Finding the Magic

After reviewing my blog entries, I've noticed that the magic seems to only come out when I write about topics that I am passionate about. I know that seems like common sense, but I used to believe that I could write about anything and do it well if I tried hard enough. The truth is that if I don't care about the subject I'm writing about, I cannot write it well, even if I have unlimited resources and information about the topic.
The blogs that stood out were the ones about politics, nature or sports. When I write about these topics, the language seems to flow a lot better than if I just pull something out of a hat to write about. I guess this must be true for every writer, but it would be nice to be able to write something interesting and rich about a topic that doesn't particularly interest me, especially because as a college student, assigned writing on an assigned topic is all too common.
Oh well; You'll have that!
-crazyowl

Missing Out On Life

Constantly looking toward tomorrow
It has to be better than today.
Today is full of pain and sorrow
tomorrow it'll be okay.
As your life slowly slips away.

Soon tomorrow becomes today
Your mind becomes engrossed in what will be.
If only you realized the present is key
Instead you miss out on life.

-crazyowl

Thanksgiving Break

My Thanksgiving break was pretty eventful. As usual, on Turkey Day I stuffed myself until I literaly could barely move. My dad bought a 28 pound organic turkey which tasted much better than your average supermarket turkey. My brother is on the football team at my old high school so before the meal, I went down to watch him play in the annual Thanksgiving day game with their rival. They lost but it was a pretty exciting game. The worst part about it is that it was pretty much like a mini high school reunion and their were a lot of people there that I really wasn't in the mood to talk to. Needless to say, most of the game I had old acquaintances coming up to ask me how I was doing and what I was up to. That gets old pretty quick. It wasn't all bad though, there were a few people that I was happy to see.
On friday I insulated my dad's basement. That is not a whole lot of fun. Trying to squeeze 12 foot lengths of insulation between the beams when its getting caught on nails and you've got to squeeze it under or through or around some pipe every couple of feet and your goggles are fogging up is pretty frustrating. Anyway, it's done and I've got some extra money so I'm happy. Friday night, some friends and I went to club Liquid in Leominster, MA. There were some good bands playing from the Boston area like Distraught, Disarm, and the band that I went to see, Dogfight. If you're into hard rock and you ever get a chance to see Dogfight don't pass on it. This band should have been signed long ago but the lead singer sounds too much like Aaron Lewis of Staind. My one regret from that night is that I shouldn't have headbanged or moshed as much as I did. My neck and back are still extremely sore more than three and a half days later.

Lay summary of research

Energy is one of the most important concerns in the world today. For years we have had plenty when it comes to energy but the tables are starting to turn. We've come to realize that fossil fuels are limited and at current consumption rates, will be depleted within 100 years. We've also come to realize that the burning of these fuels causes major environmental problems such as air pollution and acid rain. The gases that are released as a result of the burning of fossil fuels also has a tremendous effect on global warming. Eventually, if nothing is done to improve the situation, global warming will effect life in fragile habitats, average global temperatures, and earth's weather systems. The reason we have used these fuels for so long, and continue to use them, is due to the cheap prices of oil, natural gas, and especially coal. In recent years, however, prices for relatively newly developed renewable energy technologies have dropped to near the levels of fossil fuels.
What can be done to satisfy our energy needs without compromising the world in which we live?
Since the early to late 1960's, we have been using nuclear energy. Tremendous energy can be produced when an atom is split in nuclear fusion and at first glance, this technology appears promising. However, upon further examination, we find many problems with nuclear energy. First of all, the price for nuclear produced electricity is far greater than for fossil fuels, (10-15 cents per kilowatt hr. and 3-5.5 cents/kWh). Probably the greatest con for nuclear energy comes in its impact on the environment. Radioactive wastes are produced as a result of creating electricity. These wastes remain toxic for thousands of years, and create a huge storage problem.
Within the last thirty years, renewable energy technologies have found a small foothold in the energy market. Geothermal, wind, solar, and hydro-electric energy are very promising alternatives to fossil fuels and will be needed in the near future, on a large scale basis, to allow us to live the comfortable lives that we're used to. Unfortunately, governments around the world have not embraced these technologies because of loyalties to oil companies. It is plain to see the benefits of an energy reasource like wind over the burning of fossil fuels. The costs for producing electricity with wind are comparable to those of fossil fules, (3.5-7.5 cents/kWh). Perhaps the greatest advantage to using wind and other renewables is the fact that they have limited to no effects on our environment. Solar is essentially harmless and the only problem with wind is a small amount of bird deaths due to flying into the wind turbines. Compare that with the altering of entire ecosystems, contamination of the air we breathe, and the alteration of average global temperatures and weather patterns and it's a no-brainer.
We need to wake up! If we don't make the switch to renewable energy technologies very soon, we're going to be living in a world that has been altered for the worse and there will be nothing we can do to change it. This all appears to be common sense to evrybody with the exception of politicians and oil companies; Go figure.

Alternate Intro and Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

Maybe you've noticed that over the past few years, there is a noticeable upward trend in the price of gas and home-heating oil. Have you ever wondered why this is? Aside from inflation, the main cause of these high fuel prices is related to the availability of these fossil fuels that our society has become so dependent on. This is one of the primary reasons that new energy technologies are being developed and implemented all over the world. We can now harness the power of the sun, wind, and internal heat of the earth. These sources, along with fossil fuels, nuclear power and hydro-electric power may make you wonder what everybody is doing talking about energy crises. The fact is, with all of this potential energy available to us, the United States as well as a significant portion of the rest of the world, relies almost solely on the burning of fossil fuels for our energy needs. Huge tax breaks for oil companies are relatively common, while proponents and providers of renewable forms of energy fall farther and farther behind. Solar and wind power technologies have improved so much over the past twenty years that they could provided much of the energy needs of the entire world. The problem lies in the higher prices of electricity generated by these environmentally sound technologies. With a little help from the governments of the world, prices for clean energy could be comparable to the prices of fossil fuels. In this paper, my goal is to convince you that using solar and wind power is the only direction we, as a society can afford to go. Environmental impacts of these energy sources are almost non-existent as opposed to the heavy toll that the burning of fossil fuels has on the environment. The only obstacle in the way is prices. If that can be remedied, renewable energy could provide humans with clean and reliable energy for thousands and thousands of years.

Introductions and Conclusions

I have read the introductions and conclusions of two journal articles and one magazine article. The following are reviews of these base on how well they grab the attention of the reader, what background information they provide, How they convince the reader that they know what they're talking about, the claims they make and support for them, and how they tie their main points together.
The following two articles were from the journal, "Connection" Summer 2004.
"Emotional Rescue" by Sandra Featherman.
Sandra Featherman grabs the reader's attention by claiming that more students in college have emotional problems than ever before. Since I am a college student this grabbed my attention right away, as anything negative having to do with college students would. Sandra Featherman writes with authority as if she has experience in identifying and treating emotional problems, making me feel as if she knows what she is talking about. In her conclusion, she acknowledges that services are being added but much more is neede to be done.
"Campus Buzz: How alcohol Impairs America's Judgement of Higher Education" by Brandon Busteed
Brandon Busteed claims that the single greatest threat to the public trust in higher education is alcohol. Like, the article before, this article relates to me personally because I am part of this crazy alcoholic community that is being portrayed. The writer puts the blame on the drinkers, and the people who have the power to intervene; the educators and administrators. The conclusion is a plead for action and a realization that positive action may not be realized for a long time.
The next article comes from the magazine, "Sports Illustrated" October 28, 2004.
The title of this article is what grabbed my attention, "Blood and Guts," as well as the fact that it was about the Red Sox and I have been a lifelong fan. The introduction is very elaborate and colorful with very rich language. The writer claims that Curt Schilling gave it his all and prevailed even though he had an ankle injury and a hip injury. They also provide good background information on the Red Sox infamous curse of the Bambino and their 86 year championship drought. The conclusion was very short but I feel that it tied everything together nicely.

The Next Train to Crawford, TX

I have great faith in the American people; unwavering faith. I feel that there is no way we can re-elect a president who has made so many irrational decisions that have effected our nation in such a negative manner. Over 1,100 men and women of the United States armed forces have given their lives in a war that by all accounts should never have been fought, at least in the manner in which it was. George W. Bush made arguably his worst decision of his four year term when he decided to "go it alone" in Iraq. The evidence presented to him about Saddam Hussein's "quest" to acquire weopons of mass destruction was at best, mediocre to weak. I can't remember exactly how much time the president and his advisors spent trying to persuade the U.N. to aid them in their war against Saddam, but it wasn't nearly long enough. By going into Iraq, the president has weakened America's international relationships, enraged middle eastern states, and given terrorist organizations a reason to continue their attacks against America and what's left of her once strong coalition of allies. This war has cost the American people over 200 billion dollars, money that I feel could have been much better spent on important domestic issues such as education and healthcare. Not only have a lot of American lives been lost in the war, but thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens have allso been killed and injured.
The following are just a few of the mistakes Mr. Bush has made while in office: The Patriot Act, the improperly funded No Child Left Behind Act, the slack that has been given to Osama Bin Laden while he focused his attention on Iraq, the huge tax cut for the wealthy which along with the war has taken America from a 4 trillion dollar surplus to a 2 trillion dollar deficit. I could go on and on.
The point is, any American who doesn't believe that the war in Iraq was a good decision and isn't in the top ten percent of wealthiest Americans should be eager to elect John Kerry as president today and send Dub-ya on the next train to Crawford, Texas.
Get out there and vote!

The Drama Never Ends

Hi everybody,
I'm sure a lot of you have been paying close attention to the Yankees-Red Sox series, at least until you gave up after Sunday's 19-8 loss put the Red Sox in the hole three games to none. Well, hopefully you've all realized by now that this series is far from over. The last two games have been decided by two runs or less in extra innings. In both games, the Sox have come out on top thanks to the game-ending heroics of David "Big Papi" Ortiz. Today the series heads back to the Bronx for game six.
I should have realized by now that the Red sox aren't going to make it easy on us fans. It would be unrealistic to believe that after an 86 year world championship drought, the Sox would breeze through the Yankees games to make it to the World Series. It's not going to be easy, in fact, the Sox appear poised to make this a teeth-grinding, anxiety-inducing series. To be truthful, I wouldn't have it any other way. If the Red Sox were a team like the Yankees, winning pennants and world championships year after year after year, I probably wouldn't even like them, let alone have so much emotion hanging on every single game they play. No, I prefer the Sox the way they are, of course with the exception of them carrying the title of 2004 world series champions.

A reinstated draft?

Hello everybody,
Today in English class, we were given an assignment to find three articles on a topic and evaluate whether or not they were convincing in their claims. I have chosen to analyze articles about reinstating the draft.

I caught a break in that I found three articles on the same web page: http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/12/29/timep.draft.tm/

The first article was written by Charles Rangel who is a D-New York and a Korean war veteran.
Mr. Rangel claims that the United States military is comprised overwhelmingly of poor minorities. He says that new incentives will not be enough to attract the middle class members of society to join the armed forces. He and a South Carolina senator have drafted a plan to reinstate the draft. Interestingly, or perhaps not so interesting to some, they have included both men and women ages 18-24 to be eligible for the draft.

Mr. Rangel provides absolutely no backing evidence that the majority of those serving in the armed forces are poor minorities. One could assume that it makes sense, given that the poor would be more apt to go for the finacial incentives offered by the government but he provides no statistics. The next article actually contradicts Mr. Rangel, claiming that the military is overwhelmingly a middle-class force and that minorities are under represented.

This article was written by Doug Bandow a former assistant to President Reagan.

Mr. Bandow claims that a draft would make America's military less professional. He also claims the Hispanics are under represented and that America has a middle class military. Like Mr. Rangel, he also fails to provide evidence for his claims, but I personally agree with his warrant more than I agree with Mr. Rangel's.

I only have time to examine two articles but I just want to add some thoughts of my own before I close. I am completely against a new draft. We've all either lived through or learned something about the Vietnam tragedy. People who aren't willing to enter the armed forces will not have a strong enough conviction to fight. They don't want to be there and, I believe, being forced to fight in a war can turn a person completely against their country. I also believe that forcing people to fight in a war or to do anything for that matter is a violation of their "god-given" right to be free. In Short, the draft is a violation of civil rights and a sure way to create an ineffective military.