Most of these
writings were college projects, papers, and reports... some are articles
REPORTS
Social Justice Colonias Survey
Brings Energy Efficiency to
Colonia Homes: El Paso, TX - posted April 18, 2009 We've had two projects this winter/spring in a colonia hear Horizon, and another one in the Hueco Tanks area (both in far east El Paso
county). The Boston Unitarian Universalists came to El
Paso around Valentine's Day, and Janet Kincaid and Sharon
Cornet of UUCEP, and the El Paso Solar Energy Association (EPSEA) got
together to work on quality-of-life needs for two households.
Social Work in the Colonias FINAL
REPORT: Nuway/Mayfair
Colonias SurveyCanutillo,
TX - posted April 23, 2008 This is the final report from a group class project in Spring,
2008 (co-written by the group). This group of 10 students named
themselves "Justicias" (meaning
'Justice'), with Sharon Cornet as the group leader. Colonia walks
incorporated speaking with residents on voting issues, as well as a study via
a neighborhood Survey to document the needs of the community as told by the
residents' emic view. City water is the top
priority and requirement for the state of Texas concerning colonias, but colonias/communities
such as Nuway/Mayfair have something different to
say. Qualitative data was collected, coded, and reported as quantitative
data in the form of graphs. Historical information concerning "colonia-like conditions" are
included from an ethnology-type perspective in other cultures and
times. A short chronology of Texas colonia
laws is included.
Social Work in the Colonias Report: Colonia
LifeEl Paso, TX - posted March 2, 2008 A strongly opinionated two-part article/story
and personal reflective report. The first part is a short tale
and a parody of that tale as an example of the problems in colonias. The second part is an in-depth
personal account of living in the country (areas now called colonias), with a comparison and contrast between extreme
poverty outside of a colonia (indeed, outside of
the state of Texas -- in Nebraska), and my once-much-better-life within a colonia... better, that is, until we found out colonia laws rob people of their property value and
treats colonia dwellers as "the other,"
or even as criminals, and something to be eliminated. I draw a contrast
between local El Paso county colonias too, to show
the major differences between them and how current across-the-board
legislation on colonias violates civil, human, and
property rights of colonia dwellers, most of whom are
U.S. citizens. What is happening in colonias
would never happen within the poorest areas of America's cities. Colonia laws are discrimination based on geographic location, and
selectively victimizes property owners with only certain size lots,
while denying them the right to have electricity, which would give them
improved quality of life, regardless of their water source.
CANUTILLO WATER PROJECT: Border Interfaith Internship - Final ReportEl
Paso, TX July 19, 2007
PART I: Reflective Report on Applied Anthropology Experience PART II: Applied Anthropology Research Report: Canutillo Water Project Applied anthropological study to help bring city water to the
Canutillo, TX colonia, via an internship with
Border Interfaith - an affiliate of the IAF (Industrial Areas
Foundation). Methods used include ethnographic research (in-depth
interviews), RRA/PRA (Rapid Rural Appraisal/Participatory Rural Appraisal)
focus group, and a culmination of qualitative data that was coded and
quantified for this report (in the form of charts and graphs). A
Knowledge Utilization Plan was part of this endeavor, aimed towards
policy-makers and entities at the federal, state, county, and city levels,
etc. An organizational analysis was done (not shown), and this study
included functions of these domain of application areas: policy research,
impact assessment/social impact assessment, culture brokerage, needs
assessment, planner, and advocacy, all of which falls under the umbrella role
of Public Anthropology.
Ethnic Makeup and Demographics:El
Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico – 1960-1980 My small part of a larger group study on bi-national
historical, politicial, social, etc. data for this
time period (a Powerpoint show was presented also)
Co-Authored Article: DCL (Dedicated Commuter Lane) Survey in
El Paso, Texas:CLICK HERE ABSTRACT FOR THIS ARTICLE:The
Dedicated Commuter Lane (DCL) was first opened in the year of 1999 to
expedite the cross-border traffic of commuters between the United States and
Mexico’s manufacturing facilities.To determine the general demographics and the border crossing habits
of DCL users a questionnaire was developed and a bilingual survey of El Paso,
Texas residents and Juarez, Mexico residents was implemented.Respondents’ answers showed that
some of the advantages of having the DCL include shorter lines and fewer
inspections.On the other hand,
some of the disadvantages include the hours of operation and the inability to
carpool.Nationality of
respondents was nearly equal between U.S., Mexico, and Dual citizenship
status, although males were more likely to use the DCL than females.The socioeconomic status of the
respondents’ households showed a positive relationship between greater
numbers of DCL users and higher income levels; therefore, a positive
relationship was also evident between a lesser amount of DCL users and lower
income levels.An enormous amount
of DCL users cross at the Lerdo/Stanton (downtown)
bridge, with an overwhelming vote for the DCL to be provided at the
Americas/Cordova (Puente Libre) bridge in the
future.While most DCL users live
in El Paso, the majority of them cross for work, followed by family, and then
entertainment purposes.Respondents reported that the long lines – especially during
9/11 – are by far the worst problem they have encountered, although
issues with vehicle inspections and rudeness of the authorities at the
bridges followed closely after that.
Navajo Creation
Myths by Sharon Cornet and Connie Luna This was a book critique paper and posterboard
presentation project in Cultural Anthropology, Spring 2006
Mescalero Apache Pow Wow by Sharon Cornet (printed with permission by Gervase
Peso, Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation)
Paranormal
or Spiritual Beliefs and Mental Illness The terms supernatural and paranormal both refer to spiritual
beliefs "outside of the norm" - are there different levels of
mental illness in either group?
Chinese
Medicine: "Dragon Bones" Ancient Chinese medicine and lore, even in modern times,
promotes fossilized dinosaur bones as "dragon bones" and is used
for medicinal purposes
BOOK
CRITIQUES/CRITIQUES
Critical Analysis of an Ethnography - Mescalero Apache Cosmovision I loved this book... fantastic insight into how Native
Americans view their place in the cosmos, and how it is incorporated into
their dance rituals
Critical Analysis of an Ethnography - Hutterite Society Hutterites are closely related to the
Amish, Mennonites, and others of the Anabaptist movement (my family on my
dad's father's side were all Mennonites)
Colonia Genocide CLICK
HERE My own harrowing experience with getting my electricity turned
back on at our house in an east El Paso county colonia
utilizing HB 2096
Gun Violence in America: CLICK HERE (short article)
Ethnocentrism: CLICK
HERE My personal views on spiritual beliefs
Dangers of OZONE in Air
Purifiers This older article is one from personal experience, and
includes empirical evidence, information from the EPA, etc.
Japan, Radiation, KI, and Chernobyl (3/17/11): CLICK HERE Article
about the non-dangers (in N America) of radiation from the explosions
(non-meltdown) at the nuclear facilities in Japan after the 8.9 earthquake on
March 11, 2011.
ARTICLES #2 PAGE Bigfoot Research,
Paranormal, UFO's, and Spirituality - ARTICLES
#2 PAGE (Many articles - only for the mindful of the extreme
unconventional)
Paranormal Survey Results:(the
first survey I ever conducted - in my Intro to Sociology class, for honors
credit, Dec 2005) CLICK HERE ITEM CONTENTS: Objective | Method | Process
| Statistical Data | Discussion | Conclusions CHARTS: Results/Totals | Analysis | Comparisons SUPPLEMENTAL DATA: UFO/Alien Experiencers
