Surprises

Worksheet 5

a) The term Streisand Effect is applied to the internet phenomenon that occurs when an attempt to censor or remove a certain piece of information (such as a photograph, document, etc.) instead causes the information to become widely known and distributed. The fact that a piece of information is being restricted assigns to it a previously non-e istent value in the eyes of the public. b) The medieval policy of setting up large hunting reserves for the nobility has preserved green space, often as parks, throughout England and other places in Europe. !ikewise the creation of "no-man#s lands" during the $old %ar, in places such as the border between Eastern and %estern Europe, and the &orean 'emilitari(ed )one, has led to large natural habitats. c) Theobald *athew#s temperance campaign in +,th-century -reland (in which thousands of people vowed never to drink alcohol again) led to the consumption of diethyl ether, an into icant much more dangerous due to its high flammability, by those seeking to become into icated without breaking the letter of their pledge. d) -n +,,., the /ustralian state of 0ictoria made safety helmets mandatory for all bicycle riders. %hile there was a reduction in the number of head in1uries, there was also an unintended reduction in the number of 1uvenile cyclists2fewer cyclists obviously leads to fewer in1uries, assuming all else being e3ual. The risk of death and serious in1ury per cyclist seems to have increased, possibly due to risk compensation. 4esearch by 0ulcan et al. found that the reduction in 1uvenile cyclists was because the youths considered wearing a bicycle helmet unfashionable. / health benefit model developed at *ac3uarie 5niversity in Sydney suggests that, while helmet use reduces "the risk of head or brain in1ury by appro imately two-thirds or more", the decrease in e ercise caused by reduced cycling as a result of helmets laws is counterproductive in terms of net health. e) The sinking of ships in shallow waters during wartime has created many artificial coral reefs, which can be scientifically valuable and have become an attraction for recreational divers.

Surprises

f) -n $-/ 1argon, "blowback" describes the unintended, undesirable conse3uences of covert operations, for e ample6 covert funding of the /fghan *u1ahideen, which contributed to the rise of /l-7aeda. g) The introduction of e otic animals and plants for food, for decorative purposes, or to control unwanted species often leads to more harm than good done by the introduced species. The introduction of rabbits in /ustralia and 8ew )ealand for food was followed by an e plosive growth in the rabbit population9 rabbits have become a ma1or feral pest in these countries. &ud(u, introduced as an ornamental plant and later used to prevent erosion in earthworks, has become a ma1or problem in the Southeastern 5nited States. &ud(u has displaced native plants, and has effectively taken over significant portions of land. h) -n medicine, most drugs have unintended conse3uences (#side effects#) associated with their use. :owever, some are beneficial. ;or instance, aspirin, a pain reliever, is also an anticoagulant that can help prevent heart attacks and reduce the severity and damage from thrombotic strokes. The e istence of beneficial side effects also leads to off-label use2prescription or use of a drug for an unlicensed purpose. i) /fter about +,.., public demand led the federal government to fight forest fires in the /merican %est, and set aside land as national forests and parks to protect them from fires. This policy led to fewer fires, but led to growth conditions that made what fires did occur much larger and more damaging. *odern research suggests that this policy was misguided, and that a certain level of wildfires is a natural and important part of forest ecology.