Journal 12

One of my topics is the death penalty. I choose the death penalty because i believe that it is cruel and unusual punishment and should be outlawed. I think no matter what the crime is people dont have the right to condemn people to death. There always is a chance that someone is convicted of a crime that they did not commit and they should not be killed over it.

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2010111900.

Cyber bullying is a huge new issue. With advances in technology it becomes a new and huge issue. Now cyber bullying is a new way that kids can pick on each other. It is becoming very common for kids to cyber bully each other and their are even extreme cases that can lead to suicide. Cyber bullying is not okay and should be treated as a serious crime.

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2008050200&type=hitlist&num=1

Journal eleven

In America a conviction of 220 pounds of weed or the equivalent of 100 plants requires a five-year sentence. It is ridiculous that someone who is carrying weed would have the same criminal sentence as someone who has been convicted of burglary. Decriminalization of marijuana is when someone is in pession of less the one gram of weed they will be treated like a normal traffic fine. Decriminalizion of weed is a trend that is sweeping across many states and is a trend towards overall legalization. It is important to separate marijuana into its own class and not keep it up their with the hardcore drugs like cocaine and heroine.

In America if one is caught with 220 pounds of weed, which is the equivalent of 100 plants, then they will be sentenced to five years in jail. It is absurd to think, that someone who is carrying weed, can have the same criminal sentence as someone who has been convicted of a serious crime like burglary, or possession of a assault riffle. The best way to solve the problem of sending people to jail for weed it to decriminalize it. Decriminalization of marijuana is when someone is pulled over with a small amount of weed one them (varying by state), and the fine is treated like a normal traffic fine. Decriminalizion of weed is a trend that is sweeping across many states and is a step towards overall legalization. .

Journal 10

My article is entitled Legalizing Marijuana (should pot be treated like alcohol and taxed). The article talks about how weed is a cash crop and is sold for tons of money. If the government was to take control of Marijuana and tax it like alcohol and tobacco then they will be making a ton of money. California estimates that if it was to tax marijuana it would created around 1.4 billion dollars in revenue. Marijuana is not bad for you with less then 1% of all Americans who use marijuana on a daily bases are dependent on it which is number far less then tobacco or alcohol. The jail system in America is overcrowded and police are being overworked and it is not worth the efforts of the judicial system to waste their time and energy on people smoking weed. Marijuana sparks a drug war that has people fighting over who sells what product and how to sneak it into the country. This is a good argument because they use a lot of different arguments to reach their point. I like how they bring up medical use as a reason on why marijuana should be legal. Many articles talk about how weed for medical use should be legal because it helps sick people. Weed can give cancer patients who are going through kimo enough of an appititate that they can finally eat something. Weed can also help with many other sickness including autism. I also like that this article talks about the pros and cons of each including "I say this as representative of an organization that believes marijuana should be treated like alcoholic beverages: Legal for adults but subject to sensible regulations and taxes". If weed is just used by adults and tax is can be treated just like alcohol or cigarettes. People are scared of weed for no particular reason. Everyone agrees that it is in a class of its on and it is not like the hardcore drugs. Marijuana can help out the total population and be wonders to anyone who is sick. It really had the power to com down anyone how is sick or had serious problems. Also government issued weed can be controlled by the government and will not have anything extra added into it that will make people sick. "That's $250,000 in untaxed revenue per crop — or a potential total of more than $25 million just for those 39 sites in San Mateo County. In a state where desperate politicians are wrestling with a bankruptcy-threatening $24 billion budget deficit, the prospect of adding any kind of business to the tax rolls can start to sound like a plan." This proves that it can help stabilize the economy. The three main reasons that marijuana should be legal are for medical reasons, to help clear the jail system, and to give the government money and control the strains released.
The MLA citation is Katel, P. (2009, June 12). Legalizing marijuana. CQ Researcher, 19, 525-548. Retrieved November 4, 2010, from CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2009061200.

Journal 9

Marijuana

In November california is voting on proposition 19 which will legalize marijuna outright not just for medical reasons. If this bill is passed California will collect over 1.9billion dollars in taxes and will clear jail spaces. Marijuana is a huge debate that is going on all over the country. The federal government still says that it is illegal but many states have legalized it for medical reasons. I believe that marijuana should be legal. I think this because one it helps people with diseases feel better, it will create tax revenue and help stabilize the economy, it will clear much needed jail space, and everyone is doing it so why shouldn't it be legal. Also if alcohol and tobacco are legal which cause way more deaths the weed then why shouldn't the government make it legal and make money off it.

Gay Rights

Same sex marriage is a debate that has been going on for a long time. Some states have accepted the measure while other like California had the opportunity to vote to accept same sex marriages but voted against them. I think that this is just another stage in the progression of America as a whole. First it was the civil rights movement and African Americans all over fought for there freedom and for the same rights as everyone else and they were granted them. Next came the suffrage movement and women were sick of being treated unfairly and they fought for their rights and were granted them. Now comes the battle for gay rights. I think it is ridiculous to not let people be with who they love just because they are the same sex. The preamble to the Constitution state "We the people..." Not "We the people except for anyone who is gay".

Arizona Immigration Bill

In April Arizona passed one of the strictest most rasict laws ever to be passed by a state. Arizona's new law stated that police officers should arrest anyone who they suspect of being an illegal immigrant and detain them until they can provide prof of their citizenship. This means that anyone of Hispanic decent can be arrested at anytime and held for questioning. This law is similar to Nazi Germany when the Nazis would arrest anyone on sight that they suspected of being Jewish. This is crazy America is suppose to be the land of the free and laws like this seem like they belong more in dictatorships then democracy's. This law seems unconstitutional because how can anyone tell the difference from an illegal immigrant and a legal immigrant just by looking at them. Pretty much this law is saying if you are of Hispanic decent you should leave Arizona because there is a good chance you will be arrested and questioned legal or illegal.

Journal 8

Mac is the new sleek form of an old PC computer. Mac no longer need a separate computer and monitor and instead both are built into one. Mac computers come with a flat screen and the computer is built into the screen, taking up less room. Also with a Mac all of the applications are displayed on the bottom of the screen making it easier to access all of the applications that are needed. Mac computers also come in silver, white, or black and look a lot cooler then the old PC computers. This is even proven in the Mac commercials when Mac is represented by the young hip kid and the old PC is portrayed as the fat older nerd wearing glasses.




This is an old PC. While both the Mac and the PC are both computers that work as you can see the PC is built less sleek. The PC comes with 4 different parts a key board, a mouse, a monitor, and the computer itself. The PC is also bulkier and looks like it would be used by someone older or in a real business setting. With a PC you don't get to choose the colors that you want the computer to come in which is another reason why the PC seems less "hip". Overall the PC is bulkier and is not as cool as the Mac.

Evaluation

For my Evaluation i choose to evaluate the TV show the office. The office is a show that airs on NBC and has been going on for 7 seasons. The office merits an evaluation because it is a normal sitcom TV show that has lasted for 7 seasons and it is very popular. While evaluating the show i will use a few different criteria to see what people think of the show. First i will use awards. The show has been on for seven years so if it is as popular as people are making it then it will win a lot of awards. Secondly i will use critics opinions. I will use this because critics watch a lot of different shows and what they think has a huge impact on how successful a TV show is. Thirdly, i will use peoples opinions. I will interview and talk to people of all ages so that way i will see a broad range of people and what they think of the show. Fourth i will talk about the humor in the show an talk about what i find funny and what i don't think is that good. The final criteria i will use to evaluate the show is does it accomplish what it attempts to do. For awards it has won 17 awards in 5 seasons including best actor in a comedy and best comedy. Second is critics opinions. When looking through opinions the broad range of topics are that it is a very good funny show. People think that the show is very funny and the Steve Carell is hilarious. Then will be peoples opinions and i have not interviewed anybody yet so i can not use that yet. Fourth will be the humor that is involved with the show. I believe that the show is very funny. Micheal the boss's humor is one of the best parts. It is funny how he does not act like a boss and instead is very childish and comedic saying things like "That's what she says". Then u have Dwight K. Shrute the top sales man at the company who is funny in his own right. He is crazy and provides a lot of humor. They key part of the show is that they try to act like they are running an office a paper company to be exact but at the same time the things that go on their are very funny. Finnaly it is if they accomplish what they set out to do. The point is a mockumtery which makes it seem like there all film crews all around the office filming their day but it is fake. They do this well because you know that they are talking to cameras and it seems like it could be a real documentary but it is hysterical. Overall i would rate this office a 91 out of 100. I say this because it is very funny, but there are times where the humor could be a little dry or because some episodes feel like that have no story line.

Invistigative report outline

1. Me and my roommate are walking by east halls. We look up an see a room with a never stopping red light, we call it the "shroom room". I ask my roomate how much energy do you think that room alone is going to waste this semester, then multiply that by all rooms in east, then in campus. That's a lot of energy being wasted...(develop more on that scene).

2. "holy shit that's a lot of wasted energy, that can't be good for the enviorment".

3. Energy consumption is a huge issue that no one is talking about

• Huge campus if nothing is done huge toll on the environment
  
• everyone is going green now a days and so is the campus
• A big problem no one seems to care about
• Easy to follow a few simple steps that will help to reduce consumption
• Penn States cost for energy is increasing at an absurd rate

4. The United States consumes a ton of energy per year, most of which comes from fossil fuels. It's now more important then ever to conserve because the planet is running out and everyone can play a role in saving the environment. Penn State is a huge campus with over 40,000 students if everyone is not aware of what can be done to solve the problem then nothing will ever get solved.

5. Students around campus that i talk to seem to have no interest in the subject or do not care. During interviews the majority of kids said they don't care and that they always leave their lights and TV on when they leave the room. A few pledged to me that they will make a change and they will play a role in fixing the problem. Intresting points that really got my point across to these students is that n the 2008/ 09 year Penn State campuses consumed 75,000 tons of coal. This amount of coal is enough to fill Beaver Stadium once every five years! Everyone knows that coal is a fossil fuel and we need as much of it as we can and this is a waste. (more facts on that, student's, and RA's opinions)

6. Penn State as a whole Penn State University campuses consume a combined 300 million (kWh) of electricity annually. This is the equivalent of the amount of electricity used by over 23,000 homes per year. Penn State is also spending $2million a month and is spending $49 million per year on electricity. Penn State is doing a lot to combat the problem like winter break shutdowns. Also their buildings are now going to be more green friendly. (expand on this).

7. What can be done. More quotes by students pledging to change. Students can create power management profile on your computer. U.S. college students could save more than 2.3 billion kilowatt hours per year of electricity by enabling power saving features on their desktop PCs. (green psu). Also things like turn of appliances, don't leave water running, shorter showers.

8. Conclude by asking people to take a stand and join the fight. Convince people that it's easy and that it is the right thing to do. Use a couple more interesting hard hitting facts to drive home my point, and then have a good concluding sentence that makes people think about what there gonna do the next time they leave the room.