Persuasive Outline

• American Environmental Policies:
• The Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/index.html
  
• About 30 acts: The Atomic Energy Act, The Clean Air and The Clean Water Acts, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, Endangered Species Act, Energy Policy Act, Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments, Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA, also known as the Ocean Dumping Act), National Environmental Policy Act, National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act, Nuclear Waste Policy Act, Occupational Safety and Health, Ocean Dumping Act, Oil Pollution Act, Pollution Prevention Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Toxic Substances Control Act.
• Laws are lax and unclear, easy to find loop holes: The Atomic Energy Act (AEA) established the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to promote the "utilization of atomic energy for peaceful purposes to the maximum extent consistent with the common defense and security and with the health and safety of the public." When EPA was formed, the AEC's authority to issue generally applicable environmental radiation standards was transferred to EPA. Other federal and state organizations must follow these standards when developing requirements for their areas of radiation protection.
• In other words, atomic energy plants can if they want to change their policies for the benefit of the environment. Just one example of the rules.

• Pollution:
  
• water, air, and land.
• public and private prevention of pollution/waste of resources.
  

Current Events

A 7.9 earthquake destroyed a middle school in China causing about 900 students and teachers. 60 were fund dead and soldiers are still trying to recover any more people stuck in the rubble. The collapse of the building was due to the weak structure and has a lot of parents scared for their captive children.

It is important that we have relife programs in place so that we can help people in these situations, even if it isnt in our own country.

Source: CNN.com
URL: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/13/china.school.ap/index.html

Book Report- Ender's Game

Book Report / Novel Summary

Scott Card, Orson. Ender's Game. United States of America. Tom Doherty: 1985.

Reason, Type and Setting: This book is an exciting and entertaining science fiction, adventure novel. The book takes place in both outer space and earth. There is no definite time period but it is set in the future.

Plot: The book is about the difficulties Ender has a young boy being tormented by adults, children and teens and as a young man coping with the crimes he later learns he has committed. It also is has a strong focus on the war between the Buggers and Humans which later turns out to just be a miscommunication. Ender has to basically live his entire childhood as a tool for the army. He is challenged mentally and physically everyday and he always complies despite the fact that he hates being used by everyone above him.

Character: Ender is a strong and young boy through out the book. Though his physical appearance isn't very important. Ender is compassionate yet violent when necessary, a perfect mix of his brother and sister. Ender is a good example of what many teens are, though they are neither completely good or evil everyone has a little devil in them and Ender is a nice example of that. As the main character I learned a lot about him and i could often feel like i had sympathy for him and I was proud of him when he was successful.

Evaluation: I did enjoy the novel and found it extremely entertaining and interesting. There were many morals and values tied into the plot especially when it came to discriminating and killing an entire race of buggers. I think the author was really trying to encourage the readers that despite how brilliant you are, a person can be detrimental if they don't think for themselves, especially when they don't believe in what they are doing. I would definitely recommend this book. If i were Ender I would hope i would be more outspoken and fight for what I truly believed rather than what someone asked me to believe in.

Author, Context and Trivia: Orson Scott Card also wrote a squeal to Ender's Game called Ender's Shadow. Although I am not a big SciFi fan i really did enjoy Ender's Game and would even read it again.

Vocab

The aroma from the kitchen was hardly appetizing and despite that, the awkward chef seemed as if he were in a state of ectasy from the excitment of cooking her first meal. Her infatuation with cooking began that night but her food was no longer deleterious, rather she constantly insured that everything she made would consummate her standards. No one who ever was a guest at her home would deny food and there was nothing less than acquiesce urge to taste anything at all. Judging by the first night no one would have guessed the inevitable in this case.




acquiesce- to assent tacitly; submit or comply silently or without protest; agree; consent.
amorous- inclined or disposed to love, esp. sexual love
aroma- an odor arising from spices, plants, cooking, etc., esp. an agreeable odor; fragrance.
awkward- lacking skill or dexterity; clumsy.
consummate- to bring to a state of perfection; fulfill.
conversely- opposite or contrary in direction, action, sequence, etc.; turned around.
deleterious- injurious to health.
delirium- a state of violent excitement or emotion.
ecstasy- an overpowering emotion or exaltation; a state of sudden, intense feeling.
enamored- To inspire with love; captivate.
futile- incapable of producing any result; ineffective; useless; not successful.
incantation- the chanting or uttering of words purporting to have magical power.
inevitability- unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; necessary.
infatuation- foolish or all-absorbing passion or an instance of this.

Book Report- The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. London. Ward, Lock & Company: 1891.

Reason, Type and Setting: The Picture of Dorian Gray is a mystery that takes place in the late 1800's in London. I selected this book because I have always like Wilde's style.

Plot: In the beginning of the novel the main character Dorian is introduced to Lord Henry on the day he was going to have his picture painted by Basil Hallward. Henry "corrupts" Dorian's innocents and introduces him to a new world of pessimism and doubt. At this point Dorian wishes that all the evils would portray on his beautiful painting rather than on his own face and body. He also wishes all his ageing and any signs of deteriorating health will show on the painting as well. Dorian learns this and soon figures that he can live a sinful life and it will never be reflected on to him. The Painting is a mirror of his soul. Eventually the evil consumes him so much that he eventually gets so upset by the person he has become that he decides to stab the painting and as a result he kills himself.

Character: Dorian Gray is a handsome young man at the beginning of the novel and a handsome young man at the end. The only difference is that over the years his soul has become an ugly, old and mean person. I chose this character not only because he is the main character but more because his life and the things that he does become such a powerful metaphor. While Dorian is innocent his soul is pure and it wasn't the knowledge that he could change that changed him but more the path he chose that had made him such ugly person figuratively even though it wasn't literally. In the end of the novel he finally realised how horrible of a person he had became he tried o kill his soul and by doing so he just killed himself.

Evaluation: I did really enjoy the novel and the witty style of Oscar Wilde. Not only was the book entertaining it also had a strong moral and ethical themes. The author tried to show the reader how despite how clean and nice you may look to others, if you have an ugly soul and mind then that will take over the type of person you are. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone interested in a captivating and unique book.

I'm not sure if I would have acted the same way as Dorian. It is hard when you are never taught to think for yourself and then you all of a sudden you are given insight that you don't know what to do with. I have never been in that position so I couldn't know how I would react. Hopefully it wouldn't be the same as Dorian.

Author, Context and Trivia: Oscar Wilde also wrote: Ravenna, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, The Decay of Lying, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories, Intentions, Salome, The House of Pomegranates, Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, The Duchess of Padua, The Sphinx, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Oscar Wilde was an existentialist and well known during his time. I have not read any other books like this one but i would like to read more.

Indict America

I would like to indict the American government on their environmental and conservation policies.

Current Event- Crazy Coffee!!

URL: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/10/coffee.dung/index.html#cnnSTCText

Source: CNN.com

Summary: This special and unique coffee comes from the feces of an Indonesian jungle cat. After the cat eats only the best coffee beans, the beans go through the cat's digestive track. Only 573 pounds of this coffee is produced each year. The beans are sold in London for a high price (of $100 per shot), but on the other hand the profit from this luxury coffee all goes to charity.