The two stories about oil in South Texas that we read for class complimented each other.  One was about the health issues revolving around the oil company in Eagle Ford and another was about the booms of oil in Texas, its downfall, and then its revival in South Texas.

http://eagleford.publicintegrity.org

The article “Big Oil, Bad Air,” hyperlinked above, is about a woman who lives in Karnes City, Texas, who is suffering from breathing issues caused by the drilling site at Eagle Ford.  The article talks about how she hates her home  since the oil company has moved in and how her life has changed for the worse.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/the-oil-boom-of-south-texas

The article, “Ya’ll Smell that? That’s the Smell of Money,” is by Bryan Mealer whose family hit gold with the oil boom in Texas making them incredibly rich. However, the boom ended and his father eventually filed for bankruptcy. Later in life, after a career in journalism, Mealer became part of the Eagle Ford oil company because of the natural draw that he felt towards the oil business.

The two stories are two completely different angles on the same topic. We talked in class about how the articles are better understood if they are both read. Reading both articles gives the reader two points of view on the oil drilling in South Texas that one wouldn’t see reading just one of the articles.