Homework Due Monday 10/03

Hello Class!

For your homework you need to complete the following:

1. Read: EW in the Portfolio Keeping Tab Pg. 18-22 and 32-39

2. Type: Taking Stock #8 in EW Pg.39. Make it at least a paragraph and bring to class on Monday (either print it out or e-mail it to me)

3. Read the sample Reflection Essay passed out in class. Be prepared to answer the following questions in class: How well does this essay fit the assignment? What does the author do well and what can the author improve on? What specific information is given to the reader? Can you follow what the author is saying without having met this person or having read their essays?

PAA Rules to Remember

After reviewing your drafts I have created a list of rules I want to see you follow in your essays.

1. Any borrowed information (quotes, dates, statistics, or general information you had to look up) must be followed by in-text citations.

2. Quotes NEVER start or end a paragraph.

3. Quotes over 3 lines long are considered block quotes and must be cited in MLA format.

4. You have to transition from one paragraph to the next, if you don't your papers will not flow properly no matter how much sense your organization makes.

5. Everything must be written in proper MLA format (use EW MLA tab or OWL Purdue Website to check it).

6. Your essay is due Friday at 12:10, no exceptions.

7. Don't panic alone! If you are struggling take a deep breath and e-mail me, but for goodness sake don't do it an hour before class and expect me to help you.

Is Scott Walker’s Budget Bill the Best way to Balance Wisconsin’s deficit?

Posted for Devon

This past January, the state of Wisconsin
caught the Nation’s eye as political unrest and mass protests erupted as Scott
Walker was elected the new governor of Wisconsin. As soon as Walker stepped
into office on November 30, 2010, the state of Wisconsin would be forever
changed. Walker came into a state with a budget deficit. The governor’s job,
fix it. Walker decided that the best way to do this was to cut many of the
benefits which state workers receive. Some of which include “requiring
employees who pay into the Wisconsin Retirement System to contribute 50 percent
of their annual pension payment, requiring state employees to pay at least
12.6% of the average cost of annual [health insurance]premiums and make various
changes to limit collective bargaining for most public employees to wages”
(Highlights of Gov. Walker's budget Repair Bill 1). Along with state workers
receiving cuts, public schools received many funding cuts. The main result of
these cuts, less money in the pockets of state union workers. To many, this
seemed like a attack to state workers; resulting in, mass protests at the
capital in Madison. These protests went on for days. People by the thousands
gathered to protest the bill. I myself actually took off school for a day to
participate. What i saw? Unhappy people, thousands off them. It was obvious to
Walker that the citizens of Wisconsin didn’t agree with him, especially the 14
democrats that fled to Illinois putting their jobs at risk to pretest the
voting of the bill. However, he stood strong and the bill was passed. Along
with the finical blows many workers will suffer, the state itself will have
consequences. People are forced to choose a side. The result of this, a
strongly split conservative and liberal state. With such strong opinions of
this bill, one must think there is a better way to balance the deficit.
Wisconsin Senator Kathleen Vinehout believes we should “eliminate the tax cuts
going to the most wealthy; don’t increase taxes on those of modest means; don’t
create or expand programs unless absolutely necessary; return the raids on
funds and minimize cuts to education, colleges and local government. Get rid of
the charter school expansion and new private school “choice” vouchers.”
(Vinehout 1). She also believes that by “accepting public employee
contributions to health insurance and retirement” and “fund local government at
last year’s level” Wisconsin would have enough money to reverse half of the
cuts local schools” (Vinehout 1). To conclude, Walker does not have to go after
state employees, he choose to. There are other ways to balance the budget.

Works Cited

Staff, State Journal.
"Highlights of Gov. Walker's Budget Repair Bill." Madison.com Madison
WI News Sports Entertainment. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. <http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_3d93e6aa-363a-11e0-8493-001cc4c002e0.html>.

Vinehout, Kathleen. "A Better
Way to Balance the Budget with the Same Dollars Uppity Wisconsin."
Uppity Wisconsin Progressive News from the Cheddarsphere. Web. 19 Sept. 2011.
<http://uppitywis.org/node/46580/view?destination=taxonomy/term/230?page=7>.

What lies beneath Mt. Rainier?

Paul Lunsford

Mount Rainier is a dormant volcano that lies in the Pacific Ring of
Fire, which is the largest ring of active volcanoes in the world.
More than 40 percent of the volcanoes in the ring are actively
reoccurring and the rest are due to erupt within the next several
hundred years. Some might ask why this is relevant to us right now
because the volcanoes will most likely not erupt in our lifetime but
it will in our grandchildren if not children’s era. And to me that
would be horrible to know that it is a good possibility that the
eruption could be the end to my family. Knowing that this volcano will
erupt soon makes me want to know when it will erupt? What will happen
to the surrounding forests, ecosystems, towns, and cities?
Washington is an amazing place to live due to the beautiful, lush
forests, high snow topped Cascades and Olympic Mountain Ranges, and of
course the thriving metropolitan cities such as Seattle, Bellingham,
Belleview, and Tacoma. Also the amazing fertile soils of the Green
River Valley, Sumner Valley and Puyallup Valley. The main reason the
soil in these valleys is so fertile is because of all the sediments
the Lahar mudflows that swept down from Mt. Rainier for the past
10,000 years, the last known Lahar was approximately 500 years ago.
“Moving at speeds up to 80 kilometers per hour, a lahar would race
like a wall of wet, turbulent concrete into the valley. During such an
event, students and other valley residents would have only 45 minutes
to seek higher ground before being inundated with a fast-moving slurry
of mud, rock and water as thick as 10 meters (about 30 feet)
deep”(Pinsker). This passage confirms that when Mt. Rainier erupts it
will be pandemonium, property, memories and lives will be lost.
With all that said there is still the side of when the Volcano erupts
with the magma how far will it flow to? Will it be an eruption like
Mt. Saint Helens in 1980?
Will it cause a chain reaction with the other volcanoes in the Pacific
Ring of Fire? According to geologists the eruption of Mt. Rainier in
the first half of the 19th century would most likely reoccur when the
next eruption occurs. The Osceola Mudflow was the name of the massive
mudflow that raged down Mt. Rainier, through the river valleys and
into the Pudget Sound. “The eruption that we can expect in the future
would consist of ballistic projectiles, tephra, pyroclastic flows,
volcanic gases, landslides, and glacial outburst floods”(Think Quest).
Ballistic projectiles are the flaming chunks of rock that will blow
off the top of the mountain that have a range of about 3 miles. Tephra
is this superheated volcanic ash that when lands will catch anything
on fire, and if 4 or more inches accumulate on a structure the
structure will collapse due to the weight of the ash, the Mt. saint
Helens eruption was mostly tephra. Pyroclastic flows are heated
mudflows that will encase everything it runs over like a quickset
concrete mixed with noxious volcanic gasses and ash.




Works cited

Lisa M. Pinsker.“Paths of Destruction: The Hidden Threat at Mount
Rainier.”GeoTimes, April 2004: September 18, 2011


Mt. Rainier. “Think Quest”. September 18, 2011
http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00472/Mount_Rainier_paragraphs.htm

Do Americans' Depend on Cars too Much?

By Jake Lubeck

The invention of the automobile has had a gigantic impact on the earth. No only is it one of the causes of global warming, it has also helped to increase the percent of over-weight or obese people in car driving countries. But the automobile is not just a nuance to society. Cars have helped to create not just factory jobs, but cars salesmen, shipping and mechanic jobs, and engineering positions. Also, western American cities and suburbs were built around the idea that were going to drive. There are also some ways people car avoid using a car, which are healthier for the environment. They are riding a bike, or even walking. These simple ways can help to cut down emissions, and make people healthier. (126)

First off, cars have one of the greatest impacts on global climate change in today's world. The U.S in particular has one of the largest effects. The Union of Concerned Scientist said "Transportation is the largest single source of air pollution in the United States. It causes over half of the carbon monoxide, over a third of the nitrogen oxides, and almost a quarter of the hydrocarbons in our atmosphere in 2006" (UCSUSA.org 1). The U.S. is one of the most developed countries in the world. If places such as India or Africa start consuming as much as the U.S, does, the amount of pollution will skyrocket. (106)

Secondly, cars can help to cause obesity. Places that walk or bike more, such as Latvia, have an active transport 67%, and have a 14% obese population. While the U.S. has an active transport at 12%, and a 33% obese population (sustain.cs.washington.edu). This shows that even walking places instead of driving can have a big effect on the health of the population. (60)

But the automobile industry has some up sides. Car makers help to create a huge amount of jobs that supports the economy. About 1 in every 10 jobs has to do the car making industry. U.S. car companies buy the most raw materials out of any other company in any other business sector. Metals, plastic, rubber, wiring, and computer chips are some of the things that go into making a car, that the manufactures buy from other companies (CNN 1) . Auto manufactures don't just give jobs to the people building the cars, but also the give jobs to the miners, rubber farmers, leather manufactures, and producers of the raw materials. (109)

Also, some people see a car as a need and not just a want. These people would most likely be living in a suburb, were most of their jobs are in the city. And public transportation isn't very prevalent. The American suburb was built around an idea that Henry Ford had, low cost cars that most families can afford(About.com 1). This meant that people could spread out and live farther out of town and still have a way to get into the city. So most people who live in spread out communities need are car for work, travel, and shopping. (99)

But, I believe that the environmental problems of owning a car far outweigh the benefits. The pollution and environmental effects I see as a more urgent than keeping cars around. If we destroy the earth so humans can not inhabit it anymore, then what good is the car. I think that using more active ways of getting place to place is the future of transportation. (64)

Work Cited

http://sustain.cs.washington.edu/blog/index.php/2009/01/16/the-relationship-between-cars-and-obesity/

Cars and Obesity

http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/vehicle_impacts/cars_pickups_and_suvs/cars-trucks-air-pollution.html

Cars and Pollution

http://articles.cnn.com/2008-11-13/politics/granholm.energy_1_energy-independence-auto-industry-battery-technology?_s=PM:POLITICS

Cars and the economy

http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/suburbs.htm

Cars and Urban Sprawl

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5523771_definition-urban-sprawl.html

Cars and the Suburbs

What is the Bridge to Nowhere and will it Ever Happen?

The Bridge to Nowhere was supposed to be a bridge that connected the island of Ketchikan to the island of Gravina where the airport is located. The current means of transportation is to ferry across the half mile stretch of channel to reach the airport. The bridge would eliminate the ferry system that has been going on for years and allow cars to drive across instead. So is a 223 million dollar bridge really worth it in a town where the population is only 7,922 (2010 census)? Some say yes (mostly the people from Ketchikan), while almost everyone else says no. (ketchikanalaska.com).

According to Timothy Egan of the New York Times, this bridge would be the one of the biggest in the nation: “a mile long, with a top clearance of 200 feet from the water - 80 feet higher than the Brooklyn Bridge and just 20 feet short of the Golden Gate Bridge.” (Egan p.1). Although seemingly expensive and unnecessary, the building of the Bridge to Nowhere would bring about 600 jobs (Egan p.2), which would be good for a lot of people, especially now with the unemployment rate being rather high. So while this bridge may seem like it would only benefit the people from Ketchikan, it may help others as well.

Being from Ketchikan, I’m stuck in the middle as to whether or not the bridge should be built. A part of me says yes because it would reduce a lot of the hassle that ferrying involves. You have to worry about finding a parking spot in the long term parking lot on the Ketchikan side, taking all of your luggage with you onto the ferry (which only comes every 30 minutes, 15 in the summer season), cram onto the rather small ferry with all of your luggage plus everyone else’s as well, ride for four to five minutes across, take all of your luggage up the outdoor ramp with only a small roof (did I mention Ketchikan is one of the rainiest places in the world? The average rainfall is 152 in per year. (ketchikanalaska.com)) to the ticket booth, pay the five dollars for the ferry ride, take the ramp or stairs to the street you have to cross where you finally make it into the airport itself (knowing all of this from personal experience). The other part of me says that the funding for the bridge could be used for a better cause instead of helping a small town’s inconveniences.

So will the Bridge to Nowhere ever happen? Although that answer seems to be no for now, the people of Ketchikan are still fighting hard to make the bridge happen. Seeing as the only other options of traveling into and out of Ketchikan are float plane and the Alaska Marine Highway System, which is the ferry system that only goes to a select number of places, traveling can be an even bigger aggravation without the airplane option which is the fastest and easiest way to travel.

Work Cited

“Ketchikan Alaska”. 2011. http://www.ketchikanalaska.com/index.html. Web. 18 September 2011.

Egan, Timothy. “Built With Steel, Perhaps, but Greased With Pork”. 10 April 2004. http://www.econ.ucdavis.edu/faculty/gclark/ecn1a/hwkey/Built%20With%20Steel.pdf. Web. 18 September 2011.

Buddhism-To stay or not to stay?

Jenna Hall

In the US many different types of religions are practiced whether we recognize them or not. The US is a multicultural place however the majority of Americans identify themselves as Christians. I think it is important to know the dimensions of all religions before choosing one you personally connect with. Let me tell you a little bit about a religion I find fascinating on many levels. Buddhism is a religion that was brought to the west (San Francisco) in the late 1940s early 1950's. Buddhism was introduced in the form of Zen by Senzaki who was a Buddhist master. I think one reason Buddhism was appealing to people then was because the hippie and beat movement started to take a role in many people's lives. A revival of Buddhism is on the rise and I have many reasons why I think not only our country, but China and other countries who identify with Buddhism could benefit.

People chose to practice Buddhism because it is one way to attain ultimate freedom and enlightenment through a series of practices such as: prayers, sutras, meditation, yoga, and chanting. I think the more we can be proactive in our religion, the more we will apply it's lessons. One of the Buddhist beliefs is to always keep karma in mind. Karma is the what goes around comes around philosophy, and it's purpose is to be mindful of how you treat other people, animals, and things in order to better our society. Just think, if everyone kept these philosophies in mind, Wouldn't our world have the potential to be a moral, loving, and inventive place? Buddhism practices silence, art, meditation, yoga, and bettering oneself to then better the world. Technology does not rule all, and money is not the motive.

Now that I have given you a little background information on Buddhism and why I connect to its over all intention, I now want to tell you about it's revival present-day in China, hopefully spreading to other areas. Dharmapala, an Indian monk, stopped in Shanghai from the congress of religions in Chicago. He was taking a tour around china and his intent was to send missionaries to India to restore Buddhism and its all glory. He wants to start a propaganda throughout the whole world however, not just China. In way's China is holding true to Buddhism alone and keeping other religions out the best they can. The Buddhist monasteries put themselves under the watchful eye of Japanese monks in order to keep their properties safe.

Some of the activists trying endlessly to keep Buddhism around are arguing that “While Buddhism may be standing still or even dying in certain parts of China, it is showing new signs of life in provinces of Kiangsu and Chekiang and in the large cities. Such revival in centers subject to the influence of the modern world shows that Buddhism in China as in Japan has enough sufficient vitality to adjust itself to modern conditions.”(Hodus2). One thing leading to the revival is the reconstruction of the monasteries. The large cities of China are building activities, and something like this shows the monasteries are feeling a new wave of prosperity hopefully coming their way. Lectures and publications are also a widely effective way to spread the revival because it gets the word out to many areas. Not only monks but others are delivering lectures on the Buddhist sutras for those not willing to attend the lectures.

These are some present day activities showing the revival of Buddhism and the importance of people knowing why this religion deserves to be reawakened.

Works Cited

“Buddhism and the Buddhists in China.” Authoroma, 14 September 2011.

“Buddhism and Neuroscience.” Psychology today, 26 January 2011