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.

Invistigative report

For my investigative report i am looking at the energy consumption at Penn State. Everyone knows that Penn State is a huge institution that has many buildings and residence halls, but how many people actually think of the amount of energy that is being used to keep all of these building running smoothly. Last year as a whole Penn State consumed 300million kilowatt-hours which is equivalent to 23,000 homes per year. A year Penn State spends 49Million dollars on energy alone. Now imagine if every student living at Penn State was aware of this and turned off their lights while leaving the room, turn off the TV, don't leave the water running. Not only will they help prevent things like global warming but it also will allow the university to spend money on more important things to help further our education. Energy is being used all over campus and now the key is to teach the students about the effects on the environment and for everyone to take charge and do what ever they can to play their part. John Paul a freshman at Penn State says
"I never realized how big of a problem energy consumption really is, I'm gonna make sure to do my part". Ryan Carrie an RA for Sproul halls says "I am going to start enforcing rules on my floor that will make sure people do their part to combat the problem. Ben Hofstutter another freshman at Penn State says "I will make sure to do my part and get all my friends to help!".
One interesting fact is that Penn State consumed 300million kilowatt-hours which is equivalent to 23,000 homes per year. (Green.psu.edu). My second fact is that the University has invested $40 million towards recommissioning and retrofitting existing buildings at University Park and several Commonwealth campuses (Green.psu.edu). My third fact is that Penn State’s electricity bill totals $2 million each month (Green.psu.edu). My final fact is that in the 2008/ 09 fiscal year Penn State campuses consumed 560,000 million cubic feet of natural gas and 75,000 tons of coal. This amount of coal is enough to fill Beaver Stadium once every five years (Green.psu.edu). Two areas that i might want to further my research in are water consumption, and recycling. That way i can change my paper into not only energy consumption but Penn States overall goal to get greener.

Journal Four

The speaker defines the issue of underage drinking perfectly so that the entire time listening to audio podcast the audience knows exactly what the speaker is talking about it. The reason that the issue of underage drinking at Penn State needs to be investigated is that at this point they were voted the number one party school in the nation and it is a good example of all college towns. The audio does show how the issue affects different groups who have an interest or connection to underage drinking. The audio gives us all different perspectives of the issue from the students, to the police, to the people in the neighboring town who live next to the frats. The person doing the audiotape speaks and gets quotes from all of the important people who make up state college. They have audio of the president, the students, people living in the town, and even the police force. The specific conclusion that the speaker wants the audience to reach is that underage drinking and high risk drinking is a big problem in Penn State and throughout all colleges. I liked this audio speech a lot it shows the side of Penn State that all of the students know exists but no one else really does. I liked a lot how the people came to the college during a football weekend and interviewed people and just went around the town to see what happens late at night on the weekends. I didn't like how they make it seem like every single person in state college drinks and makes us seem like we are the worst college out there and that we are so reckless. I would like to hear more about what the students do and what they think of the problem and less of adults complaining and saying how bad all the students were. This was a really interesting audiotape so much so that it made me want to listen to the whole thing instead of just skimming through. Its interesting to hear some of the facts and hear the 3/4 of all students drink on the weekend. It makes me wonder if all colleges are like this or are we just are own little enterprise living differently from anywhere else in the world. All i know is that Penn State is like no where else in the world and that we are very lucky to be on this ride and to be able to experience the in and outs of every single weekend. Alcohol may be a problem but as I go out on the weekends i can see that the police have defiantly stepped up their came and have cracked up on all the problems that were discussed during that radio show. What really interested me was the idea of can anything really be done to stop the problem. Everyone drinks and everyone drinks underage at college so no matter what the faculty tries and teaches the students you really wonder what can Graham Spaniar really do?

Journal 3

After reading "Shitty First Drafts" by Anne Lamott i realized that everyone goes through the same issues that I do. When i start writing i sit down at my computer and have no idea what's about to happen. I just type away not worrying what i say praying that what I am saying will eventually make sense. At first when i was young and used to do this i would always get worried that my writing would suck and i would never be able to fix it. But just like Lamott said "you learn to trust the process". It took a while before i realized that i go through the same thing every time i try to write so it eventually will all work out. This is the same thing that happened to me while writing my personal memoir. I started by having trouble thinking of a topic. I went through my life and was trying to pick a moment in my life that was not only important to me but also that people would not be bored of when reading. When i finally picked my topic i had to think of every little detail of that moment. When i first wrote i was putting in pointless ideas that no one would want to read and that would make my paper way to long. Just like Lamott i went back through the paper and took out the things that would not make any sense and that were pointless to put in the paper. My story got better and better after i went through it and fixed it up. But just like Lamott i felt awful after writing it all day. I was worrying that my first college essay ever would be shitty and it would start a terrible trend where i can not write anything. I realize now that everyone goes through the same thing no one can just write off the top of their head and produce an A paper. I always thought like Lamott said that all of these famous writers were able to just write and write and everything would make sense and it would be a hit. Now i know that even the famous authors need to write drafts and everything does not make sense the first time you write it. Even when seeing everyone peer edit in school i know that everyone in our class went through the same thing. Not one person in the class turned in a rough draft that did not need one correction. This is because writing is not an easy thing to do. Everyone has these great ideas in their head and want to write about them but once they sit down to write nothing comes out like they want it to. All i know is that from now on when i am about to write a paper i am going to change my process. I will sit down and write as much as i can even the little pointless details and then go back and take them out. It is always better to have to long of a paper with a lot of detail then to short of one with no detail at all.

Journal 2 Response

In David Giffels "Shirt-Worthy" David tells the story of how he never believed that he deserved a Ramones and never got one until he became a parent. The subject of this story is about how during David's childhood and adolescent years to wear a rock and roll shirt you had to deserve it. One could not just wear a shirt because they enjoy the band but because they went to the concert themselves and earned the right to wear the shirt. This story has a lot of relevance because during this generation no one really earns anything as much as they used to and if you really want something like a new t-shirt you can just go to the store and buy it. The audience that David wrote this for is anybody who lived during the same generation as David and is realizing how spoiled this generation is. When i really looked back at this story and analyzed it i liked how David was able to take something in his life as minuscule as his kid ripping a t-shirt and turn it into a personal narrative that really explains an important part of his life. I like how even when he gets older David respects the fact that to wear a Ramones t shirt you have to earn it and he does not wear one his entire life until finally when he becomes a parent and helps his kid out he finally is worthy of the shirt. When writing my own personal memoir i want to use some of the devices that David used. I like how he starts the paper right away with a line that really brings you in "There is only one acceptable way to own a Ramones T-shirt". I also like that he is able to bring some humor into his writing and is able to keep the audience engaged throughout the entire paper. I feel like in my writing i can start out strong but then it tails to trend off and people get bored during my writing but David does the exact opposite. What i also want to learn how to do and incorporate it in my memoir is the fact that he picked an event in his life that really had a purpose to it. This was a big thing that happened in his life because he realized that not only does he really care about his kid but also he is finally deserving of wearing the shirt when he realizes that he is a good parent.