Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Acid Rain, the Bad Penny (Final Draft)

It is disappointing to travel to a place of history, such as Arlington Cemetery, and notice the tombstones are deteriorating. How about planning a fishing trip to a lake with your kids and there is a sign that says “No Fishing, high mercury.” Although the combustion of fossil fuels is necessary to provide power that drives our society and industries, it could also present the problem of acid rain because of acid rain contamination, our aquatic life, human life and our human made structures can be affected.

In an article by “Global Warming Awareness 2007” “acid rain was first reported in Manchester, England. In 1852, Robert Angus Smith found the relationship between acid rain and atmospheric pollution.” The term “acid rain” was first used by him in 1872. “Although acid rain was discovered in 1852, it was not until the late 1960s that scientists began widely observing and studying the phenomenon (2).”

Contamination begins with the development of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the burning of fossil fuels. Big power plants burn large quantities of coal, so they release large amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides (Hart 1). Once these chemicals combine with the moisture in the air, acid rain is produced. The acid rain that has received the most attention is caused by coal burning power plants, but cars, oil burning, forest fires and natural causes such as volcanic eruptions are also major factors. As stated in “Clean Air Act Reduces Acid rain in Eastern United States” approximately 30 percent of nitrogen oxides are from power plants another 30 percent is caused by automobiles, 25-30 percent is caused by agriculture and the rest are from natural occurrences. All living things, whether they are plants or animals, whether they live on land or in the water or even in trees, are affected by acid rain. John Watson points out that “the greatest acidity levels are located in the Northeastern United States.” Watson also claims that this is caused by the large number of cities, population and the number of power and industrial plants located in the Northeast(1). The acid rain not only affects the United States, it can be carried overseas by wind and storms.

In an article titled “Acid Rain” from thinkquest.org the acidity in rain is measured by collecting samples of rain and measuring the pH levels. All rainwater has some level of acid; the acid is measured by the pH (potential of hydrogen). Normal rainwater has a pH balance of around 5.6. If the pH goes below 4.5 there is a chance that all fish in the lakes, streams or rivers could die. Some aquatic animals are able to tolerate acidic waters, others, however, acid sensitive and will be lost if the pH declines. So, as pH in a lake or stream decreases, aluminum levels increase. Both a low pH and increased levels of aluminum are directly toxic to fish (1). When acid rain occurs it causes harmful elements like mercury and aluminum to be leaked from the soil and rocks, then it is carried into the streams, rivers and lakes where aquatic life can be affected. Fish can be poisoned by mercury and then could die. When the fish die, the main source of food for birds is gone and it also reduces the amount of food for humans who depend on fish as a food source. The reproduction of the fish can be affected when fish lay their eggs; if the eggs come in contact with the acid an entire generation can be destroyed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states “it can lead to lower body weight and makes fish less able to compete for food and habitat (1).”

Acid rain affects human life in various ways. World Almanac & Book of Facts says “air pollution is a major threat to health and the environment (176).” Everything that we eat, drink and breath has at one time came in contact with acid rain deposits. According to the majority of government and other scientists, the past few years have brought evidence that pollution at current permitted levels is sickening and killing thousands of people and that many of the deaths can be prevented with minor adjustments to present standards. In the article title “Acid Rain” the following health problems occur each year in the United States and Canada due to acid rain: 550 premature deaths, 1,520 emergency room visits and 210,070 asthma symptoms(1). Monika Bauerlein in a article titled “Every Breath you Take”, an estimated 300,000 babies are born each year with dangerous levels of toxic mercury, which is linked to learning disabilities and lower IQs(3). Some levels of air pollution can also be life-threatening. Air pollution has recently been linked to other ailments in people that we never considered were caused by the environment, like diabetes, heart disease and even Parkinson’s. People that live in California and other highly populated states are introduced to acid rain every day, because of smog.

The Fisk Plant in Chicago pumps out about 4,300 tons of sulfur dioxide and more than 2,300 tons of nitrogen oxides, both which contribute to acid rain. Fisk Plant is one of the six coal fired plants around Chicago that since 1999 have racked up more than 7,600 opacity violation; there are too many fine-dust particles in the smoke emitting from the stacks. Yet none of the plants, according to an investigation by the Illinois Attorney General, has received a single citation. As a result, the people that live in Chicago are exposed to levels of air pollution that was supposed to be out-lawed more than three and a half decades ago. These are levels that are known to be life threatening. In 2000, researchers from Harvard estimated that the Fisk plant and five other coal fired plants, plus three somewhere else in Illinois caused 300 deaths and 14,000 asthma attacks each year. If the plants would have followed the guidelines given by the Clean Air Act, two-thirds of those deaths and asthma attacks could have been prevented. For example, 30,000 people die each year from power plant exposer alone. That is twice as many killed by drunk drivers and fifty percent more than those who were murdered (Bauerlein 57-58).

Manmade structures are expected to deteriate over time, but when these structures are exposed to acid rain, deterioration can happen much quicker. In John Watson s article “How does acid precipitation affect marble and limestone buildings?” acid rain affects stone primarily in two ways: dissolution and alteration(1). This includes buildings, statues and other structures that contain stone, metal or other material when exposed to the weather for a long period of time. In exposed areas we see rough edges, removal of the material and a loss of the carved details. Think about all the historical buildings in our country, how about all the monuments and statues that have been constructed, over time, these to can become deteriorated. Have you ever walked through an old cemetery and noticed how the tombstones look “aged?” It can cost billions of dollars to repair a structure, unfortunately some unique structures may never be able to be repaired or replaced. Scientist are examining the process of deterioration and trying to find a way to protect and repair buildings and structures, but this will take time and money. “Only memories last forever.”

Although we cannot control the production of acid rain caused by nature, like volcanoes, acid rain is still a big problem in our environment, but majority of the causes are controllable. There are many ways that humans can help reduce the effects of acid rain. We can use alternative sources of energy; we can use nuclear power, wind energy, solar energy and hydropower, just to name a few. All energy sources have environmental cost as well as benefit. Some sources of energy are more expensive than others, which mean that not all Americans can afford them. People can start to carpool, walk more and take the bus or train for longer trips. At home only use the dishwasher or washer when you have a full load. Turn off computers and appliances when not in use and use energy efficient appliances (ones with the EPA Energy Star Program) turn you lights off in empty rooms, insulate your home as best as you can and turn down the heat at night. Try to do the three R’s reduce, reuse and recycle as often as possible. In a article written by Bob Downing at the “Akron Beacon Journal” one way companies that are burning coal for power can help is by washing the coal before they burn it or installing devises called “scrubbers” to chemically remove the SO2 gases that leave the smokestack . The W.H. Sammis Power Plant did just that. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates states “the Sammis scrubbers will reduce sulfur dioxide by 95% and nitrogen oxide control, to be installed by 2012, will cut that type of emission by 90%.” Installing the anti-pollution equipment will enable the Sammis plant to comply with stricter clean-air requirements under new federal Clean Air Interstate and Clean Air Mercury rules. Power plants can also install different types of anti-pollution equipment in their factories. Although, normal people can help change the affects of acid rain at no financial cost to them, are more companies like Sammis Power Plant willing to put out the expense of buying the new technology, take the steps to reduce the way they burn fossil fuels and follow the government guidelines.

The Clean Air Act was created in 1963 and the Air Quality Act was created in 1967. There were extensions on both of these acts in the 60’s and 70’s, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “Clean Air Act”, it was not until 1990 that the United States proposed an amendment that pertained to the acid rain effects in our environment. This amendment has a marketbased system that is designed to lower the sulfur dioxide pollution levels. The government is hoping that this should lower the levels by around 40 percent. The EPA also set allowances on some power plants, those power plants are only allowed to release that amount of sulfur dioxide, if they need to burn more than that set allowance, they have to get the EPA to allow a higher allowance or they can buy some from another power plant. If power plants are installing equipment that is reducing the sulfur dioxide, then they would get a higher allowance. The EPA also required that nitrogen oxide releases from new cars be reduced.

According to Kevin Krajick of Science acid –causing substances have built up in the ground and are still causing cascading chemical effects that could continue for decades (1). In conclusion, we have taken advantage of our atmosphere for many years; acid rain does have a large impact on our environment. When these acids fall back to earth, it not only causes problems for the environment but also, human life, aquatic life and manmade structures. Government agencies need to invest money in finding alternate ways to burn fossil fuels, enforce utilization windmills and solar power. The Government has passed laws to help reduce emissions of these acids, but unless people start working together and companies start following standards, we will eventually destroy ourselves.


“Acid Rain.” thinkquest.org 19 Dec. 2001
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/acid_rain.htm

“Air pollution.” World Almanac & Book of Facts. 2005: p 176-176. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.

Bauerlein, Monika. “Every Breath You Take.” Sierra Jul/Aug 2006: p56-78 Vol. 91 Issue 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.

“Clean Air Act Reduces Acid rain in Eastern United States.” Science Daily. 28 Sep. 1998
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/09/980928072644.htm.

Downing, Bob. “It takes a huge smokestack to clean up the nation’s air.” Akron Beacon Journal 10 Oct. 2007. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.

Global Warming Awareness 2007. Acid Rain. 5 Feb. 2007

Hart, John. “Acid Rain”
http://encarta.msn.com/acidrain.html

Krajick, Kevin “Long-term data show lingering effects from acid rain.” Science 13 Apr. 2001: Vol. 292. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Clean Air Act. 2 May 2007
http://epa.gov/air/caa

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Effects of Acid Rain-Surface Waters and Aquatic Animals. 8 Jun. 2007

Watson, John. “What is Acid Rain?” (USGS) 21 Jul. 1997.---.”How does acid precipitation affect marble and limestone buildings?”(USGS) 21 Jul. 1997.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Impact of Gambling (Cause/Effect Final Draft)

The saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” paints a perfect image of freedom and no responsibility in your mind. You can go to Las Vegas or any gambling city and not have any worries, at least until you get home. Although gambling is a form of play done for fun and enjoyment, gambling leads to unhappy lives because gamblers may become addicted, they may incur financial problems, and risk losing their friends and family.

Going to a gambling city can be a great getaway for some people. The lights and noise can be very exhilarating and can make some people forget problems in their lives, if only for a couple days. But, for some, it can cause additional problems in their lives if they are not responsible with their actions. Gambling can become an easy addiction for people and they may not realize the problem until it is too late.

If you have ever put money in a slot machine or even put a chip on a table game, it is fun to see if you can win a couple nickels, quarters or even dollars back. Sometimes the odds are with you, but majority of time they are not. So, you keep putting money into the machine or putting chips on the table hoping that the next hand will be the “big one.” People that start out as responsible gamblers, ones that have set limits for the day, can easily become addicted. They have spent their budget for the day but they still think “if I play one more time, I could win all my money back.” They refuse to leave that particular slot machine or table until they win, or they may go to another machine or table thinking they will win. They are trying to fulfill the addiction, the need to win. They want to continue playing the game without taking into the consideration the consequences. They may not realize they have a problem or choose not to acknowledge it.

After spending a couple days gambling, the fun ends, it is time to go home. Once you get home you must return to your “normal life.” You go to the grocery store to get groceries and your debt card does not work. You pay a couple bills and your checks bounce. Where is all my money? You start to remember that you took a little extra out of your account on Friday, then Saturday you ran out of money and needed more and then come Sunday, you are out of money again, but it is your last day on vacation, I bet this is the day, so you took out more money. Once your normal life begins again, you realize you have created a problem for yourself and your family. You must now get yourself out of debt. You do not have enough money to pay bills or get necessities. Some people may try to earn money other ways, like betting, bingo, online casinos, etc.. This will only put the person in more debt. It is going to take a strong person to admit they have a problem and seek mental and financial help.

You can always count on your friends and family, they will be there through all the rough times, so you thought. But, someone that is addicted to gambling and now has caused a financial strain on their family may realize that this is not always true. Gamblers will spend their time alone trying to win more money, which means they are putting gambling as a first priority verses their family being number one. They may borrow money from friends that they know they will not be able to payback. They begin to lie about where they are going, lie about money and begin to lie to themselves. Family and friends will begin to lose trust in you and give up. Yes, there is help out there for gambling, but it is not a free service, now you must come up with more money, which you do not have.

Going to gambling towns can be a fun experience if you set limits for yourself. You must set aside an amount of money, one that you can afford, to spend on gambling each day. Do not go and take more money out of your account, once that money is gone, it is gone, and there is no more for that day. Take that time you now have to explore other things the city has to offer.
If you are not responsible for your actions, it can lead to bad consequences while you are still on vacation and continue once you get home. If you do develop a problem you must admit you have a problem and get help before it gets out of hand. Family and friends will support you and help you in any way possible as longs as you help yourself.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Workshop for 2nd Rough Draft Research Paper

I did the workshop of How Ships Can Stop Destroying The Watery Highway They Use by Camaleon.

A couple things stand out when I first read this paper:
1. Try to shorten the title, it seems a little wordy.
2. It looks like you only have around 1300 words (not counting works cited) need to increase words.
3. You may want to try to read your paper outloud, that is what I did and found some spelling errors and words that that just did not make sense in the sentence.
4. There were some fragment sentences, you may want to rephrase them. I believe and example would be "Using alternate means to power ships."


Workshop Questions
1. I never really considered ships to be a problem with the water (except for oil spills) until I read this paper.

2. e-mail

3. They do express their opinion, but the thesis seems to long. They are making the argument that ships destroy our water, what about boats? Maybe the ships could be replaced by sea vessels or another word that discribes all water transportation.

4. it is not really clear who agrees with the author, maybe the envirnomentalist. Not sure who disagrees.

5. yes

6. 6

7. In the thesis they talk about moving sea life to different parts of the globe, not sure what that means. In the paper they do not go into any depth about this, more information about moving sea life, this will also help up your word count.

8. If there were a disagreeing side, I think it may be ship or boat owners. They may say that their vessels are safe for the environment.

9. No

10. No, there are alot of paragraphs, maybe some of them should be combined. There is alot of information on ways to improve the fossil fuels, but more detail needs to be made about how the ships are destroying the environment.

11. No, there is not a clear transition, they jump around to much on topics.

12. The opening statement does not jump out, it needs to be stronger. Try not to use so many sentances.

13. The conclusion does tfollow the thesis, maybe make a stronger statement somewhere in the conclusion.

14. It looks like 9, but I do not see any page numbers, names or titles.

15. Not sure, it looks like they used two source twice.

16. There are alot of facts, not sure if they know alot about this information or just failed to use quotes correctly.

17. Yes, but I am not sure how they are acutually citing their sources.

18. I think any area that talks facts and tells information needs to be cited.

19. No, I am struggling with this portion myself, I can not give any godd information on this.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Acid Rain, the Bad Penny (the 2nd rough draft)

It is disappointing to travel to a place of history, such as Arlington Cemetery, and notice the tombstones are deteriorating. How about planning a fishing trip to a lake with your kids and there is a sign that says “No Fishing, high mercury.” Oh yeah, and don’t forget for some reason you keep coughing during those trips. Although the combustion of fossil fuels is necessary to provide power that drives our society and industries, it could also present the problem of acid rain, because of acid rain contamination, our aquatic life, human life and our manmade structures can be affected.

Contamination begins with the development of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the burning of fossil fuels. Big power plants burn large quantities of coal, so they release large amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. (Hart 1) Once these chemicals combine with the moisture in the air, acid rain is produced. The acid rain that has received the most attention is caused by coal burning power plants, but cars, oil burning, forest fires and natural causes such as volcanic eruptions are also major factors. Approximately 30 percent of nitrogen oxides are from power plants another 30 percent is caused by automobiles, 25-30 percent is caused by agriculture and the rest are from natural occurrences. All living things, whether they are plants or animals, whether they live on land or in the water or even in trees, are affected by acid rain. The greatest acidity levels are located in the Northeastern United States. This is caused by the large number of cities, population and the number of power and industrial plants located in the Northeast. The acid rain not only affects the United States, it can be carried overseas by wind and storms.

The acidity in rain is measured by collecting samples of rain and measuring the pH levels. All rainwater has some level of acid; the acid is measured by the pH (potential of hydrogen). Normal rainwater has a pH balance of around 5.6. If the pH goes below 4.5 there is a chance that all fish in the lakes, streams or rivers could die. Some aquatic animals are able to tolerate acidic waters, others, however, acid sensitive and will be lost if the pH declines. So, as pH in a lake or stream decreases, aluminum levels increase. Both a low pH and increased levels of aluminum are directly toxic to fish. When acid rain occurs it causes harmful elements like mercury and aluminum to be leaked from the soil and rocks, then it is carried into the streams, rivers and lakes where aquatic life can be affected. Fish can be poisoned by mercury and then could die. When the fish die, the main source of food for birds is gone and it also reduces the amount of food for humans who depend on fish as a food source. The reproduction of the fish can be affected when fish lay their eggs; if the eggs come in contact with the acid an entire generation can be destroyed. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency states that “it can lead to lower body weight and makes fish less able to compete for food and habitat.” (2)

Acid rain affects human life in various ways. Everything that we eat, drink and breath has at one time came in contact with acid rain deposits. According to the majority of government and other scientists, the past few years have brought evidence that pollution at current permitted levels is sickening and killing thousands of people and that many of the deaths can be prevented with minor adjustments to present standards. The following health problems occur each year in the United States and Canada due to acid rain: 550 premature deaths, 1,520 emergency room visits and 210,070 asthma symptoms. (1) An estimated 300,000 babies are born each year with dangerous levels of toxic mercury, which is linked to learning disabilities and lower IQs. Some levels of air pollution can also be life-threatening. Air pollution has recently been linked to other ailments in people that we never considered were caused by the environment, like diabetes, heart disease and even Parkinson’s. People that live in California and other highly populated states are introduced to acid rain every day, because of smog.

According to Monika Bauerlein in a article title “ Every Breath you Take” did research on the Fisk Plant. The Fisk Plant in Chicago pumps out about 4,300 tons of sulfur dioxide and more than 2,300 tons of nitrogen oxides, both which contribute to acid rain. Fisk Plant is one of the six coal fired plants around Chicago that since 1999 have racked up more than 7,600 opacity violation; there are too many fine-dust particles in the smoke emitting from the stacks. Yet none of the plants, according to an investigation by the Illinois Attorney General, has received a single citation. As a result, the people that live in Chicago are exposed to levels of air pollution that was supposed to be out-lawed more than three and a half decades ago. These are levels that are known to be life threatening. In 2000, researchers from Harvard estimated that the Fisk plant and five other coal fired plants, plus three somewhere else in Illinois caused 300 deaths and 14,000 asthma attacks each year. If the plants would have followed the guidelines given by the Clean Air Act, two-thirds of those deaths and asthma attacks could have been prevented. For example, 30,000 people die each year from power plant exposer alone. That is twice as many killed by drunk drivers and fifty percent more than those who were murdered.

Manmade structures are expected to deteriate over time, but when these structures are exposed to acid rain, deterioration can happen much quicker. Acid rain affects stone primarily in two ways: dissolution and alteration. This includes buildings, statues and other structures that contain stone, metal or other material when exposed to the weather for a long period of time. In exposed areas we see rough edges, removal of the material and a loss of the carved details. Think about all the historical buildings in our country, how about all the monuments and statues that have been constructed, over time, these to can become deteriorated. Have you ever walked through an old cemetery and noticed how the tombstones look “aged?” It can cost billions of dollars to repair a structure, unfortunately some unique structures may never be able to be repaired or replaced. Scientist are examining the process of deterioration and trying to find a way to protect and repair buildings and structures, but this will take time and money. “Only memories last forever.”

Although we cannot control the production of acid rain caused by nature, like volcanoes, acid rain is still a big problem in our environment, but majority of the causes are controllable. There are many ways that humans can help reduce the effects of acid rain. We can use alternative sources of energy; we can use nuclear power, wind energy, solar energy and hydropower, just to name a few. All energy sources have environmental cost as well as benefit. Some sources of energy are more expensive than others, which mean that not all Americans can afford them. People can start to carpool, walk more and take the bus or train for longer trips. At home only use the dishwasher or washer when you have a full load. Turn off computers and appliances when not in use and use energy efficient appliances (ones with the EPA Energy Star Program) turn you lights off in empty rooms, insulate your home as best as you can and turn down the heat at night. Try to do the three R’s reduce, reuse and recycle as often as possible. In a article written by Bob Downing at the “Akron Beacon Journal” one way companies that are burning coal for power can help is by washing the coal before they burn it or installing devises called “scrubbers” to chemically remove the SO2 gases that leave the smokestack . The W.H. Sammis Power Plant did just that. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates states “the Sammis scrubbers will reduce sulfur dioxide by 95% and nitrogen oxide control, to be installed by 2012, will cut that type of emission by 90%.” Installing the anti-pollution equipment will enable the Sammis plant to comply with stricter clean-air requirements under new federal Clean Air Interstate and Clean Air Mercury rules. Power plants can also install different types of anti-pollution equipment in their factories. Although, normal people can help change the affects of acid rain at no financial cost to them, are more companies like Sammis power Plant willing to put out the expense of buying the new technology, take the steps to reduce the way they burn fossil fuels and follow the government guidelines.

The Clean Air Act was created in 1963 and the Air Quality Act was created in 1967. There were extensions on both of these acts in the 60’s and 70’s, but it was not until 1990 that the United States proposed an amendment that pertained to the acid rain effects in our environment. This amendment has a marketbased system that is designed to lower the sulfur dioxide pollution levels. The government is hoping that this should lower the levels by around 40 percent. The EPA also set allowances on some power plants, those power plants are only allowed to release that amount of sulfur dioxide, if they need to burn more than that set allowance, they have to get the EPA to allow a higher allowance or they can buy some from another power plant. If power plants are installing equipment that is reducing the sulfur dioxide, then they would get a higher allowance. The EPA also required that nitrogen oxide releases from new cars be reduced.

In conclusion, we have taken advantage of our atmosphere for many years; acid rain does have a large impact on our environment. When these acids fall back to earth, it not only causes problems for the environment but also, human life, aquatic life and manmade structures. Government agencies need to invest money in finding alternate ways to burn fossil fuels, enforce utilization windmills and solar power. The Government has passed laws to help reduce emissions of these acids, but unless people start working together and companies start following standards, we will eventually destroy ourselves.

“Air pollution.” World Almanac & Book of Facts. 2005: p 176-176. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.

Bauerlein, Monika. “Every Breath You Take.” Sierra Jul/Aug 2006: p56-78 Vol. 91 Issue 4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.

Downing, Bob. “It takes a huge smokestack to clean up the nation’s air.” Akron Beacon Journal 10 Oct. 2007. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.


Drummund, B Ayres Jr. “ Gettysburgh Journal: With Acid rain, can history Long Endure?” The New York Times 20 Jun. 1989


Global Warming Awareness 2007. Acid Rain. 5 Feb. 2007

Hart, John. “Acid Rain”
http://encarta.msn.com/acidrain.html

Krajick, Kevin “Long-term data show lingering effects from acid rain.” Science 13 Apr. 2001: Vol. 292. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.


Sinha, Richa. “Global warming- Adverse effects of acid rain!” http://www.energyefficienthomearticles.com


U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Effects of Acid Rain-Surface Waters and Aquatic Animals. 8 Jun. 2007

“US power firm end suit over acid rain.” The Australian 10 Oct. 2007. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Workshop of The power of Jealousy

1. Although jealousy is a powerful emotion, the effects can be nery harmful to ones self being, because jealousy can effect your normal personality, effect relationships with friends and family and can hurt you physically.

2. Yes, there is a link and it does show at the end of the first paragraph.

3. The cause is jealousy.

4. The effects are cause depression and mood swings, destroy relations and also affect a persons physical system.

5. I don't think that the audience is very clear, she could just be talking in general to everyone. The audience targeted needs to be mentioned somewhere.

6. I can not see any counter arguments, unless I am missing them. You may need to go through and add this information somewhere.

7. I though the title was very eye catching, I wanted to see what kind of power jealousy had.

8. The leas sentence is "When it comes to ones emotions, sometime they can be difficult to control." I think the word jealousy needs to be in your lead line.

9. In the last paragraph I think you need to start it with the word Jealousy instead of Emotions, this would reconfirm what you have said. The topic is jealousy not emotions. Maybe say "not letting the demon known as jealousy."

10. Each paragraph does touch on the effects, in paragraph 4 maybe mention the word stress somewhere. The paragraphs flowed pretty good.

Over all the paper is pretty interesting, good topic. Double check your spelling and I think you may have used a couple words that are not actually words, i am not sure that un-jealous is a word?

Good Luck on your final draft. Hope this helps.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Cause/Effect Draft -Workshop Response Questions

I will be doing a work shop of
http://ToThineOwnSelfBeTrue.blogspot.com

Saturday, November 10, 2007

The Imapct of Gambling- Cause/Effect ROUGH Draft

The saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” paints a perfect image of freedom and no responsibility in your mind. You can go to Las Vegas and not have any worries, at least until you get home. Although gambling is a form of play done for fun and enjoyment, gambling leads to unhappy lives because gamblers may become addicted, they may incur financial problems, and risk losing their friends and family.

Going to a gambling city can be a great getaway for some people. The lights and noise can be very exhilarating and can make some people forget problems in their lives, if only for a couple days. But, for some, it can cause additional problems in their lives if they are not responsible with their actions.

If you have ever put money in a slot machine or even put a chip on a table game, it is fun to see if you can win a couple nickels, quarters or even dollars back. Sometimes the odds are with you, but majority of time they are not. So, you keep putting money into the machine or putting chips on the table hoping that the next hand will be the “big one.” To many people that start out as responsible gamblers, ones that have set limits for the day, become addicted. They have spent their budget for the day but they still think “if I play one more time, I could win all my money back.” They refuse to leave that particular slot machine or table until they win, or they may go to another machine or table thinking they will win. They are trying to fulfill the addiction, the need to win. They want to continue playing the game without taking into the consideration the consequences. They may not realize they have a problem or choose not to acknowledge it.

After spending a couple days gambling, the fun ends, it is time to go home. Once you get home you must return to your “normal life.” You go to the grocery store to get groceries and your debt card does not work. You pay a couple bills and your checks bounce. Where is all my money? You start to remember that you took a little extra out of your account on Friday, then Saturday you ran out of money and needed more and then come Sunday, you are out of money again, but it is your last day on vacation, I bet this is the day, so you take out more money. Once your normal life begins again, you must now get yourself out of debt, you do not have enough money to pay bills or get necessities. Some people may ask for help or others may try to earn money other ways, like betting, bingo, online casinos, etc.. This will only put the person in more debt. It is going to take a strong person to admit they have a problem and seek mental and financial help.

You can always count on your friends and family, they will be there through all the rough times, so you thought. But, someone that is addicted to gambling and now has caused a financial strain on their family may realize that this is not always true. Gamblers will spend their time alone trying to win more money, which means they are putting that as a first priority verses their family being number one. They may borrow money from friends that they know they will not be able to payback. They begin to lie about where they are going, lie about money and begin to lie to themselves. Family and friends will begin to lose trust in you and give up. Yes, there is help out there for gambling, but it is not a free service, where is that money going to come from?

Going to gambling towns can be a fun experience if you set limits for yourself. You must set aside an amount of money, one that you can afford, to spend on gambling each day. Do not go and take more money out of your account, once that money is gone, it is gone, there is no more for that day. Take that time you now have to explore other things the city has to offer.

If you are not responsible for your actions, it can lead to bad consequences while you are still on vacation and once you get home. If you do develop a problem you must admit you have a problem and get help before it gets out of hand. Family and friends will support you and help you in any way possible as longs as you help yourself.