Project 5

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Jordan Mills

English 151

Instructor: Mudd

9 November 2010

A Helping Hand: Good Idea or Bad?

“You can turn off the lights. You can buy a hybrid car. You can even heat your home with solar energy. But it's not enough. The best and most realistic way to combat Global Warming, and lessen the country's dependence on fossil fuels, is to influence the government to make smart choices and smart changes concerning Global Warming”

-John McCain

How much is too much? How far is too far? We live in a new age of America were the government is finding ways to control what Americans do on a daily basis. From Healthcare Reform also know as, “Obamacare” to even our freedom of speech being raised into question in certain aspects. Many Americans are not happy about the resent control that the current government is implementing. However, when it comes to global warming and environmental issues, should the government be whole heartedly involved? When our safety is in jeopardy in regards to acts of terrorism threatening our lives, national government should step in; when global warming is threatening the very existence of planet earth, which then in turn threatens our lives, the state government should step in and act appropriately to what affects them on a state level.

When it comes to fighting for the freedoms we enjoy every day in America, defending the red, white and blue, that job is solely relied on the United States

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national government and for good reason. (1) States are not equipped to fight countries off (2) If terrorist attack a certain state, for exam New York on September 11, 2001, that becomes a national concern, not just a state concern. After September 11, you didn’t see just New York come together and comfort each other; you saw a whole country come together for the greater good of America. If you attack New York, you attack America.

This raises the questions, Should the United States national government be involved with climate change laws and regulations on a national scale? Or should the government step aside and let the states deal with their own issues in their own backyards? In the recent 2010 November elections Proposition 23 failed, this was also known as, “The Global Warming Solution Act”. The defeat of Proposition 23, which would have killed the climate change law, bucks this trend. The defeat of Proposition 23 allows continued movement at the state and regional level (Bookings). Voters in California are sending a clear message, this proposition failed by 21% of the vote. Californians are sending a message to Washington, that they want the local government to control the regulations and laws that affect them personally. They do not want big government just throwing money at the problem. If the government continues to just throw money at the issue for a “quick fix”, the very structure of the framework of the United States will begin to buckle. For example, what the national government is doing is buying new tires on a car that needs a new engine. No matter which way you look at, sure the new tires are going to look good, but the new tires are useless on a car that can’t run.

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The Recent November elections brought a lot of attention to the issue of climate change. Many of the newly elected house members, mostly republicans, campaigned against climate action. And with the recent shift of power in the House of Representatives, the republicans now have 239 seats and the democrats now have 189 of the seats now putting the republicans in power of the house. Nearly all the newly elected republicans are against any government action at all in the issue of climate change. If this is the case, then the national government will get nowhere in regulating the laws for global warming which in turn will only be a state concern in the end.

More than half of the nation's 50 states, including populous California, Texas and New York, have joined together in regional coalitions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, boosting the use of renewable energy and improving energy efficiency in regards to their own issues (New York Times). Judi Greenwald, who is the Vice President of Innovative Solutions at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change recently said, "More and more, what the states are doing is environmentally significant"(Greenwald).

Some states choose to not hop on this recent trend of states banning together. In fact many states in the Midwest are not even considering it. Numerous states that are choosing not to participate are the states that house some of the nation's worst power plants for emitting greenhouse gases (New York Times). A multitude of these states rely on these plants as a major source of income for its residents and they do not want to see any harm come upon these plants that could jeopardize their existence. “That's why

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Congress needs to pass legislation to reduce global warming emissions nationwide, environmentalists say” (Clauseen). Clauseen makes a good point; however, if congress makes an effort to pass laws and regulations regarding CO2 emissions, it needs to run parallel to the state for which it is being implemented, not just one big umbrella for the whole nation.

“Many states are motivated in part by their desire to create new economic development opportunities” (Ben Dunham). Creating jobs at home is an important part of state government. Many of the states that are involved in fixing the global warming problems in their own backyards have regulated new jobs for their own residents in relations to what the need is. Can the states implement their own policies on climate change and environmental issues in association with what affects them at home or should Washington put their foot in the door?

President Obama and his administration would disagree with letting just the States have full control of their own well being in regards to climate change. Obama made a huge stride in trying to fix the CO2 emissions and control the global warming crisis by pumping $80 Billion, with a B into the stimulus package. The $80 Billion was put into the stimulus to create clean energy jobs on a national scale and to help with the promotion of clean energy. This is the biggest investment of its kind in United States history. Obama also designated $8 billion to build nuclear reactors; they haven’t been built in nearly 30 years. (Garber). Why such the sudden interest? Garber goes on to say that, “The United States doesn’t have a coherent strategy for clean energy,

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but it needs one to compete.” The question I raise is; Is the United States just throwing money at an issue that it is not fully educated on just to attempt to compete with other nations? The emerging metaphor in the energy world is that of a race, like the space race or the atomic race. Now there is an energy race. China is the main competitor, spending $9 billion a month on clean energy projects. There are other competitors, too: India, Europe, Japan, and Brazil. Everyone is angling for a spot that could bring supremacy, jobs, and wealth (Garber). There is only one problem, congress. A good deal of the energy and renewable resource bills are stuck on capital hill. Many people are for them and many people are against them. This could be the main problem for the United States in being the leader in this so-called race. Running a race requires a strategy. The U.S. strategy is something of an ill-defined mess”(Garber). Although many believe the United States does not truly have a legitimate strategy many believe that we can over come what we do not know. President Obama is putting forth effort in this energy race, though some believe he is not well advised he believes Americans can be victorious when it comes to making America a clean energy environment.

"Each of us has a part to play in a new future that will benefit all of us. As we recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create millions of jobs, but only if we accelerate that transition. Only if we seize the moment. And only if we rally together and act as one nation workers and entrepreneurs; scientists and citizens; the public and private sectors". (Obama).

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President Obama certainly can sway a crowd with is likeable charm; the tone of how he delivers his message is second to none and the aforementioned quote did certainly just that. Obama is the first president in years to accomplish much of his set out agenda. Whether people disagree with what his agenda is, it is certainly admirable. Obama has put into motion, The Recovery Act Investments in Clean Energy, which is expanding manufacturing capacity for clean energy projects and would create more jobs. However, with this comes a negative impact on states. What we don’t see in this is the number of tax spending measures crafted to inject more aggregate demand into the sagging economy. This act is also supposed to provide relief to low-income families and to states facing serious budget shortfalls. With this, the states fiscal relief will lessen on the economy and the states will have to take budget cuts, resulting in tax increases (Clauseen). When the national government intervenes in state issues, it is a cause for concern.

The Clean Energy States Alliance is an example of what states can do without help from the national government. The Clean Energy States Alliance is a group of states that have chosen to partake in promoting clean energy in association with what affects them at home like previously mentioned. From the ice tundra’s of Alaska to the hilly greenside of Maine down to the swampland of Florida to sunny California, 21 states have banded together in an attempt to put their foot down when it comes to the national government having a say in what they can and cannot do to protect their own environment.

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State actions that lead to increased energy efficiency through building codes and tax incentives and shifting from coal to gas or to nuclear for electric power generation will reduce greenhouse gas intensity. States should do what they can do well and not get involved with issues that clearly are the purview of the federal government (O’Keefe). States have their own government for a reason, to regulate laws in an appropriate manner to what affects them. States cannot rely on the national government and the national government cannot impose on what states can and cannot do. More can get accomplished on a state level among people that know the ends and outs of how their state runs. We the people must come together for the greater good of society and do what we think is best for what happens in our neighborhoods, our towns and our cities. After all, would you let a complete stranger in your house and let them tell you how to run it? I doubt it.

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Work Cited

Garber, Kent. The Energy Race. 2010. Print

Garber, Kent. A Jolt for Energy Innovations. 2010. Print

Walsh, Kenneth. Changing America’s Energy Ways. United States News and World Report, 2009. Article

Bilgen, Seluk. Kamil, Ahmet. Renewable Energy for a Clean and Sustainable Future. Turkey, 2004. Print

Clauseen, Eileen. Key Roles for Feds and States. New York, 2009. Print

O’Keefe, William. EPA Ill-Suited to Address Climate Change. 2010. Article

Greenwall, Judi. Pew Center on Climate Crisis. The New York Times, New York, 2009. Web

Dunham, Ben. Economics for Clean Energy Efforts. 2010. Article.

Obama, Barack. The White House Daily Briefing on Climate Control. Washington D.C., 2010. Web

Argument Essay

Argument Essay

It is hard to imagine Earth; the planet that was given to us by a superior being could one day be washed away, literally. Whether we want to believe it or not global warming, or to be politically correct, climate change is an issue that is facing today’s society. For years, government officials have turned the other cheek with not wanted to face the facts, that climate change is and has already affected us globally. “What gets us into trouble is not what you don’t know, but what you think you know that just ain’t so” (Gore). Let us not continue ignoring the issue of global warming. Al Gores, An Inconvenient Truth, I believe brought a since of urgency to the overall dilemma of climate change and that is, we must act swiftly or else this issue of climate change will be much more substantial in years to come.

In Al Gores, An Inconvenient Truth, he wants his audience to know that the world around us is heating up. Basically the Earth has a fever and it is our job to cure it. Unfortunately while many people try and come together to cure this fever, climate change is progressively getting worse. Major cities in North and South America, Asia and Australia are nearly out of water due to massive droughts and melting glaciers. Desperate farmers are losing their livelihoods (Gore). Rivers, lakes, streams and ponds continue to dry up without a care in the world. People are being displaced from their homes on account of droughts spurting up all over our planet. Although many steps are being made in the right direction to prevent climate change, it is still not enough and not where we need to be.

Earth has experienced a climb in many unique weather patterns. Hurricanes rapidly spinning their way on shore, to record numbers of tornadoes twisting violently through towns to mud slides washing away everything in sight. One thing is certain; there is a common link to what is happening and that is, climate change. Stronger storms in the Pacific and Atlantic have threatened whole cities. Massive flooding in South Asia, Mexico, and 18 countries in Africa has displaced millions. As temperature extremes have increased, tens of thousands have lost their lives. We are recklessly burning and clearing our forests and driving more and more species into extinction. The very web of life on which we depend is being ripped and frayed (Gore). Gore certainly has a compelling argument and has brought more attention to the issue of climate change than ever.

Al Gore brings to the forefront the issue of the United States being the leading country when it comes to emitting CO2, followed by China and India. The fact that the United States leads the world in CO2 emotions is astonishing. Although we have taken steps in preventing climate change, it is still nowhere, where we need to be compared to other countries. In the United States, Democratic leaders in the Senate in July 2010 gave up on reaching even a scaled-down climate bill, in the face of opposition from Republicans and some energy-state Democrats. The House had passed a broad cap-and-trade bill in 2009 (Aigner). Progress is being made ever so slightly, despite the checks and balances system of government that the United States was founded on. In today’s Congress and House it seems nearly impossible to get any law passed and as of right now, we have no time to waste.

The entire world plays a role in CO2 emissions. In 650,000 years, the CO2 level has never gone above 300 parts per million (Gore). In the past 50 years alone we have experienced tremendous spurts of CO2 levels rising. We are so far passed the 300 parts per million, it is unbelievable.

It is hard to disprove science; on top of that, Al Gore has a very compelling argument. Going into this film I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I believe that there is truth to every argument regarding any issue.Gore to an amazing job spreading the issue at hand, Global Warming. He brought up some earth wrenching points such as the melting of Greenland and the West Antarctic ice sheet would raise sea levels around six meters, which scientist do agree (Washington Post). Here is another one for you, towns and villages needing to be evacuated, which I thought was stretching it, were proven to be fact. The United Nations Environmental Program announced that a small community in the Pacific Islands chain of Vanuatu had to be relocated due to the sea level rise (Washington Post). And when it came to Kilimanjaro, yes that was fact too. Many tropical glaciers have been proven to be retreating (Washington Post). When it came to the impact of sea ice retreat on polar bears, the US Minerals Management Service reported in December of 2005 an increase in polar bear mortality due to reduced sea ice. One of the most staggering facts Gore proved involved The Himalayas. Nearly 40% of people in the world rely on their drinking water from rivers and spring systems that are fed through the glaciers connected with the Himalayas. In the next half-century those people are going to face a severe shortage because of the melting occurring (Gore). It would be easy to want to second-guess Gore but when it came to the facts that Gore was presenting, it would be hard to discredit his over all logos.

Al Gore’s interest in global warming was sparked when he was a college student. His college professor, Roger Revelle influenced Gore heavily. Revelle was the first person to have the idea to measure the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere (Gore). After a few years of measuring, Revelle showed the class the results of his experiment and Gore soaked it up like a sponge (Gore). Revelle had a hard time of spreading the word of global warming and Gore whole-heartedly believed in what was happening. Gore later ran for public office and was a senator for years trying to get laws past. Later, he would of course later become the vice president of the United States having a colossal voice and taking on the stance of global warming. He even had Revelle testify in congress in regards to the carbon dioxide studies he had conducted. For every person who supported Gore there were hundreds that didn’t. It wasn’t until he was bold enough to produce the movie, An Inconvenient Truth, to where people actually started to pay attention to what he was saying.

When it came down to the way, An Inconvenient Truth, was produced and put together I had an issue. When Gore and Guggenheim started the documentary reflecting back at the 2000 election, I felt Gore wanted us to feel bad for him. In many ways I was unsure of what that had to do with global warming. Later in the film he mentioned how his son was in the hospital and yet again I was left thinking to myself, what importance does this have and how does it relate to the topic at hand. His feeble attempt at trying to get the viewer to feel bad for him I thought was unnecessary. The correlation that Gore was trying to make didn’t flow well and I personally thought it brought his credibility down a notch. If he would have just stuck to the overall theme of climate change and global warming, I feel it would have been a much better film.

When it is all said and done I believe we need to stop spending so much time and money on pointing fingers on who is right and who is wrong when it comes to climate change. Lets stop defending our positions and make a change in the world we live in. Making a change is easier said than done, at least when it comes to our government, anyway. I am going to end this paper how I started it and I hope this quote by Gore can open your eyes to what is happening on our planet. “What gets us into trouble is not what you don’t know, but what you think you know that just ain’t so”, enough said.

Work Cited

Gore, Kenneth. An Inconvenient Truth. United States. 2007. Article

Revkin, Andrew. Arctic Melt Unnerves the Experts. New York: New York Times. 2007. Print.

Unknown. Climate Change Front and Center at the World Economic Forum. United States: Truth-Out. Web

Gore, Al. An Inconvenient Truth: Transcript. United States: Forum Politics. 2007. Web

Baily, Ronald. Global Warming- Not Worse Than We Thought, But Bad Enough. United States: Reason. Web/Article

Unknown. Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth Fact or Fiction. Washington: The Washington Post. 2009. Print

An Inconvenient Truth : Al Gore

This film knew how to capture the emotions of it's audience. From the very beginning when Al Gore was talking about the election with the flashbacks of the "recount" process. Al Gore did a good job at wanting the viewers to feel sorry for him. And throughout the film he mentioned events that happened in his life from his son being in the hospital to his tobacco farm. The whole tone and style of this was film was to in my opinion was to make you feel sorry for him and on the other side was to keep you in awe of what was going on with global warming. It was the same tone and style throughout the whole film, which was good, it never seemed to get off base to the quiet, somberness that was intended.

I thought it was interesting that Al Gore brought personally things in this film, considering it was about Global Warming or "climate change", whatever you prefer to call it. Al Gore was trying to relay the message of climate change and how it has been and WILL affect our planet if we can not unite and put a stop it. Gore said that he has given is powerpoint slide show speech, thousands of times trying to get the message out. He does back up his argument with what I would assume are facts. He seemed like he knew what he was talking about. When it came to the powerpoint presentation, I was impressed. It was just when I took it a different direction where I got confused.

I was unsure and confused as to what his family had to do with it. I felt as if he wanted us to feel sorry for him and he grabbed our attention that way so that we would take him more seriously when it came down to the films overall purpose, Global Warming. I feel since he brought his families sob stories into the film, I believe he lost some of his credibility. Overall, it just felt like Al Gore was moping around trying everything in his power to get our attention.

If Al Gore didn't make it seem so personal and if he would have jumped right into the issue at hand, Global Warming, I would have took him more seriously. To me it would have been more credible if Gore had left out the personal matters.

This film did not have a huge effect on me and my position on global warming. I do understand that Al Gore has had a passion for this issue for many years and has been trying to get the word out, however I personally did not like Gore being the main person in this film. I simply would have rather seen someone more neutral in the matter when came from a political side. From the start of this film, I knew I would just look at Gore as the formal vice president and the guy who "should of won" the election in 2000, not Al Gore the environmentalist. From a personal standpoint I could not get passed that and therefore the overall effect on ME was that I lost interest as soon I heard, Al Gore.

Campus History Project: Athens Hospital For The Insane

Jordan Mills

English 151

Campus History Project

Athens Hospital for the Insane

The Ridges or as called in my brochure, Athens Hospital for the Insane is a place with deep history. When thinking of a mental hospital most people would picture a person in a straight jacket locked in a cell with padded walls. However, The Ridges was a place of paradise in a way until things took a turn for the worse in its later years.

There are many history buffs in the world today and I believe making a brochure with how the historic mental hospital was ran and operated would be an interesting piece. This brochure talks about history but with a contemporary feel and look to appeal to many. The main demographic is of this piece is 18-75 year olds. Which I do understand is a large demographic, but many people find history interesting, including me.

It was important to indentify a genre for this piece. I quickly thought that when thinking of a mental hospital, people think of a fearsome and unwelcoming place. I wanted to go with a dark feel to quickly identify that this wasn’t a bright and cheerful promotional piece. The overall tone I wanted to give was, as if an old man was reading this to his grandson. You, know, that old crackly voice, but yet composed.

It was important to me to build my credibility with the over feel and look of this brochure. If I went and bought some crayons and colored paper and scribbled everything on a sheet of pink paper and made it look pretty, I don’t think many people would take my piece seriously. When developing this piece I knew I had to make something people would believe in. When someone looked at it, without hesitation they would be pulled in by the over feel and genre of the brochure and want to read it and even maybe visit The Ridges.

With everything out there today, somehow it deals with emotion. Whether it is television, radio, a magazine or an ad, everything is linked up with it. With my piece I could have gone a couple different routes. I thought about making it all white with the Red Cross emblem to relate to a hospital. I could have grabbed the audience that way. Upon further review, I realized when people think of a hospital for the insane, they don’t see a typical hospital. They see a dark and spine-chilling place that I doubt that would want to visit. The emotion I hoped to capture here was fear. Not to the point of where the reader would be too scared to read it but, just to the point of attracting the reader in. The font I used to draw in the audience was for the main points. It is an eerie font that might strike fear into someone, but I wanted to quickly grab him or her right back in, using a regular but gripping font for the regular text.

When it came to the pictures in my brochure, I wanted to throw it back in time. Using a current picture was not an option. For my title page, I used an old picture of the two Victorian towers that look as if lighting should be striking above them at all times. That picture was to flow with the eerie font that I chose for the main titles. If the pictures didn’t flow with the over all layout and genre of the piece, then I failed. I believed I found the proper pictures that go with the over style of this promotional piece.

Making a decision to put in information regarding the haunted part of the ridges was a big decision. Many people have already heard the urban legends that surround that place. At first I did want to include the stories of “the stain” but, I decided otherwise and stuck to the facts and the facts I touched on, all dealt will history from how it begun, to how it ended.

The information that I included in the six sections of this brochure was simple. I decided to write about how the mental hospital got its start. The planning that was involved with it and then how it was developed into a self-sustaining facility. After I touched on that, I decided to talk about how the place had developed further down the road, towards its eventual closing. And that is where I discussed the over crowdedness, the procedures practiced on the patients, such as, lobotomies, electric shock and ice water treatment. From my prospective, I feel it hit on these topics and provided enough information to give you, the audience, an over gist of how The Athens Mental Hospital For the Insane started and how it ended.

Galloway Ohio! Home of Shaye Applegarth

Galloway Ohio

Galloway Ohio is like any other suburb in Ohio, it has housing developments and cornfields as far as the eye can see. There may be cornfields for miles, but Galloway is just minutes away from downtown Columbus. It is a fairly new community in the central Ohio area and has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. Although it has experienced rapid growth, it is still a small, tight nit community, deep in tradition, where everyone always seems to know everyone.

One of the richest traditions in Galloway is the Uptown Festival, which occurs every forth Friday of every month. At this festival, venders from all over the state come to the Uptown streets of Galloway and sell all kinds of items. This festival is a family oriented event with activities for every age.

The Christmas holiday is celebrated in the streets of Uptown Galloway with a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. This comes equipped with carolers from area churches and free popcorn for all. Even Santa Clause strolls down the street with his elves. At the end of the ceremony nearly every family brings in a gift and donates it to an area charity. These gifts go to help make Christmas possible for under privileged kids.

Rivalry runs deep in tradition in Galloway. There are two major high schools in Galloway. These two high schools collide once a year on Friday night for a football game. Thousands of people flood through the gates and the tension rises between sides. On this night, the town shuts down completely. The town is completely desolate, as if tumbleweeds were blowing in the wind. If you wanted to find anyone, you have to drive to the game. Whoever wins this game gets town bragging rights for the whole year.

Galloway may be a new and upcoming community, not far for the hustle and bustle of downtown Columbus, but it has certainly established itself as a community rich in tradition. It is a community that is there for one another, unless of course, it’s football game.

Connection

For nearly 5 years now I have been a contracted announcer for local sporting events. Every time I step foot in a press box or sit behind a scorers table, I feel an instant connection with the microphone and game going on. The first time I grabbed a microphone to do this, it was in front of over 2,000 people and I was shaking with nerves. After 3 or 4 times of doing it I began to feel a real connection with what I was doing. It felt right. Little did I know, that 5 years ago, when I picked this up just for fun, I would fall in love with it enough to make it my major and hopefully my profession down the road.

This has led to many great opportunities including many job offers. In fact, during my time in high school when I was the announcer, the local media found out about me and with in a couple weeks there was a front page article in the Columbus Dispatch highlighting, Me! After the article had been published, two local news stations, NBC and CBS came to one of the basketball games I was announcing and each did a story on me for the 11 O'clock news. It was certainly an exciting year for me.

After word spread of me and my announcing people noticed I developed a "signature call" during basketball games, and that was, "Traaavviiinnggg Viiioolaattiooonn". I couldn't walk down the halls in my school without someone saying it to me. So, I decided to print this saying on 100 t-shirts and sell them at the games. Little did I know these shirts would sell out before I even printed them. So, at the games, seated behind me, was my own little fan section wearing my signature tee.

I will always have a connection to announcing and I can not wait to pursue this career farther than I already have.

About Me!

My name is Jordan Mills and I am from Pickerington Ohio, which is a suburb of Columbus. I am currently a "sophomore" but, should be a junior. Can we say, fifth year senior? This is going to be my first full year in Athens. I spent a quarter down here last year. My major is Broadcasting, kinda! My G.P.A needs to go up a little so I can get in the E.W. Scripps school of Journalism but Im not to concerned.

I am extremely active in my church where I serve as the announcements director. There, we shoot and edit weekly announcements in an HD studio to be shown during every service. There are over 12,000 members that attend this church, so I consider this a huge responsibility. While I serve as the director of this, I also serve as an on air talent.

My family and I recently went to England to visit my brother who serves in the Air Force. We visited for 2 weeks and it was an amazing trip. I have another brother who currently attends Ohio State, he is older than me and we are the same year, I like to hold that over his head. Before moving here to Athens, I lived with my mom in Pickerington. That is basically me.