Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Global warming? Scientists find methane source in Arctic seas. Peter N. Spotts

LINK

   "Scientists studying global warming in the Arctic have discovered a previously unknown source of methane working its way into the atmosphere, a source that is releasing large amounts of the gas each year." Methane was discovered in Siberia's northern coast, it is worse then green house gases and carbon dioxide. It is unclear if this source of methane has been in the atmosphere for only recent years or long term. Dr. Shakhova says, "some evidence suggests a role for global warming in the methane's release." The East Siberian Arctic Shelf covers over 800,000 square miles. When the glaciers melted at the end of the last ice age, the northern reaches submerged to become today's continential shelf. It had a layer of permafrost below the surface, along with deposits of methane trapped underneath. Small amounts of warming in bottom water can lead to thawing permafrost and release methane into the atmosphere. Todd Sowers, a paleoclimatologist says, "this is a very important topic. what you'd like to do is go back every 10 years to see if it's changing. That's when you can start saying: These are recent changes."
   This article was fully backed up with research which is why I enjoyed reading it. It showed many different statements from scientists all over the world, which really brought my attention. Evidence was used throughout the article with information from recient and ancient years. I found this argument to be very persuasive, it put notice that because of the temperatures rising, it is melting glaciers that have methane trapped inside of them. These gases are slowly being released into the atmosphere. It showed how the gases got into the glaciers, and showed evidence of how these gases are changing. The article reaches its intended audience very well. It is a newspaper article from Boston, Mass. and Peter Spotts really helps the reader understand what exactly he is talking about.
   This article made me realise how we need to do a better job at preserving our world. Knowing that another gas is slowly being leaked into the atmosphere makes me very suspicious of what else will soon come. People do not understand how important global warming is nowadays. It is rising every year, and although we will not have any short term effects, the long term effects could be horrible. The issue presented in this article is extremely important, and I think it should be shared with many people. The more knowlodge people have on it, the better.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The Blind Side

   "The Blind Side," was a great movie that was extremely inspiring, and gave me a warm feeling throughout the movie. Sandra Bullock, the main character did a great job at playing a warm hearted southern woman, who took in a teenager and taught him how to be a part of a family, and especially how to play football. This teenager she took in, Micheal Oher, later became NFL Raven's offense tackle.
   When Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) saw "Big Mike" walking in the cold rain at night, she didnt take no for an answer when she asked him to stay at her house. Over time she saw that Micheal didn't have a good home or environment, so she legally adopted him. After Micheal learned how to play football, he was unstopable with his enormous strength on the field. Colleges all over the country noticed him, and wanted him to go to their school. At the end, it showed a real recording of Micheal Oher getting first picked in the NFL Draft, and a picture with his family.
   This truely touched me because the movie was a true story. Micheal was a child that came from nothing, and had no where to go. Because of Leigh Anne, it gave him an incredible future. I highly suggest watching this movie, because it really is inspiring to watch, let alone funny!

Freedom.

  















   This image is very controversial, especially for women. I feel that the author, Pat Robinson, doesn't respect women at all. You can easily tell it is a woman because of the hairless, petite body. The chains represent how a woman is locked down because of her husband. But the title to the picture, Submission, is what is the most degrading. Some men feel that the woman in the relationship should never talk down to them, a few generations ago a man could legally hit his wife. But times have changed, and this image is considered extremely controversial. Not many women nowadays give in to submission.
    There are two sides to this controversial topic inside of this picture. One side is that women should be treated equal inside and outside of relationships. But the other side suggests that women are weaker, and made to work around the house. They feel that the man should always have control. Obviously, this picture chooses the second side.
   This picture is extremely effective at showing its point on the subject. But because of the side that I personally stand on, I find this picture degrading, and hurtful. Pat Robertson went too far at expressing his opinion, and he really should keep it to himself in our new society.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

website evaluation

"Why Iowa's Gay Marriage Anniversary Matters." - Micheal A. Jones
http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/why_iowas_gay_marriage_anniversary_matters

My website evaluation went very well after I found my article on Change.org. An article called, “Why Iowa’s gay marriage anniversary matters,” by Micheal A. Jones. This article explains how Iowa was one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage, and how many other states followed. This article also fit all of the requirements including Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose, to fit my CRAAP test.
            This article was recently published on April 3, 2010, which held updated and current information for my topic. This showed that the article withheld Currency. What I liked about the article was how it showed that my solution to the problem works. It showed how legalizing same sex marriage will not make a difference to the society. This article has a very large audience all over the United States. I believe that it is very appropriate, and I could see myself using this for my research paper. With all of these things, this article definitely fits Relevance. All of the information in this article comes from Change.org. The information is supported with quotes and court cases that come from Iowa. The article is referred by many who follow and commented on the article. I know from personal knowledge that the information is true because I know same sex marriage is legal in Iowa, causing effects around the nation. I think that the author seems to be free of emotion when I read this, which helps me know that this article has Accuracy.
            Micheal A. Jones is the author and editor of this article. At the bottom of the article, it tells you that he works for Change.org as an editor. He worked in human rights communications, previously for Harvard Law School. Micheal Jones has written many gay rights articles on the website, which I think he deserves credit for. There is no contact information given, but you can go into a link that allows you to see all of his current work. The website shows that Micheal A. Jones has the Authority to write this article. The purpose of this article is to entertain and inform. Micheal Jones makes that very clear because it has some information in it, but it is also an entertaining article to read. This article’s point of view is very impartial. He thinks of the other side of the situation. He makes it more of a factual article, with some opinion that I like. The political and ideological views are what showed me that this article has a Purpose. I enjoyed reading this article, and I am glad that it fits the CRAAP test, because I’m excited to use it in my research paper.


Thursday, April 8, 2010

Research thesis

Homosexuals are wrongly deprived of many of their rights everyday. For gay's to have equal rights, the government needs to legalize same-sex marriage, in order for them to do so, they need to understand that marriage is about love, not law.