Four Essays: Nuclear Power, Remembering an Event, Personal Narrative, Guns on Campus

Nuclear Power

Should the U.S. Build More Nuclear Power Plants for an Energy Source?

In this century, almost everyone is familiar with Nagasaki and Hiroshima. These two cities suffered bomb attacks from the Americans. These nuclear bombs demonstrated the power of atoms. Nevertheless, technology involving nuclear has no limitations to wars but also as a major source of energy. Atomic power is what harnesses the production of nuclear energy. Reactions that are a result of nuclear reactions sustain sun and all other stars. Nuclear reactors also produce manmade nuclear power. Currently, the scientists are on a very heavy mission of getting ways of generating nuclear power with the use of nuclear fusion, the main reason as to why the topic is relevant (Benjamin, 2011).

There are three major characteristics of the audience one of them being that they believe a single reactor of nuclear can produce a substantial amount of power. Unlike conservative sources of energy like coal and oil, a nuclear reactor can produce much more power per every unit weight of nuclear fuel. Others believe that production of nuclear power does not contribute to global warming since it does not spoil the atmosphere by releasing carbon dioxide. Talking of operational costs, costs of nuclear reactors operations are relatively low. The third characteristic is that they think nuclear power lowers the dependence of toxic waste resulting to remnant fuels. Nuclear power also reduces the nation’s dependence on foreign costly fuels.

The main question to be answered with regard to this research is should the U.S. Build More Nuclear Power Plants for an Energy Source? and why many people refer to domestic policy as public policy meaning it is the same thing when it comes to nuclear power. It plays the role of presenting decisions, programs and laws that the government makes. All these relate directly to issues and activities that are within the country. Therefore, domestic policy has the definition of set laws and regulations established by the government within the nation’s borders. Domestic policy is different from foreign policy where by foreign policy talks of how the government advances in politics of the world. Domestic policy wraps many areas including energy, business, energy law enforcement, and natural resources. Decisions from domestic policy reflect a nation’s experience and history, economic and social conditions, priorities and needs of its people as well as the government’s nature. It is a frequent disagreement’s source among people from different philosophies and backgrounds (Clark, 2003).

President Barack Obama committed himself to making significant changes in the United States of America’s policy of environment and energy during the campaign and the first year in office. In January 2009, there was an introduction of the energy bill in congress and it did not only involve a range of policies like control of stricter emissions and alternative sources of energy subsidies but also a carbon pricing regime that was ambitious for carbon emissions. The pricing regime is none other than the cap and trade (Benjamin, 2011).

When the house did the passing of the cap and trade bill, the senate opposed stiffly from the very beginning. This did not discourage the congress and president Obama and in the early months of 2010, the senate made it clear that it could not accept specific emissions targets under the policy of cap and trade system. It is from there that Barack Obama the president of the United States of America conceded and acknowledged that there could be passing of a major energy bill separate from the cap and trade (Benjamin, 2011).

The new passed bill would provide subsidies for other alternative energy sources including nuclear and stricter controls on emission of carbon. The 2010 oil spill brought into light some contradictions in the United States of America policy, blaming it all in the administration for lifting the ban on new offshore drilling. In the mid-2010, the senate had not yet passed the energy bill including the one involving cap and trade.

There are various research methods or methodologies used in this research project. They include; interviews, conversations, focus groups, observations and questionnaires. These are the main methodologies used in the United States of America to determine if the U.S. Should Build More Nuclear Power Plants for an Energy Source.

Interviews

Several people responded well to the interviews and no barriers encountered. However, many people wanted to know the reason it had to be them simply that they did not know the selection of the interviewees was random. The ratio of male to female was 50:50. Three males and three females responded well. This was regardless of whether they were determine if the U.S. Should Build More Nuclear Power Plants for an Energy Source or not.

Conversations

Many conversations with friends from U.S. took place discussing if the U.S. Should Build More Nuclear Power Plants for an Energy Source. It was tremendously encouraging to see how the community members participated and cooperated well without any miss conduct. However, some communication barriers got underway but later resolved. The main conversations included the issue nuclear power. The people talked more about the disadvantages and talked less on the advantages. The debate seemed to favor many, as they wanted their children and themselves to learn more.

Questionnaire

The same group that took the U.S. communities received and filled the questionnaires willingly. Both groups commented and added some comments saying if the whole world adopted More Nuclear Power Plants for an Energy Source, the whole world could continue to get better. The questionnaire addressed the problems that the institutions encountered regarding the issue of nuclear power. The questionnaire that contained fifteen questions formed the baseline of the research. The questions indirectly addressed the effects of nuclear power. Some of the questions included in the questionnaire were like; how did one find the nuclear power application, what are the difficulties that the plant system got at the beginning while incorporating, what are the expectations of the energy source, and what actions would improve the current power sources (Benjamin, 2011).

One of the greatest limitations of nuclear power is that the technology used on its production produce nuclear weapons, which later cause nations move up against nations. The waste products that are a result of nuclear power production can last for thousands of years and may cause more harm to the society. On to my own opinion, I hope nuclear power becomes useful and safe energy in the future. This can only happen if many countries spent more money and time wisely to improve upon this technology.

Remembering an Event

I was 15 years old and I was in freshman year in high school. It was during the weekend and it was a beautiful day when that happened and I did not have a plan in that day. First of all, in the morning my father woke me up and he said if you would like to go with me to get some groceries for home and I told him of course but give me thirty minutes to take a shower and eat something if you are not busy. Then he said I’m busy I can not wait for you because I have more work to do, then he went without me. After that, he came and I helped him carrying the groceries inside the house and then he gave me his car key to lock it, but I did not return the car key to him because if forgot and he did not remind me too.

Next, at midnight my friend called me and he told me that he wanted to hang out but he could not because he lives far away. Then, I told him that I have my father’s key and he is sleeping right now so I will take my father’s car and come pick you up. He agreed and mentioned that it is nice out. That was the first time I stole my father’s car and I was scared a little from my father finding out about it. I took the car and when I was driving on the highway I did not know exactly which exit to take to drop my friend at his place so, I took one of the exits and I thought that was the correct one but, it was not. I stopped the car to call my friend because I wanted to know where was his home at but the first problem I forgot my phone at home and I did not know how I could return to my house.

So I was very scared from my father to find out about that and I did not know what to do but I tried to find my neighborhood and I asked someone walking on the sidewalk and he helped me get to where I live. While driving back home I was reckless driving and one of the police officer saw me violating traffic rules then he pulled me over. Here was the big problem because the police officer asked me about the driver license and my ID and I actually did not have both of them. Then, he told me you have to call your father or I will take you to jail but I told him I could not call my father because my phone is not with me. Then, the police officer gave me his phone and I called my father and explained to him everything happened from the beginning and he was very angry because I did not return his key back to him.

In conclusion, my father showed up at where I was stopped by the police then fixed everything. I was grounded for a month and did not go anywhere but school, I was also financially punished but, my mom helped me through it. That is one of the best stories that ever happened to me when I was a child.

Personal Narrative

Ever since I can remember, baking has been my favorite past-time activity since during the holidays; my aunt would visit and prepare cupcakes for my brothers and me for breakfast and four o’clock tea. The way she did it, so skillfully and at the same time effortlessly, inspired me to want to learn the art. Furthermore, I relish the sweet essence from baked delicacies in the house. Therefore, we began shadowing her as she prepared the cupcakes and over time, she let us in on her secret ingredients. This brought us closer together as a family as we all got to sit down and bond as we enjoyed the delicious treats. My brother became particularly interested in baking and, thus, he went on to join a culinary institute. I realized I am better with accounting and finances, therefore, I sought to gain the knowledge in business management and marketing as I horn my other skills from dedicated lecturers at a renowned culinary institution.

Moreover, while in high school, my brother and I decided to have a bake sale to raise funds for a classmate that had lost his father to cancer and needed money to settle the medical bills and pay for funeral arrangements. To my surprise, the bake sale became such a huge success and people kept telling us how much they enjoyed them. This sparked my desire to own a bakery and my brother to come up with new innovative recipes. However, currently, I believe my raw skills and limited knowledge in business management skills are the only challenge to running this business. This is why I am fervent about joining an institution which is well known to ensure that my skills are better developed to ensure success in my chosen trade. I strongly feel that it would equip me with the necessary business management skills to set up a bakery with my brother and run it efficiently. In addition, I would like to interact with the different academicians at such an institution and seek their mentorship and guidance as I set out on my endeavor.

Last year, my aunt was diagnosed with diabetes that made her less active and cheerful especially since she is well-advanced in age. This has further ignited my ambition as now my brother and I endeavor to create healthy recipes that would be enjoyed by all. This, coupled with the fact that we would like to use social media and new technologies to boost our business, has also contributed to my desire to join a university which will help us develop the necessary skills. This is because many universities, to my knowledge, always continuously aim to remain up to date in equipping their students with recent technologies and business trends that have helped to provide them with relevant skills while making them versatile. I look forward to participating in the extra-curricular activities offered at the university that I join, as I know they will enable me to further build my confidence and overall character. Therefore, I hope that at least one of the applications that I have made to various universities will come through as I am certain the learning environment will provide the ideal foundation as I set out to actualize my business idea.

One of the greatest benefits that I have personally come to reap from being able to help the my aunt in baking is the confidence in my ability to do all the tasks that are assigned to me, most especially those concerned with the principles behind this practice. This new confidence in myself has enabled me to think of a greater role for myself in future than I had previously considered when I was still a child. Moreover, through the teamwork that developed between my brother and I, I have managed to see first hand how the skills displayed by bakers are necessary for dealing with prospective issues concerning health promotion. It has, indeed, been a privilege to work and share activities and experience with my aunt and brother, because they are individuals who were not only friendly, but have also supported me whenever I have experienced any problems. Moreover, all members of my family have been willing and able to help my brother and I out to finish all the work that we have chosen to undertake in order to develop our skills. All the members of our family that have been involved in our baking projects put in as much effort as they can to accomplish it and this has been a great motivation for us. I am, therefore, thankful for all the support that my family has provided us in ensuring that we realise our dreams no matter what.

Guns on Campus

Crimes on campus have been occurring lately in the U.S. which can lead to serious damage to a person’s life. Admittedly, people whom are not trustworthy, carrying guns on campus, can become a harmful and dangerous situation for other students. Campus police worries about parking and speeding tickets more than caring about students carrying weapons around. Guns on campus is causing threats to our professors and students safety because it is easily accessible, lack of security and unstable people having no control over their anger.

In the article “Guns on campus? Expect tragedy” (Amitai Etzioni ,2011) the author reports about the increasing crimes that have been happening recently by professors and students at the university campuses. On average “more than 700 Americans died each year from gun accidents between 1999 and 2007” (Amitai Etzioni, 2011). Some of those who favor guns say, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people” (Amitai Etzioni, 2011) But those nations which have more control over accessing guns have much lower levels of killing than those countries in which guns are freely available. “Among the 23 countries, 80% of all firearm deaths happened in the U.S. Some say even if we took away all guns, people would still kill each other” (Amitai Etzioni, 2011); however; no one can go to a random campus and kill dozen of people by using knife. “Guns should be less accessible, not more” (Amitai Etzioni, 2011). The author uses excellent supporting details to convince people not to carry guns on campuses; however; Stable trusted students and professors should carry guns around campus with license and they would be more of undercover security to save university properties.

The author uses logic in the fifth paragraph based on true stories when he says “ it was a student at Virginia Tech in 2007 who shot and killed 32 people, and in 2008, a former student killed five people and wounded 17 when he opened fire in a crowded lecture hall at Northern Illinois University” (Amitai Etzioni, 2011) I think it is clear that it is reasoning because he gave us logical examples based on true stories that have happened recently on university campuses. Again, he uses logic by giving statistics in the twelfth paragraph when he says “one study examined violence in 23 high-income countries and found that firearm homicide rate was nearly 20 times higher in the U.S than in the other countries” (Amitai Etzioni, 2011) and he also mentioned that among the 23 countries, 80% of all firearm deaths happened in the U.S, which means both of the statistics are considered logical. In addition, the author’s angle of vision is that he wants us to see how strongly he’s against guns on university campuses. On the other hand, he shows the negative aspect about guns on campuses by mentioning the tragic stories that caused killing and wounding innocent students. The author does not want us to have guns and shows us that they should be prohibited on university campuses. Most of the article is logical based on true stories and statistics that show the serious consequences of having firearms on campuses. However, the author wants the article to be easily understood. Going through the article it is obvious to notice how simple and more formal it is, which different levels and ages of people would get the main point of the article on the first time they read it.

Although one might agree that stable people whom can be trusted could carry guns with them on university campuses, others might disagree with unstable people being allowed to be armed on campuses. Once unstable people experience something that causes anger, they may lose their self-control and start shooting people. If there were trusted people with guns, they could be protecting innocent people from others who favor to vent their anger in the form of shooting people. The article mentioned the unexpected story of Seung –Hui Cho who has killed 32 people on Monday on the campus of Virginia Tech. “The killings occurred in two separate attacks on the campus in Blacksburg, Va. The first took place around 7:15 a.m., when two people were shot and killed at a dormitory. More than two and a half hours later, 31 others, including the gunman, were shot and killed across campus in a classroom building, where some of the doors had been chained. Victims were found in different locations around the building, if there were stable people with guns, Seung-Hui Cho might not have killed 32 victims and injured others, he could’ve been taken-down when he started shooting people” (Crowley, 2007). Finally, stable people could carry guns on the university campuses to defend themselves. Many people might believe that since guns are freely available in the US, and every citizen can easily reach them as long as they are a certain age, there will be no way that crime can be deterred unless guns are controlled. Consequently, giving firearms to only trusted people and making them less accessible for those who are incapable to have them would definitely deter crimes in the U.S where gun violence is increasing day after day of its weak federal gun laws. However, crimes will not be deterred unless guns are controlled in the U.S.

Despite the increase in crimes that happen often on university campuses, one might agree that stable students and professors should carry guns on campuses to possibly prevent a tragedy like others that have occurred in the past from happening again.. Others might disagree that licensed stable people should be allowed to have guns on college campuses to protect others and themselves from People with mental disorders that might threaten students and professors. It is necessarily to have an eye on women on campuses because they are often the easy targets for those who vent their anger by shooting. Many criminal incidents occur against women; In the article “The Reality of Crime On Campus” (Todd S. Purdum, 1988) the author reports “a man on a university campus walks up to a woman he has never met and bites her breast in a collegiate fad known as sharking. Four university football players in California Gang-raped a woman. A student rapes and strangles a 19-year-old college freshman in her Pennsylvania dormitory room. Another student murders two others in a Michigan dormitory with a sawed-off shotgun” (Todd S. Purdum, 1988). That is the reason why I think stable students and professors should be allowed to carry guns on university campuses.

In the article “Why state should allow guns on campus” (Michele Fiore, 2013) she reports a tragic incident of “Amanda, a 22-year-old, law-abiding adult, had a concealed weapon permit, but per state law, she did not have her gun on campus that night. Amanda did everything she could to be safe. She walked with friends to the parking garage, checked around her car and knew her surroundings, but her assailant attacked her from behind. She was held at gunpoint, forced to the ground and violently raped between two cars. In those few minutes that must have felt like hours, Amanda feared for her life, and even being in such close proximity to the police, an officer never came past” (Michele Fiore, 2013)

More importantly, Stable people carrying guns on campuses may mean the difference between life and death. The campus police are not fully aware of the danger that is surrounding students and professors on campus; therefore, they should have the right to take responsibility for their own safety and defend themselves when they have to.

To sum up, stable people should carry guns on university campuses so they can protect themselves and others from those who express their anger by harming innocent people. We should keep an eye on easy targets such as women and work as a team to protect our campuses. We could be more alert for suspicious people walking around campus and Communicate more with the police to keep our campuses a safe environment that allows us to get an excellent education instead of getting shot. One of the preferences that criminals like is an unarmed victim, being armed might not help all the time but being armless will never help. If we can train some trusted people on how to use guns and carry them legally, then they can have the opportunity to protect others from getting wounded by people with mental illnesses that might shoot someone. Finally, giving firearms to trusted people and making them less accessible for those whom are incapable to have them would definitely deter crimes in the U.S.

Works cited

Amitai. “Guns on Campus? Expect Tragedy.” CNN. 08 Mar. 2011. Web. <http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-08/opinion/etzioni.guns.in.school_1_guns-people-professors/2?_s=PM:OPINION>.

Crowley, Stephen. “Virginia Tech Shooting Leaves 33 Dead.” The New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/us/16cnd-shooting.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

“Why State Should Allow Guns On campus.” LasVegasSun.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/feb/24/why-state-should-allow-guns-campus/>.

N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/10/education/the-reality-of-crime-on-campus.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm>.

Benjamin Daniel. (2011). Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power. New york: A Critical Global Assessment of Atomic Energy.

Clark, Laura. (2003). Energy. New York: Macmillan publishers.