(JRNL 3165) Assignment #1: Data Visualization Analysis

 

Veronica Penney's data visualization shared in her article, Electric Cars Are Better for the Planet - and Often Your Budget Too, overall, does a good job in illustrating how electric cars are easily more climate friendly than gas-burning cars and often cheaper per mile. In her chart, she visualizes the average amount of carbon dioxide emissions per mile and average cost per month, comparing electric cars, hybrid cars, and traditional gas-powered cars, that all retail for $55,000 or less.

This dotted map chart was definitely pleasing and simple to look at. With my first glance at the data, I was able to clearly distinguish which colour represents the different type of car from the descriptions beside them on the chart. I liked how the colours that she chose weren't overwhelming to the eyes and that she sectioned the three categories with a bubble that surrounded the dots. I could also answer any questions that I have about this topic just by using this data visualization. I'm able to see how there really are not many electric cars made yet in comparison to the many gas-powered cars. It's also clear that the average amount of traditional gas-powered cars cost more than electric cars. 

Something that was confusing at first would be that there are so many dots on the chart but only four were actually labelled onto it. I then found out a link under the photo that led me to an interactive version in which hovering my mouse over the dot revealed the different car models. I think that the interactive visualization definitely made the chart make more sense. However, since there are many gas-powered cars that retail less than $55,000, it did make her chart seem very cluttered in that section since there were even multiple dots layered on top of each other. I think that the visualization in this interactive dotted map could've been simpler and less cluttered/confusing if she narrowed her data down, or calculated a total average per category, or if instead, I think a line chart could've worked as well with comparing the three car types. A line chart could've worked as well because the differences between electric cars, hybrid and traditional, are pretty far apart from each other. I think that she could've calculated the total average per month and total carbon dioxide, per car category and placed only three lines which showed the clear differences in data. 

FOI/ATI Request

Vanessa Magtibay
Kwantlen Polytechnic University 
12666 72 Avenue
Surrey, B.C.  V3V 2M8
(604)599-2000

November 1, 2020 

Dan Proulx
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Canadian Border Services Agency
333 North River Road
14th Floor Tower A
Vanier, Ontario K1A 0L8

Dear Mr. Proulx:

Under the Access to Information Act, please provide me with: 

• Records of all cases charged with attempted entry of undeclared and seized firearms from the U.S. into Canada since Jan. 1, 2016.

If there are any problems releasing some portions of the documents requested, please do not withhold release of all the documents, but instead forward those you can release.

To avoid photocopying fees, you may provide me with these records in PDF or JPG format electronically through email. 

I have enclosed the $5 application fee.

If you have any questions or concerns, please phone me at (778)828-7498 or by email at vmagtibay@live.ca.

Please advise me when the material is available for release.



Sincerely, 

Vanessa Magtibay

Explanation for request:

Trudeau introduced a new gun ban of over 1,500 various forms of assault-style firearms, on May 1, 2020. Illegally trying to smuggle firearms and attempts to not declare firearms across the border into Canada has been an issue for a while, and I’d like to know if the new ban has helped decrease this issue or if it actually enticed more to try to smuggle/not declare them across. Through the data requested, I’ll be able to look at the number of cases since May, when the ban was introduced, and compare that to the history of when there was no ban yet. I think it’s very important for the general public to know if this new gun ban has actually been helping keep the community safer.

Drugs - Cocaine Addictions Are Deadly

Photo by: Bruce Rosin

Cocaine is an extremely addictive stimulant drug that is highly toxic to our health and can even be fatal. It has been illegal in Canada for many years now and it should always remain that way.

Parleen Kaur argued in “Cocaine is not only used as a drug!” that the drug should be legalized because of its beneficial uses. Kaur did make some good points on how cocaine was medically used in the 1900’s, but I was quite surprised at how she did not cover many facts which support her actual argument of legalizing the drug. The negative health effects of cocaine, greatly outweigh those very few benefits that she pointed out in her blog argument.

Kaur argues that, “it is a great anesthetic and it is used in all kinds of head and neck surgery.” I don’t agree with this because it also causes many negative effects on the heart, which is a major and essential organ that keeps us alive. According to Dr. Joaquin Lucena, who led a study about deaths from cocaine use, “it causes adverse changes to the heart and arteries that then lead to sudden death.” Cocaine has significant toxic effects on the heart and is linked to increased risks of stroke, and extreme chest pain that commonly send many abusers to the ER.

Also, challenging Kaur’s point that I previously mentioned above, according to the National Institute of Health on drug abuse, the use of cocaine causes long term changes to the brain. A cocaine user’s brain ages more rapidly than a non user. The dopamine receptors in a cocaine user’s brain go through physiological and chemical changes which make their craving for more, so powerful.

Another point Kaur makes is how cocaine is used as a “vasoconstrictor agent which means it is used to narrow the blood vessels from the contraction of muscular blood vessels.” The narrowing of blood vessels reduces blood-flow in the gastrointestinal tract, which could lead to tears and ulcers. There are many other vasoconstrictor agents, other than cocaine. I don’t agree that cocaine is a good agent for this because it is such a strong stimulant as well a vasoconstrictor. This means that it makes the heart pump faster while at the same time contracting the blood vessels, which strains and overworks the heart. That creates tiny tears in the heart muscle that eventually will turn into scar tissue.

Photo by: artgyrl

In Kaur’s argument, she asks, “do you all know that cocaine is an ingredient in Coca-Cola?” With the way that it’s worded, she implies that cocaine is still an active ingredient in the drink, today. It’s widely known that Coca-Cola’s original formula did have cocaine in it, but by 1929, the company was forced to remove all traces of cocaine. The soda that we know today still does contain coca, but the ecgonine alkaloid that cocaine is derived from in coca leaves is removed, making cocaine itself, not an active ingredient anymore.

Lastly, Kaur ends her blog argument comparing cocaine to marijuana. Marijuana does also have its negatives, but the ongoing list of negative effects that cocaine has, makes the two drugs incomparable. The strong addiction that comes with cocaine, takes over your life, and the worst effect is that it will result in damaging relationships and family life.

Even the smallest amount of cocaine use can quickly lead to a serious addiction that rapidly grows. Once a user becomes addicted, their mind and body become obsessed with the next intake. Legalizing cocaine will be a massive mistake that will inevitably lead to many addicted and dependent on the drug.