What in the Environment interests me?
A very good question. There are many problems in the environment today (pollution, deforestation, global warming), so it would seem simple to find things that would interest me. Growing up, however, I felt relatively unaffected by these as well as most environmental issues. Even though they were present, it was hard for me to seriously consider these issues because I felt they didn’t apply to me. Likewise, today it is equally hard for me to find things that bother me about the environment. However, I suppose there are a few things that I might find interesting (at least for the purposes of this blog).
Where I come from in California, we had fluoride added to our water to make the water healthier. I didn’t know that everyone else didn’t do the same, and I was surprised to find out that there was actually some debate. For researching purposes, I suppose I would turn this into topic into water processing, and what the government in different local areas put into and out of their water. I think that it would be interesting to see how different places in the US deal with water purification. It would also be interesting to see how different countries worldwide dealt with water problems, whether they lived next to large bodies of water or whether they were inland.
Another thing that I find interesting is the industrialization of the world. Back before the industrial revolution, there was much less pollution. It would be interesting to research how the earth’s atmosphere and recourses have been hurt or depleted, respectively. Of course, this would also be very hard to do because we don’t have data of that sort dating back to before the industrial revolution. However, it would be interesting to see how industrial pollution is affecting health and society today, and see how harsh this pollution is becoming.
Another thing that interests me is littering. Everyone has seen some degree of litter in their lifetime. It would be interesting to do some research to find out how many fines have been given out for littering, to see if they are able to enforce their laws. It would also be interesting to see what kinds of messages people like environmentalists are sending to try to prevent people from littering. Littering in the ocean would also be an interesting issue to research. Better yet, to see how oil emissions into the oceans effect the organisms that live their. Are there organisms that are being killed because of pollution in the oceans? That would be a good question if I were to research this topic.
I have also heard a lot about how glaciers are melting near the poles of the earth. From what I have heard, this is affecting the global climate because ice is better at insulating than water is. If I were to research this topic, it would be interesting to see how these melting glaciers were going to effect humans and the rate at which this effect would occur. I don’t think that I would research this topic because it seems pretty boring to me, but at least it is an idea.
Well, from these topics, I’m not sure what I will do my research on. Most likely I will do it on something completely different. I realize that the environment it important, but its hard to choose something when it is hard to see its effects. Maybe I should do some research to find out what I’d like to do. Fin.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Article Analysis
For this article analysis I chose the first article, The Endangered Species Act Should Be Preserved, by John D. Dingell. He makes the claim that there are some people that want to change the ESA (Endangered Species Act), to allow for military exemptions. His basic premise is that the ESA is working and should not be changed.
There were several things that I felt were effective in this article. For example one of the things that he mentions is that recently, our military has been having success, and they have been doing so without changing the ESA. The only drawback to a claim such as this is that different people have different ideas of what success is, and also that perhaps this success had nothing to do with endangered species.
Another very powerful statement that he makes is that national security comes before the ESA. He then explains that the ESA has a waiver process that the military can go through so that the military can more fully protect the nation if conflict arises. I felt that this not only addressed the opposition, but it also gives the ESA more credibility, as we can see that it is flexible to the needs of the military if they are willing to go through the waiver process. He makes it sound like it would be unnecessary for the military to have exemptions, because they have this process. However, because I am not an expert on the subject, perhaps it is very difficult to go through this waiver process, in which the author could be using a straw-man fallacy.
One of the last things that I noticed the author doing well was that of an appeal to our emotions, or pathos. He does this several ways, one of which was calling the ESA a nonpartisan act. This is very important to the reader, because when we see that something is nonpartisan, we think that most people agree with it and therefore it must be a good thing, because many people view political parties as a bad thing. Also, just the fact that he says he wants to save animals appeals to most people, because most people like animals.
One of the things that I do not like about this article is found in the beginning, when he talks about the unanimity of the vote for the ESA. I do not like it because the vote occurred 30 years ago, and people’s opinions may have changed! Just because it was unanimous then, does not mean that perhaps it should not be modified now.
Another thing that I didn’t find particularly effective was the fact that he spouts off facts such as different animals that have been “restored”, but he does not give any field data, such as the population changes over time of different species that are classified as endangered. By not giving us this information, his “facts” lose much of their credibility, in my opinion. If the animals are being preserved, show us the numbers!
Finally, I did not like how the author only spoke of the ESA with relationship to the military. Other people, like landowners, have had problems with the ESA, but the author does not mention these things. By limiting his discussion to just military matters, I feel he loses some credibility. At the same time, this would be effective for those who do not like the military very much. However, if he wanted to make his argument complete, he would have to include an argument for why the ESA should not be changed with other people, such as landowners who struggle with this act, if he was to have more credibility.
There were several things that I felt were effective in this article. For example one of the things that he mentions is that recently, our military has been having success, and they have been doing so without changing the ESA. The only drawback to a claim such as this is that different people have different ideas of what success is, and also that perhaps this success had nothing to do with endangered species.
Another very powerful statement that he makes is that national security comes before the ESA. He then explains that the ESA has a waiver process that the military can go through so that the military can more fully protect the nation if conflict arises. I felt that this not only addressed the opposition, but it also gives the ESA more credibility, as we can see that it is flexible to the needs of the military if they are willing to go through the waiver process. He makes it sound like it would be unnecessary for the military to have exemptions, because they have this process. However, because I am not an expert on the subject, perhaps it is very difficult to go through this waiver process, in which the author could be using a straw-man fallacy.
One of the last things that I noticed the author doing well was that of an appeal to our emotions, or pathos. He does this several ways, one of which was calling the ESA a nonpartisan act. This is very important to the reader, because when we see that something is nonpartisan, we think that most people agree with it and therefore it must be a good thing, because many people view political parties as a bad thing. Also, just the fact that he says he wants to save animals appeals to most people, because most people like animals.
One of the things that I do not like about this article is found in the beginning, when he talks about the unanimity of the vote for the ESA. I do not like it because the vote occurred 30 years ago, and people’s opinions may have changed! Just because it was unanimous then, does not mean that perhaps it should not be modified now.
Another thing that I didn’t find particularly effective was the fact that he spouts off facts such as different animals that have been “restored”, but he does not give any field data, such as the population changes over time of different species that are classified as endangered. By not giving us this information, his “facts” lose much of their credibility, in my opinion. If the animals are being preserved, show us the numbers!
Finally, I did not like how the author only spoke of the ESA with relationship to the military. Other people, like landowners, have had problems with the ESA, but the author does not mention these things. By limiting his discussion to just military matters, I feel he loses some credibility. At the same time, this would be effective for those who do not like the military very much. However, if he wanted to make his argument complete, he would have to include an argument for why the ESA should not be changed with other people, such as landowners who struggle with this act, if he was to have more credibility.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
OE in 600 words
I really have no idea what I am going to write my paper about. But since I am forced to pick something to write about for this assignment, here goes.
We are getting fatter. Statistically as a nation, almost every state has had rising obesity rates over the last few decades. Here at BYU, we are given opportunities to try to reverse this process. For example, intramural sports is a great way for students to get together and exercise while having fun and enjoying each others company at the same time. But are we doing enough? For new students here at BYU, the weight gain that occurs even has a universal name: freshman fifteen. So again we have to ask ourselves the question: is BYU providing adequate opportunity for freshman to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Upon consideration, one realizes that by providing better opportunities for exercise and a healthier selection of food, BYU could be doing a much better job of giving freshman students a healthy environment to live in.
Let’s pretend that I want to go running. Being from Helaman Halls, one option could be to run around the dorm buildings in a big loop. However, this presents a problem. Because of all the snow, the walking places soon become densely packed ice-ways. One bad footfall and you can crash and burn, I know because I have done so on several occasions. It can be especially dangerous if you run at night. A better solution to this problem would be to go down to the track that is right next to Helaman Halls. However, this track is usually locked to the public, so one would have to hop the fence and trespass if he or she was looking to exercise. As one can see, it becomes difficult for a freshman student to find a place to exercise. My solution to this problem would be to simply open the gates to the track near Helaman Halls, so that students can have open access to come and go as they please to exercise.
Another problem here at BYU for freshman students is nutrition. A large part of this problem comes from two things: cafeteria food and vending machines. The problem with the cafeteria food is that in the serving lines, they often serve foods like greasy chicken, French fries, and other meats that no one knows from which animal it came. If you want fruits and vegetables, you usually have to go to a different place in the cafeteria, rather than making them conveniently accessible in the serving line. If they would serve the fruits and vegetables in the serving line, students would be more likely to choose them, and their meals would be healthier.
Another large problem for freshman students is the vending machines. Towards the end of last semester, I was usually eating at least one meal out of the vending machines everyday, because my schedule was such that I often didn’t have time to go to the cafeteria. I am fully convinced that this was one of the reasons that I gained weight the first semester, because the foods that were offered in the vending machines were often greasy and unhealthy. I propose that the vending machines in the student dorms, like the ones in the testing center, offer things like sandwiches for students to eat. This might not sound like a huge deal, but a turkey sandwich is much healthier than a half pound pepperoni meat hot pocket. Also, if the vending machines offered fruits such as apples and oranges, students would have a healthier variety of things to choose from. If BYU made these changes, students would have a better chance of having a healthy lifestyle and an overall happier freshman experience.
We are getting fatter. Statistically as a nation, almost every state has had rising obesity rates over the last few decades. Here at BYU, we are given opportunities to try to reverse this process. For example, intramural sports is a great way for students to get together and exercise while having fun and enjoying each others company at the same time. But are we doing enough? For new students here at BYU, the weight gain that occurs even has a universal name: freshman fifteen. So again we have to ask ourselves the question: is BYU providing adequate opportunity for freshman to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Upon consideration, one realizes that by providing better opportunities for exercise and a healthier selection of food, BYU could be doing a much better job of giving freshman students a healthy environment to live in.
Let’s pretend that I want to go running. Being from Helaman Halls, one option could be to run around the dorm buildings in a big loop. However, this presents a problem. Because of all the snow, the walking places soon become densely packed ice-ways. One bad footfall and you can crash and burn, I know because I have done so on several occasions. It can be especially dangerous if you run at night. A better solution to this problem would be to go down to the track that is right next to Helaman Halls. However, this track is usually locked to the public, so one would have to hop the fence and trespass if he or she was looking to exercise. As one can see, it becomes difficult for a freshman student to find a place to exercise. My solution to this problem would be to simply open the gates to the track near Helaman Halls, so that students can have open access to come and go as they please to exercise.
Another problem here at BYU for freshman students is nutrition. A large part of this problem comes from two things: cafeteria food and vending machines. The problem with the cafeteria food is that in the serving lines, they often serve foods like greasy chicken, French fries, and other meats that no one knows from which animal it came. If you want fruits and vegetables, you usually have to go to a different place in the cafeteria, rather than making them conveniently accessible in the serving line. If they would serve the fruits and vegetables in the serving line, students would be more likely to choose them, and their meals would be healthier.
Another large problem for freshman students is the vending machines. Towards the end of last semester, I was usually eating at least one meal out of the vending machines everyday, because my schedule was such that I often didn’t have time to go to the cafeteria. I am fully convinced that this was one of the reasons that I gained weight the first semester, because the foods that were offered in the vending machines were often greasy and unhealthy. I propose that the vending machines in the student dorms, like the ones in the testing center, offer things like sandwiches for students to eat. This might not sound like a huge deal, but a turkey sandwich is much healthier than a half pound pepperoni meat hot pocket. Also, if the vending machines offered fruits such as apples and oranges, students would have a healthier variety of things to choose from. If BYU made these changes, students would have a better chance of having a healthy lifestyle and an overall happier freshman experience.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
What I hope to learn in English 150
What do I want to learn from English 150? That is a question that even God might not be able to answer. Coming into this class, there were no specific things that I wanted to learn. Like most students in this course, I am taking it because it is required, and not because I am particularly interested in the subject. In fact, when people ask me what I am majoring in, one of my typical answers is “not English.” Despite this fact, I realize that this course is geared toward teaching me how to become a better writer and critical thinker. With that in mind, if I happened to learn something along the way to the end of this semester, I think some of the items that follow would probably be of help to me in my future.
I would like to learn different techniques to make the reader of my paper more interested. This is extremely general, I realize, but I would like to write in such a way that monotony and eye-rolling never go hand in hand with my papers. In other words I would like a divorce from these issues, and in the process gain custody of my readers. I would also like to become more proficient in writing my papers. It seems like every time I have to write a paper, I die at least several times. Perhaps if I were better structured in my writing (and didn’t wait until less than 12 hours before the paper was due), the task would not seem so tedious. I highly doubt this to be possible, but like science I am an open book and I am willing to listen to suggestions.
There is another thing that I would hope to learn, and that is why we use the APA format instead of the MLA. We are not in a science course, nor are we in a psychology course. And yet, for some reason, we are using APA. To be honest I don’t really want to know the answer to this question. This was more just ranting after having to learn how to do APA last semester in my human development class, after four years of MLA in high school. Maybe I should be upset at my high school instead for not teaching it to us. Better yet, I will take the pessimistic route and be angry at both. Either way it’s not a big deal and I am still just ranting for ranting’s sake.
I am sorry that I wasn’t able to come up with more things that I would want to learn in this course. My plan of attack is to roll with the punches, take time to smell the flowers, cross my fingers, close my eyes and hope to come out on top. I really don’t particularly like English. Dare I say that English is the bane of my existence. However, at the same time I do realize its immense importance and that if I am to become a competent member of society I need to know its essentials. Better yet, to become a persuasive, intregral and important member of society I need to know and understand its details. Even though I have not mentioned many specific things, I do hope that this class will prepare me to be a better writer and critical thinker. I know that response is incredibly cliché, but so is this assignment.
I would like to learn different techniques to make the reader of my paper more interested. This is extremely general, I realize, but I would like to write in such a way that monotony and eye-rolling never go hand in hand with my papers. In other words I would like a divorce from these issues, and in the process gain custody of my readers. I would also like to become more proficient in writing my papers. It seems like every time I have to write a paper, I die at least several times. Perhaps if I were better structured in my writing (and didn’t wait until less than 12 hours before the paper was due), the task would not seem so tedious. I highly doubt this to be possible, but like science I am an open book and I am willing to listen to suggestions.
There is another thing that I would hope to learn, and that is why we use the APA format instead of the MLA. We are not in a science course, nor are we in a psychology course. And yet, for some reason, we are using APA. To be honest I don’t really want to know the answer to this question. This was more just ranting after having to learn how to do APA last semester in my human development class, after four years of MLA in high school. Maybe I should be upset at my high school instead for not teaching it to us. Better yet, I will take the pessimistic route and be angry at both. Either way it’s not a big deal and I am still just ranting for ranting’s sake.
I am sorry that I wasn’t able to come up with more things that I would want to learn in this course. My plan of attack is to roll with the punches, take time to smell the flowers, cross my fingers, close my eyes and hope to come out on top. I really don’t particularly like English. Dare I say that English is the bane of my existence. However, at the same time I do realize its immense importance and that if I am to become a competent member of society I need to know its essentials. Better yet, to become a persuasive, intregral and important member of society I need to know and understand its details. Even though I have not mentioned many specific things, I do hope that this class will prepare me to be a better writer and critical thinker. I know that response is incredibly cliché, but so is this assignment.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
My life in 250 words or less
Rather than telling you boring information such as where I am from and when I was born, I will instead share a few anecdotes from my life that hopefully one would find interesting. When I was about three, my parents told me that the green M and M's were mosquito repellent pills. After seeing how devastated and distraught I was upon hearing the truth, my parents resolved to never lie to their children, even in fun. When I was a freshman in high school I had the opportunity to play in a varsity volleyball tournament, to hopefully show that I could compete at a high level. I played so poorly that I would probably consider it the most embarrassing moment of my life. However, the story does have a happy ending in that I played three years on varsity following my freshman year. Last semester I started the year by missing my very first college test because of a time deadline whose existence somehow bypassed me. I missed the test again when I failed to check my email to learn that the test had been extended to the next day. Needless to say I felt very foolish. However, this story also has a happy ending in that my professor dropped the lowest test score and I finished the class with an A.
These are just a few experiences that have affected my life, and because I am out of words the rest will have to wait for another day.
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