is largely harmless to most infected individuals. However in 5% of cases, the virus can cause what is known as west nile fever, which can lead to encephalitis and meningitis, making it highly fatal. It is clear that the thirty-three residents of Hen Island show no compassion nor respect for the people of Rye, and have no plans to modernize their sewage and water collection systems. In the summer of 2017, reports of chickenpox rose drastically within Rye and its surrounding towns, however this spike was eventually credited to mosquitoes. Parents had been calling their doctors claiming their children had chickenpox, when in reality, the children were covered head to toe in mosquito bites. Of these cases, three children were exposed to west nile virus. The City of Rye has yet to enforce change on Hen Island, continuing to claim lack of jurisdiction despite New York courts identifying Hen Island as being within the city's boundaries.
This article was written well, however I didn’t find it attacked the true issues of Hen Island properly. Of course, the article is technically outdated, but the story itself has been brushed under the rug by Rye’s City Council for years, making it hard to find new information on the topic. Overall, If I had written this article, I would have researched the possibility of a west nile virus resurgence as a result of the island’s poor maintenance, as I had to find other articles which described the issue in full.
Willy Swenson
ReplyDeleteComment
“An Island, Untamed and Divided (Published 2008).” The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
Duffy, Hugh. “Hen Island: A Health Crisis Only 20 Minutes From Bronxville.” Blogspot.com, 9 Nov. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/11/hen-island-health-crisis-only-20.html. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
One thing that Hughie did very well was he started with contextualization for the article. This is essential for the reader because it allows them to better understand the issue and the other factors that play into the issue. Also, I thought it was very well done by Hugh to include how old the article was, but also tell the reader that the issue still prevails today. Secondly, Hugh does a great job at summarizing the topic. He does so clearly and concisely, which is effective because it allows the reader to digest the information better. Lastly, Hugh does a nice job at drawing the reader into the topic. He gives vivid, and gross, descriptive details of the environment issue, which makes me more interested in his review. The line, “When health inspectors first arrived on the island in 2013, they were immediately swarmed by mosquitos, claiming they covered their arms, legs, and eventually flew in their noses,” is a prime example of this brilliant technique used by Hugh.
One major aspect Hugh could improve on would be to use his own voice. His summaries were very well written, but I wanted to hear more of his voice in the review (after all, it is a review). To improve this, I suggest that Hugh states a fact and then states his opinion about this fact in the subsequent sentence. This way, Hugh will have his voice weaved into the entirety of his review. Another aspect of the review I would improve upon is the tone. I understand that this review was meant for the eyes of students, but I thought the tone of the review was a little laid back for the seriousness of the issue at hand. One way to improve this is to use more formal language and diction.
I chose to review this article because it is very relatable to me. Since I live very close to Hen Island, I was interested in the review because I wanted to know if I was affected by this local environmental problem. Luckily for me, only the residents of Rye are affected by this unfortunate issue. This review showed me that lawmakers and the judicial system are not very competent. They should be worrying about cleaning the island up, not about whose responsibility it is to clean it.
Katy McBride
ReplyDeleteNovember 8th, 2020
AP Biology, Mr. Ippolito
Current Event #6 Review
Link to Original Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html
Link to Review: https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/
In his review of the article, “An Island, Untamed and Divided” from the New York Times publication, I thought Hugh Duffy did a great job of shedding light on an issue that is somewhat personal for us as residents of Bronxville given our close proximity to this ongoing issue. I thought Hugh did a lot of things really well in his review, especially the way in which he set up his review. I think that by contextualizing the issue, Hugh set his review up for even more success because he established the fact that not only has this issue been going on for years, but it has been going on just a few miles from the town that most of us have grown up in for the past decade or so. Another thing that I thought Hugh did really well in his review was that he established the argument between Rye and New York City about jurisdiction because I think this is a core part of the ongoing problem. I think that Hugh did a good job of summarizing the main point of contingency between the two parties without getting too caught up in the details of the debate, which I feel would have taken away from the main argument and point of the article and review. Another thing I thought Hugh did really well was describe the living conditions on the island. I think that it is difficult to imagine this scene because Rye is an affluent town, and so to hear about an island less than a mile from its coastline where people dump their sewage into the Long Island Sound and are attacked by mosquitoes on a daily basis is somewhat difficult to digest and therefore hard to imagine. I think Hugh did a good job of strategically including the best quotes that depicted this scene without taking away from his main argument. Lastly, I though Hugh did a good job of relating the situation on Hen Island to the rest of the area and to the country in general with regards to a potential spike in the number of West Nile virus cases, because although it might be hard to digest this could potentially be a real risk that the island and its long-term hygienic practices pose to society.
One thing I would possibly like to add to Hugh’s review of the article would be a little more information about the debate between NYC and Rye over whose jurisdiction the island lies within. As I mentioned earlier in this comment, I don’t think that Hugh needs to spend too much more time describing this argument however, I think including a brief description of each group’s reasoning could be beneficial for the reader. Also, I think it would have also been beneficial for the reader to hear more about the West Nile virus, for example the places it is prevalent in today and the types of symptoms it can result in.
One thing that really stood out to me about this story was the timeframe. I moved to Bronxville in 2009, which was a year after the original article was published. This baffles me because I can barely remember my early years in Bronxville, and to think that this issue has been going on the whole time truly astonishes me, especially because of the severity of the issue and the scarce progress that has been made.
Annabelle Krause
ReplyDelete11/8
AP Bio
“An Island, Untamed and Divided (Published 2008).” The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2008,
www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
Duffy, Hugh. “Hen Island: A Health Crisis Only 20 Minutes From Bronxville.” Blogspot.com, 9
Nov. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/11/hen-island-health-crisis-only-20.html. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
Overall, Hugh did a really good job with his review. Primarily, it was quite helpful that he began by contextualizing the issue and making it blatantly clear that the issue is local. I appreciated that he chose something that would be directly relevant to our lives, as residents of Westchester. As a reader, it was helpful that he included this brief introduction and contextualization that prepped us for the review to come. Second, I believe that Hugh did a good job of utilizing leading questions to draw his reader deeper into the article and guide their understanding. He asked both questions that occurred to me as a reader and questions that would not have occurred to me as a reader, which overall deepened my understanding. His anticipation of what the reader would like to and need to know was quite well done, and it was very helpful. Lastly, Hugh used his quotes quite well. Rather than quoting large blocks of text, he chose specific words and paraphrased the rest. This prevented his article from becoming too boring and technical, and it made it much more readable and accessible to a reader with no prior knowledge.
However, I do think it would have been helpful if Hugh had chosen a more recent article to base his review on. Although it is obviously still relevant, the fact that he could not find an article about the issue that was more recent than 2008 really undermined that point. Also, I think that Hugh could have been more formal with his writing style. At times, he was properly formal, but at other times he was quite informal with his reader. I think formality would be more appropriate here, but overall it would have been easier to follow if he had chosen one tone and stuck with it rather than fluctuating.
I chose to read and review Hugh’s summary since it is so relatable to my life. I was unaware that this was an issue in my community, so it was quite informative in that way. Going forward, I will know to continue to avoid Hen Island, and I will generally be aware of the political conundrum. I thought that it was great than Hugh combined science and politics for this article, and it made it really engaging for me to read.
Kelly, Caitlin. “An Island, Untamed and Divided.” The New York Times, The New York
ReplyDeleteTimes, 3 Aug. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html.
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html
Duffy, Hugh. Hen Island: A Health Crisis Only 20 Minutes From Bronxville, 8 Nov. 2020,
bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/11/hen-island-health-crisis-only-20.html.
Hugh Duffy’s review on the article, “An Island, Untamed and Divided,” was both insightful and well written. Something Hugh did that was very well done was his contexulization paragraph before the actual review of the article. He noted his awareness of the date of the article being far from current, yet made it current through addressing it’s relevance even today. He made it obvious to the reader that this problem has been long-occuring and has been overlooked for years by a government that is extremely close to our home as citizens in Bronxville, New York. Additionally, it was very effective for his argument for Hugh to create a timeline of events throughout the period of the article’s originally publishing date to more recent years. This proves the issue of Hen Island is as prominent as ever, despite being recognized years ago. Hugh marks dates and provided evidence from 2007, 2013, 2014, and 2017 to name a few. Lastly, the rhetorical questions integrated into the introduction of this review are intriguing and make the reader more inclined to see what Hugh has to further say. Utilizing more rhetorical devices within his work breaks up a lot of the political and scientific content and makes the review easier to digest.
Despite the many strongsuits of this review, there were also areas that I though Hugh could have expanded on to make his review better. First of all, though he did an excellent job at making the content relevant to today’s society, I think it defeats the purpose of a ‘current event’ to chose an article that is over 10 years old. I think it would have been more beneficial to proving his points had he chosen a current article about this same topic and then referenced this particular article within the review of the other one. Then, his aspect of portraying how this issue has been long-standing while also gaining the benefits of current data and authors. Secondly, I would have liked to hear about proposed solutions to the issues of Hen Island’s health concerns to the city of Rye, rather than just hearing Hugh’s critiques on the way things are currently being handled (or not handled).
This review was extremely interesting for me to read because it opened my eyes to an issue that is very close to my own home, yet one that I have never been made aware of. Rye Beach is a destination I have even been to myself, and hearing that the quality of the water there is being compromised by an Island I wasn’t aware that even existed puts many other issues into perspective; conflicts that seem distant or unapplicable to oneself are not always as removed as they seem. I will definitely be researching Hen Island to learn more about the troubles they face and impose on New York State upon reading Hugh Duffy’s review.
Article Citation: Kelly, Caitlin. “An Island, Untamed and Divided.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html.
Blog Review Link:
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/11/hen-island-health-crisis-only-20.html
Overall, Hugh did a very effective job at reviewing and critiquing the article “An Island, Untamed and Divided.” One of the things that he did well was his summarization of the main points of the article. His third paragraph is incredibly extensive, outlining the various perspectives and detailed observations from the article. He highlights specific events, key players, and reviews the timeline of the health crises facing Hen Island. Another thing that Hugh did well was his connection to the significance of this topic despite it being written in 2008. He notes that these issues have persisted over the past decade and have continued to be disregarded by the City of Rye. Hugh was also very effective in his critique of the article. He notes that the author didn’t properly dissect the issues faced by Hen Island and suggests further research into the resurgence of the West Nile virus and its impact on this community.
While the review was ultimately very well written and organized, one thing Hugh could have done better was his connection to the overall significance of the material. While he recognizes that this crisis is still impacting Hen Island and continues to be ignored by the City of Rye, it would have been interesting for him to explore the issues in a larger health and biological context. Another aspect of the review that could have been done more effectively was his review of what the author did well. He immediately delves into areas for improvement, without mentioning specific areas of the writing that were effective, which could have made the review more comprehensive.
I was ultimately drawn to this review for its local relevance. Oftentimes, we look at biological and health crises in a more national and global context, however this article speaks to the ways in which local communities are being impacted. It is essential to recognize the importance of local government in addressing health issues such as these and to use what we are learning about biology to dissect these concepts in real circumstances directly affecting our own communities.
Henry Min
ReplyDelete“An Island, Untamed and Divided (Published 2008).” The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2008,
www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
Duffy, Hugh. “Hen Island: A Health Crisis Only 20 Minutes From Bronxville.” Blogspot.com, 9
Nov. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/11/hen-island-health-crisis-only-20.html. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.
The beginning of the review starts with the writer the contextualizing the article and explains that the article was published twelve years ago in 2008. I believe that this is really important as it helped the reader understand not just the time and place, but how serious this issue is. Hugh explains how even though this took place a while ago, it is still a prominent issue today in Rye, New York. I also like how Hugh uses rhetorical devices such as pathos when he states how "the thirty-three residents of Hen Island show no compassion nor respect for the people of Rye". He uses this to really show the reader how serious the situation is, and it also gets the reader to want to take action as the people on this island obviously don't care. Something that Hugh could have done was explain a little more. The article that Hugh reviewed is pretty old so it would have been nice if he reviewed a more recent article as it would have "felt" more important to read.
I chose to read this review as I am a big believer in recycling and keeping our areas and towns clean, so reading this review upset me on how certain people have a lack of care about the environment, especially if it affects the people and towns around them.
Riley Morgan
ReplyDeleteMr. Ip
AP Bio
9/9/20
Kelly, Caitlin. “An Island, Untamed and Divided.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html
The review Hugh Duffy performed on the article: "An Island, Untamed and Divided." was very interesting and informative. He discusses how the City of Rye has disputed the fact that the island lies within their cities boundaries, claiming that it falls under the jurisdiction of New York State in order to avoid hearing further issues regarding the severe health crisis that faces the island. I like how he was straightforward with the information. When he stated how “the health crisis on Hen Island, is still running rampant today, completely disregarded by the City of Rye.”, it was a good way to put the information because it was a bunch of information packed into one sentence. I also appreciate how he was able to captivate the reader by using captivating words at the beginning like Westchester, and Rye as it draws the reader in and makes them want to read more.. He did a good job stating things in his article that could have been improved and fixed in the future.
One thing Hugh could improve on is explaining how and why he chose the article. He did not provide any reasoning behind his decision to write about it. Hugh’s analysis was also very short and didn't provide the detail she needed to do the article justice. He could provide a longer analysis that makes the reader feel she has read the full article and knows what it is about. He also did not state the importance of the article. To improve, Hugh could spend more time talking about the details explained as well as making more connections as to why he chose the article and inserting the importance to deepen her analysis.
I chose this article because it was very interesting and I enjoy reading things like this. I also wanted to see Hugh’s writing style as I have never looked at one of his reviews before. By reading this article I learned about how The City of Rye has yet to enforce change on Hen Island, continuing to claim lack of jurisdiction despite New York courts identifying Hen Island as being within the city's boundaries. It will change my perception because now I have another piece of knowledge that I can use.
Angelinna Faisca
ReplyDeleteCurrent Event #6
Mr. Ippolito
E/F Block
Kelly, Caitlin. “An Island, Untamed and Divided.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2008,
www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/03henwe.html.
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com
Hugh’s review of “An Island, Untamed and Divided” was superb, in mentioning a topic that not many people know of. He gave details in how these people live, as if it is the 1800’s again, and I like how Hugh clarifies that this was written a little while ago, and some things might have changed, making sure the reader knows that the information is still relevant and accurate. Hugh uses imagery and comparisons to how we live to how these people live. Hugh also gives good questions for the reader to ask themselves. Another thing he does that is superb is that he talks about the native problems. A big one is mosquitoes. He speaks on this by saying that the mosquitoes like to lay their eggs in standing water, such as lakes, ponds, and even buckets of water, which is used for drinking. He also does a good job at mentioning how the health inspectors felt as well, claiming that they were swarmed by mosquitoes, and even some flew into their noses. He does a very good job at also including that the residents living there also dump their garbage into the river that goes right into the Long Island Sound. Overall, I think Hugh did a really good job at explaining the consequences of the City of Rye not looking into Hen Island.
I don’t really see how Hugh could make this a better piece. I think he did amazing at telling us about this article and all of the troubles that come with not being modernized and civilized, as modern cities, even small towns just like Bronxville. It is honestly insane that there even is an island like this, so I’m very thankful that Hugh even brought it up. I also like how he included COVID-19, which is still a very recent topic in today’s day.
Overall, I found this article very interesting, and a very good eye opener to what is really going on. In a town like this, you would sort of never think that that would happen. I also think it is very important that he also included the other viral issues that could potentially increase risks for other viruses that were not discussed. I know that this story has left an imprint on how I feel about the City of Rye.