Annotated Bibliography

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        In the article “Academic Inflation”, (2010) Sir Ken Robinson implies the importance of going the extra mile when aiming for a college degree because your standard bachelor's degree isn't going to cut it nowadays. He explains that 20 years ago a bachelor degree could get you a well paid and respectable vocation, but now day's there is an inflation of degree's and a bachelor degrees seems to be a dime a dozen. The purpose of his article is to inform his reader's how rigorous it is to obtain a respected job in today's workforce, not to discourage them but in order to encourage them to reach for an mba to set them aside from the inflation of bachelor degree's. His article is essentially targeting high school kids and people currently enrolled in college.


Citation:


"Academic inflation" The Problem of Academic Inflation.Web. 18 Apr. 2011. http://www.degreesinbusiness.org/resources/economy-education/Academic-Inflation.aspx.




In the article "The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation", (2002) Alfie Kohn clarifies grade inflation has been going on since the 60's and 70's his definition of it is "upward shift in students' grade point averages without a similiar rise in achievement--exist, and that is a bad thing". Kohn supports his claims through credible information from researcher's gathering grade results from over 3,000 institutions in the past 30 years. The purpose of his article is to make fellow reader's understand that there has been an extreme lack of performance in classrooms but seemingly the grades are getting higher in order show them our college's curriculum's are softening and need to be reformed.
Kohn targets any person who is dubious about colleges.


Citation:
Kohn, Alfie. ""The Dangerous Myth of Grade Inflation"." "The Chronicle of Higher Education. N.p., 8 Nov. 2002. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.jmu.edu/stem/outreach/documents/2002--Kohn--Dangerous%20Myth%20of%20Grade%20Inflation.pdf>.

Thesis

Through our countries past two centuries the United States has gradually lost its empowering ethics. Once we were an economically thriving coutnry, who had precedence above all, we were the template for an ideal coutnry. But through time we evolved from hard working and ambitious americans who had absolute faith in our government to a new aged american who has lost near all patriotism and scavenges to find any way to do the bare minmum and be financially well off. American education has completely paralled these ineptidtudes. There are many reasons for decline which attribute to the quality of education, but the bottom line is our education systems needs to be completely reformed. We can no longer use teaching techniques that were implemented 100's of years ago. We need to be innovative and creative in order to grabbed our students attention whereas they will be fond of learning and utilize ever bit of information that has given to them. Along with this reformation the difficulty of curriculum needs to be raised. Your degree shall be earned not given to you

World Cafe

This blog's purpose is to dial in on our MWP3 concerning education and grasp a sense ofwhat our peers feel about current education and future education. Reading some of my classmates blogs i have mostly read about the negative aspects of education, I must agree. I feel the college institute has become a depository for money and has lost focus on productivity and functionality. Anyone is able to recieve a bachelor degree with just minimal work. A bachelor degree isnt as prestigious as it use to be, students are now able to obtain a degree with just studying little as 5 hours a week, thats cake! But what it does is cause inflation and the value tremendously deappreciates. For instance my cousin went to the university of utah got his degree in socialology, which once he got out there were no jobs that needed his abilities. And just the other day he applied for a miniumum wage maintence job, finding out their were 23 applicants that had a college degree, its crazy. This is where the college and advisors need to step in and stop saying "well what are your interest, what do you like to do?" If you say art then your going to be an art major. They need to ask well what do you like to do and lets see if there is any demand for that vocation. I feel with our current technology our society should be more intelligent then ever. We have such quick access to an infinite amount of prudent information. Creativity and Intelligence should be thriving.

College the Easy Way: Weekend Blog

                This article is great because I think many Americans feel college is mandatory for young people to succeed in life but when they hear about kids not expanding their knowledge nor really gaining anything from college it is solely blamed on the students not the institute. But essentially it is both sides fault because if students aren’t willing to put the effort to obtain a college degree they should be failed because it is a reality check when they have to apply themselves in the real world’s network of jobs. College was such a cruise for the kids that when they actually have to do work they are aggrivated and they aren’t use to having to critically think or be held accountable. Therefore it is hard not to just look at a college as a depository for money. College is suppose to prepare you for life and create the work ethic and knowledge in order to be successful in the workplace. Yet today’s college seems to be a social kick for kids, enabling them to party every night and still achieve a B OR B+. I’m sure you could ask several adults if that is similar to what their job envirorment is like and it would be an irate no. So seems college is just a system to pump kids in out as quickly as possible so they can get the next batch and make money. Through personal experience I feel high school prepared me more for the real world then college is teaching me right now. In my history class I literally have not learned one thing this semester entire semester. Luckily not all my classes are like that but it definitely is time for a reformation in the college system. Your degree should be earned not handed to you.

Precis on Race to the Top

            In the articles "Grading the Education President", (2011) debater's assert the importance of a innovated and reformed american educational system, which some back Obama's intuitions but others feel his motives wont prevail. The debater's support their claims through referencing the state of the union address and past movements that intended to reform american education but miserably failed. Their purpose is to provide their reader's with different points of views on the topic and intel the ramifications that will have to be taken in order to create a powerful movement to bring back innovation, creativity, and excitment to schools. The debater's tone's are indicative and target America in a whole.

Reflection on MWP2

Writing this paper on the proposal of a nuclear power plant in Pueblo was fairly enjoyable because  i was passionate about there needing to be a policy against the plant eventhough i had no prior knowledge. Its always easier writing a paper about something that has meaning or value to you and I just feel Pueblo is becoming too industrialized. Luckily i have been passionate about my last two  papers. I feel this paper isn't as good as my last one due to time management. I think I had some good thoughts but i really didnt extrapolate on them nor state a policy. Because if there is a policy for nuclear energy it would either be a policy that states there shall be no nuclear plants ever built in pueblo or there is going to be a nuclear pant. So my policy really underlied in my opinion. I think something else that would have added to the impact of my paper to the reader would have been to include more quotes throughout the paper from different people versus one. Additionally have a couple more precis sources and discuss perhaps the nuclear energy: how it is created and compare it to other energies. My conclusion really didnt feel like a conclusion but felt right.

MWP2 Final

Landon Williams

DiPrince English 102

Policy Essay

24 March 2011

Nuclear Energy

Imagine in 2020 Pueblo, Colorado, once a thriving region for agriculture now nothing but a desolate landscape, overly congested by industrial entities. Cement Plant, wind tower plan, two power plants, chemical depot, along with a newly built nuclear plant finalizing the devastation. What was thought to be an impeccable idea stimulating local economies and providing 1,000 jobs, didn’t work out so well. The Nuclear plant consumed all of Pueblo county's water causing soil to dry up and the idea of 1,000 jobs was great but it took away the same amount, causing farmers who have farmed their entire lives to now be unemployed.

As in any controversy there is always opposition and there are key factors that lead people to take a specific side.  In the article “Nuclear plant proposed for Pueblo County”(2011), Chris Woodka asserts that Don Banner local Puebloan lawyer has strong aspirations to erect a nuclear plant southeast of Pueblo, which could produce 3,000 megawatt’s of energy, his attempt to fill the nation’s energy gap and to financially stimulate the community’s economy. Woodka supports his claims with more current and past history of Banner’s campaigns for the construction of various entities and provides the reader with effective statistics and facts pertaining to the nuclear plant such as; it creating 400-700 job energy, plant would provide roughly $31 million in property tax revenue, and being a safe alternative to mass produce energy. He writes to educate his reader’s about the proponents in order to let people know how positive the plant could be for Pueblo. Further in, an article on the contrary title “Pueblo Co. Closer To Getting Nuclear Plant”, (2011) Lindsay Watts states that Pueblo, Colorado is one step closer to constructing a nuclear plant, after the county commission met last month and voted 5 to 3 in approval of the plant but locals are worried that it will put Puebloans in danger and do away with our pristine agriculture. She supports her claims with statistics and quotes from locals expressing their uneasy  feeling’s on the plant. Watt’s purpose is to inform and provide the community of Pueblo with current news in order to have  them keep in mind that the plant could be wonderful financially but is it worth it to endanger local history and our health. Matthew L. Wald in “Nuclear Energy”, (2011)  asserts a neutral opinion on nuclear energy while giving an overview of the industry itself showing that It is a clean source of creating energy but being extremely costly to build a plant, he gives great explanation about the physics behind nuclear energy, and the potential affects it serves. Wald supports his claims through showing great knowledge of nuclear energy, discussing the when the idea of nuclear energy came around, the first plants ever built, disasters they created, along with its advantages and disadvantages comparably to other energies. His purpose is to educate his reader in a concise manner in order to catch them up on the topic of nuclear energy so they can have a logical opinion rather then an opinion created by feelings.

         Every now and then justice has to be served and people need to sit back and realize the direction in which our country is heading towards. The city of Pueblo is so unique because of its history and authentic people but through greed and industrialization we are losing pieces of culture day by day. Now with the proposal of a nuclear plant we could potentially have a large sentimental aspect of Pueblo taken away and potentially put our lives in danger. Some people believe constructing this plant is vital for future electric energy growth and microeconomics for Pueblo (Woodka). This proposal was devised by local Puebloan lawyer Don Banner who envisions a nuclear power plant being built southeast of pueblo, which would be on 24,000 acres between the towns of Avondale and Fowler, south of Highway 50 (Watts). Along with a nuclear plant, the plan is for solar power and wind power. The facility is being proposed by a group called Puebloans For Energizing Our Community. The site would create 2,500-5,000 construction jobs over the course of about five years when the plant was being built; 400 to 700 permanent jobs at power site; and up to 1,000 jobs off-site for the community (Woodka). Don Banner believes the facility would also boost area property values. So people who are in support of the plant feel that it could significantly stimulate the Pueblo economy and create a substantial number of jobs in a dire time. It all sounds great but on contrary many Puebloans including myself feel differently. The nuclear plant poses great threat to local agriculture (a part of what makes a great city) and our health. Pueblo Native Suzanne Morgan said "Once the farm economy is compromised it will be impossible to re-establish. We need long-term strategic thinking and policies to protect local agriculture and our food supply." Pueblo's farmlands are in an ideal region, with rich soil, good water, long growing season made for successful farming. If built the nuclear plant would be constructed very close to these farms causing deprivation of water (Hobbs). Nuclear energy consumes huge amounts of water and the Arkansas River is already over used. Locals feel it unreasonable and a poor use of resources to locate a nuclear power plant in an arid region could potentially dry up the farmlands (Hobbs). Farming is a big part of Pueblo culture, to take it away would be like taking down the statue of liberty to build a hilton. There comes a point where our society needs to stop and think why we are here and how our country became one of the most prestigious countries to ever take rule. United States was founded on a compilation of ethics and morals but greed has diminished the meanings of these virtues.

  I feel the nuclear plant proposal isn’t for the people of Pueblo but a plan to comfort them so big money people can further their life of opulence. Why couldn’t this nuclear plant be built somewhere that isn’t near a dense population and rich agriculture. For instance in the deserts of Nevada where a nuclear bomb could explode and no one would know about it. If people solely believe in the plant because it will bring more jobs we should look at other avenues. A historical city is being overwhelmingly broken up by industrial entities. Enough is enough.

Annotated Bibliography

Citation:  Hobbs, Dan. ""Nuclear is Incompatible"." www.pueblochieftain.com. pueblo chieftain, 6 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <http://www.chieftain.com/opinion/tell_it_to_the_chieftain/nuclear-is-incompatible/article_14dcc2fc-46c7-11e0-9598-001cc4c03286.html>.

In an article “Nuclear is Incompatible”(2011) Dan Hobbs argues that nuclear proposal poses a major threat to agricultural economy of Pueblo. Hobbs supports his claims by discussing the richness of Pueblo County’s farmlands, their relevance to Pueblo, and how if the Nuclear Plant is built it could potentially do away with the meaningful cultivations. He writes to his reader’s so they can think about this controversy with an emotional perspective in order to make them understand how badly the plant could affect Pueblo. His tone is empathetic and targets any adult.

Citation: Woodka, Chris. ""Nuclear Plant Proposed for Pueblo County"." Chieftain. Pueblo Chieftain, 15 July 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. http://www.chieftain.com/nuclear-plant-proposed-for-pueblo-county/article_09764ac4-8fd3-11df-82c7-001cc4c03286.html

In his article “Nuclear plant proposed for Pueblo County”(2011), Chris Woodka asserts that Don Banner local Puebloan lawyer has strong aspirations to erect a nuclear plant southeast of Pueblo, which could produce 3,000 megawatt’s of energy, his attempt to fill the nation’s energy gap and help the community as well. Woodka supports his claims with more current and past history of Banner’s campaigns for the construction of various entities and provides the reader with effective statistics and facts pertaining to the nuclear plant such as; it creating 400-700 jobs, using less water than fossil energy, being a safe mass production of energy. His purpose is to educate his reader’s about this proposal in order to give them knowledge so they can decide what their feelings are towards the subject, since it really is a serious one. His targeted audience is mainly the community of Pueblo but also Colorado in whole.

Citation: Watts, Lindsay. ""Pueblo CO. Closer To Getting Nuclear Plant"." KRDO. N.p., 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. http://www.krdo.com/news/26961763/detail.html.

               In her article “Pueblo Co. Closer To Getting Nuclear Plant”, (2011) Lindsay Watts states that Pueblo, Colorado is one step closer to constructing a nuclear plant, after the county commission met last month and voted 5 to 3 in approval of the plant. She supports her claims with interesting statistics about plant productivity, employing 400-700 people, but also providing quotes from Don Banner, the facet of this proposal. Watt’s purpose is to inform and provide the community of Pueblo with current news in order to keep them fresh on the topic because this is a seriously concerned subject. Her article is directed towards the people Pueblo and the State of Colorado.

Citation: Wald, Matthew L. ""Nuclear Energy"." NY Times. N.p., 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/info/nuclear-energy/?scp=1-spot&sq=%20nuclear%20energy&st=cse>

                In his article “Nuclear Energy”, (2011) Matthew L. Wald asserts a neutral opinion on nuclear energy while giving an overview of the industry itself showing that It is a clean source of creating energy but being extremely costly to build a plant, he gives great explanation about the physics behind nuclear energy, and the potential affects it serves. Wald supports his claims through showing great knowledge of nuclear energy, discussing the when the idea of nuclear energy came around, the first plants ever built, disasters they created, along with its advantages and disadvantages comparably to other energies. His purpose is to educate his reader in a concise manner in order to catch them up on the topic of nuclear energy so they can have a logical opinion rather then an opinion created by feelings. His targeted audience would be fellow Americans and he conveys his message in a concerned and serious tone.