Sara

__Directions__: Instead of posting on this page, go ahead and type your first and final drafts by using the editing tools on this page. For example, to get started, type in the first draft of your first argumentative paper today. The FINAL draft will be due Friday, Oct. 4. Or, if you don't want the whole class to see it, you can email your paper to me: tconrad@weber.edu.

Sara Done Essay 1

Global Warming  (First Draft) I never paid attention to the issue of global warming until I started my botany 1403 class, titled environmental appreciation. The professor explains that we are artificial people living in an artificial world, and when our batteries run out we will die. There are other societies in the world whose way or life is being destroyed more immediately than ours even though they are not the ones who caused global warming. With the extent to which the rate of warming has increased, it would be a great challenge to make a big enough change in time to restore the original condition of the earth and ultimately save all life on the planet.

Under normal conditions, some of the radiation from the sun to the earth is repelled back out into space after providing its heat. Greenhouse gases cause heat to become trapped in our atmosphere, which is a good thing in moderation. The problem we are facing is that there is an excess of these gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is responsible for 80% of the greenhouse gas emissions. There are many ways in which we are emitting carbon dioxide in large quantities, such as cutting or burning down forests, producing cement, or burning fossil fuels to power cars, factories, power plants, and even to heat or cool our homes.

We have two options. We can either continue to live this mechanical fantasy life thinking that the environment is just fine and will still be here just the same in the next couple of decades, let alone that we will still be here, or we can wake up and do something about this problem. If the mass majority of the population on the planet remains blissfully unaware of this issue, especially the ones who are causing the problem, we will come to an end of our civilization very soon. Carbon dioxide levels are on a steady increase each year. Eventually there will be so much that all the glaciers on the planet will melt causing ocean levels to rise, which will also cause much of our land mass on the planet to become submerged. The excess heat will also eventually cause a loss of a huge amount of fresh water because, for example in a place like Utah, the population relies on fresh water which comes in the form of snowfall since rainfall is not enough. These examples are only the beginning.

Now there is the question of what we can do to stop this runaway train from speeding off the tracks. Well there are some large scale ideas in the works that may end up coming into effect. Among these is the plan for wind powered, satellite controlled, spray vessels to sail around the seas and shoot saltwater spray into the atmosphere, therefore increasing the amount of sunlight that is reflected by the clouds into space. However, there are many smaller scale changes that can be made on the level of individuals such as lessening use of fossil fuels, lessening overall consumption of products thereby reducing trash output, as well as using alternative energy sources. As an alternative for powering your home you can switch to solar panels, geothermal energy, or even wind energy. Electric cars may be a good alternative to gasoline or even natural gas cars. There are many more examples of what can be done in each person's life to influence a change, but these would be a good start.

There has been extensive research on this subject and the data clearly shows that this is an issue worth paying attention to. Humans have been creating many problems for this planet for quite some time now and it is time to put an end to it. If we decide to make some serious changes to stop this pattern of destruction we may have hope for a future. Alternative energy sources are an example of a change that can be made by individuals to limit and prevent fossil fuel usage. The most crucial aspect of this issue though, is that we do not have much more time to put off taking action, and the first step is to educate the public about the problem and what they can do to make a difference.

Global Warming (Final Draft) I never paid attention to the issue of global warming until I started my botany 1403 class, titled environmental appreciation. The professor explains that we are artificial people living in an artificial world, and when our batteries run out we will die. There are other societies in the world whose way of life is being destroyed more immediately than ours even though they are not the ones who caused global warming. With the extent to which the rate of warming has increased, it would be a great challenge to make a big enough change in time to restore the original condition of the earth and ultimately save all life on the planet. However, there are many ways in which to make this change by going green. It is not only in our best interest to do this for global warming, but it is also better for our overall health to reduce pollution. We do have a choice though, to either do something or not.

Under normal conditions, some of the radiation from the sun to the earth is repelled back out into space after providing its heat. Greenhouse gases cause heat to become trapped in our atmosphere, which is a good thing in moderation. The problem we are facing is that there is an excess of these gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is responsible for 80% of the greenhouse gas emissions. There are many ways in which we are emitting carbon dioxide in large quantities, such as cutting or burning down forests, producing cement, or burning fossil fuels to power cars, factories, power plants, and even to heat or cool our homes.

Besides the fact that the actions listed above contribute to global warming, there are other negative effects of them. Cutting down forests is also harmful to us because fewer trees mean less oxygen. In fact, less plant life in general means fewer animals and therefore less food for us overall. Another issue for the environment is the use of plastics, because even though they are recyclable, there is a type of plastic that is very dangerous. Watch out for plastic containers that say PVC or the number 3, which is usually found by the recycling symbol because this type of plastic causes “a wide range of health effects including cancer, birth defects, diabetes, learning and developmental delays, endometriosis, and immune system abnormalities.”

We have two options. We can either continue to live this mechanical fantasy life thinking that the environment is just fine and will still be here just the same in the next couple of decades, let alone that we will still be here, or we can wake up and do something about this problem. If the mass majority of the population on the planet remains blissfully unaware of this issue, especially the ones who are causing the problem, we will come to an end of our civilization very soon.

Carbon dioxide levels are on a steady increase each year. Eventually there will be so much of it that all the glaciers on the planet will melt causing ocean levels to rise, which will also cause much of our land mass on the planet to become submerged. The excess heat will also eventually cause a loss of a huge amount of fresh water because, for example in a place like Utah, the population relies on fresh water which comes in the form of snowfall since rainfall is not enough. These examples are only the beginning.

Now there is the question of what we can do to stop this runaway train from speeding off the tracks. Well there are some large scale ideas in the works that may end up coming into effect. Among these is the plan for wind powered, satellite controlled, spray vessels to sail around the seas and shoot saltwater spray into the atmosphere, therefore increasing the amount of sunlight that is reflected by the clouds into space. However, there are many smaller scale changes that can be made on the level of individuals such as lessening use of fossil fuels, lessening overall consumption of products thereby reducing trash output, as well as using alternative energy sources. As an alternative for powering your home you can switch to solar panels, geothermal energy, or even wind energy. Electric cars may be a good alternative to gasoline or even natural gas cars. There are many more examples of what can be done in each person's life to influence a change, but these would be a good start.

There has been extensive research on this subject and the data clearly shows that this is an issue worth paying attention to. Humans have been creating many problems for this planet for quite some time now and it is time to put an end to it. If we decide to make some serious changes to stop this pattern of destruction we may have hope for a future. Alternative energy sources are an example of a change that can be made by individuals to limit and prevent fossil fuel usage. The most crucial aspect of this issue though, is that we do not have much more time to put off taking action, and the first step is to educate the public about the problem and what they can do to make a difference.

Sara Done 2 Paragraph response

Equal Rights In James Stolhand’s essay, //The Tragedy of the Un-commons//, he explains not only his experience of discovering his homosexuality and the treatments he was submitted to but also some other treatments that other people have been through to “cure” them of their same sex desires. Stolhand, a student at Weber State University, talks about methods such as counseling sessions with a minister, electroshock therapy, and increasing the activities that boost the hormones of the person’s own gender to cure their homosexual desires. The point in his essay seems to be that no matter what reparative therapy is done, there is no cure for any sexual orientation.

I would definitely agree with every point that Stolhand makes in this essay. Homosexuality is not some unnatural abomination, especially since humans are not the only animals who demonstrate it. There have been many findings of other homosexual animals, both in zoos and in the wild. In fact, a friend of mine used to have a pair of peahens who were supposedly homosexual. Sexual orientation is all about attraction, which is something we do not control. It may in some ways seem as if we decide who we are or are not interested in, but in reality it is not a conscious choice. If we could choose who to be attracted to and who not to, we would never find ourselves “always choosing the wrong kind of people”. We also would not feel the need to turn down all of the "unattractive" people who try to pursue us, because we could simply choose to be attracted to them. Attraction is not a choice, and neither is homosexuality. They did not choose to be gay, just as you did not choose to be straight.

Sara Done Essay 2

To Hit or Not to Hit Results from a study designed to determine a possible correlation between physical punishment being used in schools, and large scale social consequences, state that, “Of the states with the ten highest murder rates in the United States, educators paddle children in eight of them.” (Guthrow) This is only one example of the effects of physical, also known as corporal, punishment. There are many other results from this study that indicate many negativities in states that practice paddling of students, including higher incarceration rates, lower average proficiencies in math, lower high school completion rates, and higher percentages of poverty. The practice of corporal punishment has been around since ancient times, and has not always been limited to children.

The word “corporal” means ‘of the body’, which is why this is also called physical punishment. Some definitions of the term Corporal Punishment from the Merriam-Webster dictionary include, “1: punishment applied to the body of an offender including the death penalty, whipping, and imprisonment; 2: punishment administered by an adult (as a parent or a teacher) to the body of a child ranging in severity from a slap to a spanking”. There is also a brief encyclopedia description, which states that corporal punishment is: Infliction of physical pain upon a person's body as punishment for a crime or infraction. Such penalties include beating, branding, mutilation, blinding, and the use of the stock and pillory. The term also denotes the physical disciplining of children in the schools and at home. From ancient times through the 18th century, corporal punishment was commonly used in instances that did not call for capital punishment, ostracism, or exile. But the growth of humanitarian ideals during the Enlightenment and afterward led to its gradual abandonment, and today it has been almost entirely replaced in the West by imprisonment or other nonviolent penalties. Several international conventions on human rights prohibit it. Beatings and other corporeal punishments continue to be administered in the prison systems of many countries. Whipping and even amputation remain prescribed punishments in some Middle Eastern and Asian societies. Corporal punishment of schoolchildren is still sanctioned in many states. (Corporal Punishment) This description mostly focuses on the uses of corporal punishment as used by government, but there have been many types of physical punishment used in schools and in home environments as a means to “correct” children for centuries. A common form of corporal punishment, which was banned for use on civilians in Britain in 1948, is birching. Birching is described as the beating of a person across the buttocks with birch twigs. Many teachers until the late 1900s would even beat the children as punishment. Some other methods commonly used in schools until the 21st century include, hitting with a bamboo cane, hitting the hand with a wooden ruler, spanking with a shoe, and using a leather straps as a whip to the hands or buttocks. (Lambert) Today the most common method is spanking, which is mostly used by parents. However, there are some states in the U.S. which still allow spanking in schools.

Since these methods are still used today, that brings up the question of why they are. Many people argue that it works and that it is necessary. Indeed, it is generally effective for immediate compliance that is often needed of a child. Adults who were raised with corporal punishment themselves often state that they were spanked or whipped with a belt and they still “turned out okay”. This statement is commonly used as a justification for the use of corporal punishment. There are some advocates who may even argue that those who are raised with physical punishment tend to respect their parents more than those who are raised without it.

There are many influences to the use of these punishments. In more ancient times, there was much more pressure from society in general to use such punishments because it was something that almost everyone was doing. Even today, many people believe that our youth are lazy and disrespectful due to the lack of physical punishment. Family members are likely to pressure parents into using these methods because they believe it is simply a part of being an effective parent.

Besides possible injury and other physical health problems that may result from corporal punishments, there are a variety of other side effects. Increased aggression, poor moral development, poor cognitive functioning, and increased antisocial behaviors are among these side effects. Some research also suggests that spanking poses sexual dangers to the child since it is inflicted on the buttocks, which are a sexual zone. The child may easily develop sadomasochistic tendencies, in which they confuse pain with pleasure, and could even take pleasure in causing pain to others. These side effects are not always noticeable during the time when these punishments are being inflicted, which makes it easy for advocates to deny them.

Rebecca, a blogger on positive-parents.org, wrote an article about four alternatives to spanking. Rebecca’s list consists of having a calm-down area, helping them learn how to problem solve, allowing them time in instead of time out, and allowing them to learn from natural consequences. The purpose of the calm down area is to allow the child to reach a state of mind in which they will be able to effectively receive your message. By helping them learn how to solve problems on their own, you are providing them with the tools they will need as an adult. Time in is similar to the calm down area, except that you stay with the child and help them through the issue by empathizing before getting to your lesson for them. Of course we need to be a bit selective about which natural consequences we allow to happen, but in general they are the best teachers. (Rebecca)

Corporal punishment has long been a common form of discipline, especially for children, with a wide variety of ways to inflict pain for the purpose of teaching. This practice is still used today because of its popularity, especially with older generations, and it is assumed to be necessary to raise decent children. Since there are side effects associated with corporal punishment, we should not run the risk of causing a child to have them. There are alternative methods to spanking and other corporal punishments, which are effective in teaching children the life skills they need to know. Parents, and future parents, need to be educated about these methods rather than simply deterred from corporal punishment, because if the alternatives are not presented, parents will either keep doing what they know, or do nothing.

=Works Cited= "Corporal Punishment." n.d. __merriam-webster.__ October 2013 .

Guthrow, John. "CORRELATION BETWEEN HIGH RATES OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SOCIAL PATHOLOGIES." December 2002. __nospank.net.__ 22 October 2013 .

Lambert, Tim. "Brief History of Corporal Punishment." 2012. __Local Histories.__ October 2013 .

Rebecca. "Alternatives to Spanking." April 2012. __positive-parents.org.__ October 2013 .