Journal Week 12

Included in my assigned reading was an exploratory paper written by Christopher Leigh titled, An Exploration of How to Prevent Violence in Schools. This was a very interesting paper for me because I have touched on the topic in conversations with friends before. He states that psychological profiling and metal detectors are counterproductive to the effort of stopping school violence, and we should do other things like offer counseling. I strongly agree with him.

When talking about this with my old friend Ty we decided that metal detectors were bad because they send a message to kids telling them they are either bad and create school violence or they get the message that they are in danger at school and they need to be very careful or they may become a victim of school violence. We felt that when you are told you are something over and over again you are very likely to become that. For example, if a child is told they are dumb over and over again they will come to the belief that they are dumb. In addition, metal detectors in schools cannot guarantee that no dangerous weapons enter schools. So all they are really doing is sending a negative message to children who are easily molded every day they go to school. For these reasons we both felt that metal detectors should be removed from schools.

I never talked about psychological profiling with my friend Ty because I had not thought about this aspect of school violence but I too agree with the author when he says we should not use psychological profiling to intervene and attempt to prevent school violence. If I were to profile the instigators of school violence I would say the profile would be a male, Caucasian, with easy access to guns, wears big coats, and has an unhealthy social life. This profile fits thousands of the male students in Utah. Should we put them into anger management programs and take away their right to bare arms? No, that too would be sending the message to children who are easily influenced that they are instigators of school violence, or potential killers.

I never felt like there was a counselor I could go talk to about my problems or frustrations in high school. If there had been I know I would have had less stress, and felt more connected to my high school. When students feel more involved or connected to their high school they are less likely to drop out and more likely to get better grades. That is why I think his solution of putting counselors in schools is a great one. It is not an absolute solution, but it is definitely better than metal detectors.

I enjoyed reading Christopher Leigh's exploratory paper because it reinforced some of my beliefs and got me thinking about approaches to preventing school violence that I had not thought of.

Journal week 11

I’ve decided to do my annotated bibliography on articles that discuss global warming. I am still not sure what question I will purpose and report on. I find myself having troubles thinking of a problematic question to which there is still much debate. When I choose the topic of global warming I was under the assumption that scholars were still debating its causes. After reading through many scholarly articles I now know that the debate is over. Everyone agrees global warming is happening, and it is being caused by our high carbon dioxide emissions. So now I am left with a topic I want to pursue but no question debated enough to present it on.

It was the media that gave me the perception that global warming is an ongoing debate. I am sure they purposely portray this image because some of them are financially backed by organizations that produce high carbon emissions or provide materials like gasoline or coal for high carbon emissions. When I thought about this I realized that almost every business is dependant on gasoline. Whether it is used to move around goods, or get their employees to work they rely on gasoline in some way. We are in big trouble if we do not find a new resource that can replace gasoline and decrease our emissions.

Another interesting topic on global warming that I read about was the affect it would have on our health. The editorial I read by Geoffery Hunt, Nursing Ethics, Nov 2006, Vol. 13 Issue 6, p 571-572 stated that as the temperatures rise diseases from warm lower elevations will spread to previously cooler higher elevations. He encouraged the medical community to start training their doctors in cooler places on how to diagnose and treat the diseases they will soon be battling. I had not thought of this negative part of global warming before.

I will use the new aspects I have learned about global warming to come up with a problematic question about it. For example when I think from a mechanics standpoint I think, “What grade of oil will I have to use when my area warms up?” That definitely will not be the question I report on but by putting myself in the shoes of people from different academic communities I will be able to come up with a good question that is currently being debated.

Journal Week 10

I have decided to research the causes of global warming and how it may be prevented. Although the idea of global warming had been introduced to me before, I never gave it much thought until I watched An Inconvenient Truth. Since then I find myself pondering global warming more then I think about the November elections.
Most any scientist specializing in environmental science supports the common theory about global warming. The only scholars who don’t believe global warming is a serious issue or simply do not believe it is abnormal are scholars who do not really specialize in environmental science. Interestingly enough I found that many articles about global warming were written by scholars with an interest in environmental ethics. I always knew that the threat of global warming was an ethical issue yet it still surprised me to find people who specialize in ethics writing about it. When I think of scholars of ethics I’d imagine they write papers about foreign policy, free trade, immigration, and other issues.
I have read a few theories on the causes of global warming, and one theory that never entered my thoughts was the significant impact of deforestation on global warming. I had thought of how we would be in a better situation if our rainforests were intact. However, I had not thought of how the pollutants from the actual burning effect global warming. I am sure we could slightly curb global warming by stopping deforestation. Also, I find myself thinking, could we have completely avoided global warming becoming an issue if we had never started burning the rain forests? If we were to replant all the rainforests now and stop deforestation, would we be able to completely curb global warming? I think if we did we could at least positively effect global warming in a very significant way.
What would stopping deforestation do to the people that have a because of it? Could they find jobs rebuilding our rainforests? Would we put the job in the hands of machines and significantly cut back on the amount of labor needed? These are more ethical issues. This makes me think of how global warming will not only effect our future generations. Curbing it could adversely effect our current generation. I have learned a completely new ethical angle on global warming.
I am excited to compile a paper and present the information I will gather during my research. I feel less like I am doing an unimportant assignment, and more like I am doing an assignment that could change or affect my peers.

Journal Week 7

Edward Abbey, the author, is a nature lover. In 1959, he and a friend took a rafting trip down the Colorado River through the length of Glen Canyon. Then in the summer of 1967, he was a ranger and conducted many power boat tours in Glen Canyon. He did this for 5 months. Edward Abbey witnessed what Glen Canyon, and the Colorado River looked like before, and after the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam.

Glen Canyon was previously an abundant habitat for wildlife. Animals, and plants made their homes up the entire length of the canyon walls. Now their habitat is mostly submerged. There is still wildlife in the area. However, there is much less, and some species are simply not to be found. In addition, you now need a power boat to efficiently explore the area. Previously, you could simply hop into a cheap rubber boat with some paddles, and you would be on your way. Glen Canyon’s natural wonders formed over hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. All of this beauty is now soiled with silt, trash, and polluted water. Edward Abbey feels we should drain Lake Powell, and let nature repair the canyon and reclaim its former beauty.

Others see the Dam’s creation, Lake Powell as a blessing. It is a wonderful playground for those who can afford power boats. Also, there are still many natural wonders to be found in the area, and a lot are reachable by power boat. In the past, you would need to hike many miles to reach some of these wonders. You can now enjoy a wider variety of water sports in the area because of the deeper, wider waters created by the Dam. Electricity is also a very important resource for our modernized age, and the Dam is providing us with that. For these reasons some people feel we should leave the lake as it is.

If I personally was around to voice my opinion on this Dam before it was created, I would have strongly opposed it. I too, am a nature lover, and I love exploring canyons. A powerboat is something I cannot afford. Therefore, I will probably never visit, or explore Lake Powell. I wish the lake was not there. However, we would have a shortage of electricity if we were to drain the Lake Powell. Also, we cannot know how long it will take nature to reclaim the former beauty of the canyon. We will definitely have a very big, ugly, ditch for many years. I feel we should leave Lake Powell as it is because of these reasons. Although, I do wish the Dam had never been created in the first place.

Journal Week 4

Computer Networking

I am interested in going into Computer Networking. I believe it falls into the Technology and Computing area of study. I haven't researched much into it, but I'm told that there is a high demand for specialists in this field and it pays well. I also love working with computers and would be happy to do computer networking as a career. As I work toward a degree that would compliment my field, I could use the things I learn immediately to improve my own computer and perhaps get small jobs setting up networks for homes or businesses.

One major issue with computer networking is security. It is crucial that a business network is adequately protected from viruses and hackers. In addition, it is important for business to protect their networks from their own employees. They may download a virus accidentally or purposely seek out confidential information on the database to sell to a rival. Every year they have a hackers’ convention called Defcon where hackers compete against each other. This is also a gold mine of information for computer networkers. I could use the things I learn there to keep up to date on all the new hacks so I may keep my networks secure. That is why I will plan to attend the convention every year once I get more money. At the moment I have no experience in hacking or preventing it.

Another important issue in computer networking is speed. Sometimes with the more security systems you apply to your network your network's speed goes down. Nothing bugs me more then a slow internet connection. I have been spoiled with my own fiber optic connection at home. I will constantly be tweaking to find a balance between network speed and security. I will also be researching and testing out the new networking hardware and software as it comes out to see if it will improve my own networks enough to make the cost of implementation worth while.

I have yet to meet with an advisor about computer networking. However, this journal entry has inspired me to set a goal. I will meet with an advisor on computer networking by the end of the month. Then my next goal is to have a start to finish plan of what I will take to get a bachelors in something that will compliment my future career.

Journal 1

Curbing Global Warming

Last month I watched the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, in Salt Lake City at Broadway Center Cinemas. It is a movie on global warming that was developed after producers Laurie David and Lawrence Bender saw Al Gore's slide show on global warming and climate change. I believe everyone should watch this movie no matter where they stand on global warming. I had always thought about the problem in the back of my mind but would just shrug it off. Should I even care about global warming? I didn't think it would ever effect the people of my time.
In this movie I learned some startling facts based on correlating scientific trends in carbon emissions and global temperatures. If these trends continue the Arctic Ocean could be ice free in the summer by 2050. If we were to lose shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica our global sea levels would raise 20 feet. This would displace an estimated 100 million people. That made me think about how difficult it was to house the refugees from Hurricane Katrina. Could governments of the world keep order when they have millions of evacuees on their hands?
In my mind I felt we were doomed. I didn't know how we could possibly curb global warming. It would require the combined efforts of billions. In the corporate business world the first step to reform is taken by the highest management in the company. They then implement the policy on the rest of the corporation. I believe if we are to reform our current actions it will require the help of our governments.
Even with the help of our governments will curbing global warming be possible? We created the Clean Air Act which has helped. However, our planet is still getting warmer. We are still polluting too much. Al Gore says we can curb global warming. We would have to change a number of the things we do in every day life. However, the actions are really not too drastic. Although, we would still need billions of people to take these actions.
Right now there is a unified effort of nations being made to lower emissions and curb global warming. It is called the Kyoto Protocol. I'm sure many of you have heard or read about it. Our federal government did sign the Kyoto Protocol but has not ratified it to make it's effects binding. President Bush has not ratified it because it was projected that it may hurt our GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Also, he does not agree with the exemption from the protocol’s consequences that was granted to China although it is the world's second greatest emitter of carbons. We are the greatest emitter of carbons.
Even though our federal government has not pledged to lower carbon emissions to the standard of the Kyoto Protocol, 9 of our states have. In addition, 194 US mayors have also pledged to lower their city's emissions to the standards of the Kyoto Protocol. This brought me to my last question. Should it be the roll of the Federal or State Government to take action in curbing global warming?

Official Movie Page

Broadway Center Cinemas

My Contact Information

Hi, my name is Aaron Barrett. I'm 19 years old living in Ventana student housing located in Orem. If you needed to reach me I can be reached on my cell at (801) 362-3948. I also use MSN to correspond. My MSN name is g_funky_technicolor@yahoo.com You may also e-mail me at aaronthebarrett@yahoo.com I am a MySpacer so my url is https://www.myspace.com/gunky1337

Regards,

Aaron Jonas Howell Barrett

p.s. We are not naked.