Annotated Bibliography

I am researching the environmental effects of coal and supposed “clean coal.” I will look into the process of extraction, processing and burning and examine the possibility that coal can be converted into a clean, environmentally viable option.

Conniff, Richard. "The Myth of Clean Coal." Yale Environment 360. Yale University, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2012. <http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_myth_of_clean_coal/2014/>.

This is an opinion piece though contain facts and examples against clean coal. It especially examines the propaganda created by coal companies. 

"Bixby Energy Systems Introduces Revolutionary Process for Converting Coal Into Energy with   Minimal Carbon Emissions." Prnewswire.mediaroom.com. PR Newswire, n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bixby-energy-systems-introduces-revolutionary-process-for-converting-coal-into-energy-with-minimal-carbon-emissions-97295724.html>.
This article describes a process Bixby Energy’s system of creating clean coal. It is not especially specific but provides other sources. 

Linden, Henry R. "Engineering Challenges." NAE Website. National Academy of Engineering, n.d. Fall 1999, Web. 09 Nov. 2012. <http://www.nae.edu/Publications/Bridge/EngineeringChallenges/AlternativePathwaystoaCarbon-Emission-FreeEnergySystem.aspx>.
While written in 1999, this article does concisely outline certain possibilities for clean energy. It offers reasonable analysis and information with other sources. 

http://www.coal-is-clean.com/#
And then I found this website. One of my favorite quotes is “It is our god-given right to burn coal.” Should be interesting to look into. 

McKibben, Bill. "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math." Rolling Stone Sept. 2012: n. pag. Web.

This article explains causes of global warming and provides figures which relate coal companies' future burning to carbon dioxide and the warming of the planet. 

Garber, Kent. "Why Clean Coal Is Years Away." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 17 Mar. 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.usnews.com/news/energy/articles/2009/03/17/why-clean-coal-is-years-away>.
This article is written from a reliable source with adequate numbers and facts to back it up

Research Paper

This has been saved as a draft for quite a while and just didn't post it. sowwy. 


With growing controversy over energy sources and stigmas surrounding words such as “coal” and “oil”, the concept of “clean coal” has seeped into political policy as the solution to our energy problems. Clean coal itself is an oxymoron and, simply put, a figment of the imagination. Clean coal does not exist despite the fact that it has come up in political debates and cited as an option for ending our dependence on foreign oil. For my research paper, I would like to explore the effects of clean coal, the environmental impact and the possibility of the creation of actual “clean coal.”

I realize that this topic will most likely me deeply scientific, however, the environmental implications interest me. I have recently been fretting over the energy crisis and possible alternatives. I have a few books primarily about climate change  which discuss coal which I can use for sources. From some brief investigation, it seems that there is a significant amount of research surrounding the topic of coal and several movements around stopping coal companies and divesting from coal.

I’m a little worried that this topic will be too broad however I am willing to narrow it down to coal’s contribution to carbon emissions and the possibility of creating “clean coal.”

What is happiness?

Happiness isn't happiness without a violin playing goat.

Senior Project Update

I like to tell people that my senior project is done. It's not a flat out lie considering that it mostly is done. Aside from the research paper, I've really set out to do what planned to accomplish in my letter of intent. My hours are conveniently finished, no mess no fuss, and the my Wake Up presentation is finished. While I still need to jump through some hoops. I just recently learned that we need to pick out our mentor and get an interview in a little over a week. While I was irritated that I wasn't notified sooner, I already have an unofficial mentor and this requirement shouldn't be too difficult. So, from what I can tell so far, the remainder of my senior project time will be spent tying up loose ends and meeting certain requirements.

However, while I may be able to eek by and pass the senior project without doing much more work, I plan on doing more. I'm hoping to do more work with the group that attended the Wake Up and hopefully do more events such as a World Cafe (an open space for small group conversation) and perhaps another longer Wake Up. I would also like to do presentations at the other high schools and possibly middle schools if I have time. 

At this point, I feel like my senior project is what the original intent was supposed to be; I actually enjoy my project and want to do more with it, not just the bare minimum.

Response to "Drugs"

America is a country based on Puritan ideals so of course the legalization of drugs, all drugs as Vidal proposes, seems ridiculous. And it is. This doesn't mean that I disagree with Vidal's point of view. As someone who has seen addiction and the catastrophic affects of drugs, I'm slightly hesitant to give drugs to OK, but from what I've read and the rational arguments in favor of legalization, I'd like to agree with the rationale. Prohibition didn't work, and while it would be silly to put drugs and alcohol on the same plane, the same general rules apply. The decriminalization of drugs makes them even more dangerous.  I support the end of the War on Drugs which has turned Latin America into a violent crime ring and has had largely negative and ineffectual results. I even have a sticker from the Drug Policy Alliance which promotes the legalization of marijuana. I'm not pro drugs but I see the value in legalization.
However, I don't think that the legalization of drugs will come in the near future, a thought that Vidal ominously closes with. It's simply too much of a radical ideal. Marijuana, a gateway drug with minimal addictive qualities and some actual health benefits, may sneak by in my life time.

In Class Essay #1

LINK!

Response to "Politics and the English Language"

More Semantics
I thought that this essay was relevant considering that we are at the height of election season and with the introduction of new ways of lazy language ex. text lingo. For me, the essay was thought provoking, and makes me think, as I type this, about my own use of language and the importance of precision.
I agree that often time, in an attempt to be tactful we often use roundabout language and hackneyed expressions which lead to dull, verbose writing. Euphemisms are a common part of language and abstract thought and expression, while important, often replaces concrete thought. Orwell's "translation" of the Ecclesiastes passage was amusing and, though, exaggerated, somewhat accurate.
As it applies to politics, Orwell's criticism with indirect language resonated with my view that politicians are often too vague and conceptual. In an attempt to appeal to votes, offer solutions, and present their political stance, politicians mince words (I'm sure Orwell would cringe at my use of such an overused idiom) and treat questions in a roundabout way. I especially enjoyed his analysis of euphemisms by which the destruction of countries is referred to as "pacification" and the displacement of people is referred to as "transfer of population" or "rectification of frontiers" Terms such as these obscure the thing itself behind a mask of political jargon.
The article, as mentioned before, made me examine my own writing style. While I did not agree with all of Orwell's criticisms, his simple rules are easy to follow and reasonable. While it is a slightly dated piece, this essay is applicable to our modern time.

Bad Astronomy

Want to look at some fantastic pictures and read some fascinating things about the night sky? Look no further than Bad Astronomy. I was first captivated by the stunning pictures of that capture the stars.
The blog is easily accessible for the common reader. The intent of the blog is to inform the inexperienced about astrology, to dispel common myths which circulate in pop culture, and to provide easy, fascinating information about astrology. It's science-y without getting too frighteningly technical and that writer offers some of his own voice and experiences.
The blog itself is visually appealing and layered with information and links. The writing is concise and informative and offers the reader to look further into topics by looking at other sites and sources.

The First and the Last

    When I was younger, I would often ask my mom why I didn’t have siblings and why, as a natural parent, she stopped after one child. The consistent answer was something along the lines of “because you were the most perfect daughter we could ask for and we didn’t want to chance having another, less amazing child.” And with this adorable face, who could argue?
(Insert picture of me as an adorable baby on my computer at home)
    Okay,  I’m not just making this blog to talk about how perfect of a child I am or how cute I was (have I mentioned that I was a children’s clothing model back in the day?) although I was mostly spurred by a love of writing about myself.

I think family dynamics are fascinating considering that this early environment is a defining factor into a person’s life. Home environments and family relationships are the things that come up in psychiatry sessions. Researching psychological effects of being a single child, a common recurring theme were the expectations. Any of the only children I know are, also, coincidentally, high achievers. Personally, even if I don’t feel the weight of pressure of my parents or their expectations, it’s still a looming concern. I pressure myself because, indirectly, I know that I am the only chance.

I’m the eldest child, the youngest child, the favorite child and the least favorite child all rolled into one. So what does that mean? I need to fill all of these roles at once. The oldest child typically assumes the role of the responsible one. The youngest typically receives the most attention and is fawned over by the parents and the family. I’m both of these things.

So I get all of the attention, all of the pressure, all of the responsibility, and all of the love? Sounds like a perfect recipe for egotism. And it’s true; while I may not be obviously selfish, I don’t easily give up the spotlight and feel like I need to be special, to be visible, to be heard.

My mom lives under the constant impression that I am perfect. Even though it is difficult to judge a child’s academic aptitude in elementary school where grades were on a “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” scale I was noted to be, by my teachers, as an exemplary students. Based on the fact that I mastered multiplication tables and simple pre-algebra, my mom continues to think that I am a fantastic math student. However, once letters and numbers began to become jumbled and the theoretical world of math lost its luster to me, I began to realize that math just isn’t for me. My suspicions were  reinforced after sitting through a year of Mr. Hansen’s pre-calculus class in which I floundered.

The point of this anecdote is this: this was the first time I struggled so helplessly in a class and it was a humbling experience for the only child raised with expectations of perfection. It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that math is just not my thing. Give me some poetry or some presidents to memorize and I’ll be fine; give me some numbers and I’ll just quietly slip out the window. “But I’m perfect,” the voice in my head whispered, “I couldn’t be inadequate at anything,” it continued. And while my mom still insists that I am fantastic at math and that I could someday become a great chemist or physicist, I can know that it is not true.

So maybe the fact that I chose to write my blog on a purely selfish, egocentric, self analytical topic is the perfect example of how I’m an only child.

Labeling myself, again.

I am confused and indecisive. I am the rope in a game of tug of war. I am a blank label.
So what am I? 

I want a husband

                     My life has been lonely and as I've been thinking over the matter, I think I would like a husband. As a fervent cat owner, I realize that men and cats are essentially the same. A cat's aloof, lazy, and egocentric nature are all startlingly similar to the common disposition of a husband. House cat, husband, what's the difference? In any case, I believe that I have mastered the ins and outs of cat ownership and am ready for Cat version 2.0: husband.
         I want a husband who is an anomaly. I want a husband who is completely dependent on me and who will follow me around the house while I do things and constantly watch me while I take care of the house and study. I want a husband who is completely independent and will shy away from my kisses and attention. I want a husband who will want to cuddle when I'm working and who will be nowhere to be found when I want his attention. I want a husband who will make me crave his attention, who will cause me to earn his kisses, who will fit perfectly alongside me.
         I want a husband with irregular sleeping habits. I want a husband who I will find curled up on an armchair, snoozing in the afternoon. I want a husband who will stay up for most of the night, sitting patiently at the window while I sleep, contemplating the stars and existentialism, food and world dominatation . I want a husband who will fall asleep on my arm while I read and keep my feet warm at night. I want a husband who will wake me up 6 in the morning on a Saturday, begging to be fed and adored
      I want a husband who will protect me. I want a husband who will keep watch of the house and ward of intruders with his battle cry. I want a husband who will isn't afraid to kill for me and isn't afraid to vanquish his enemies (so long as they are smaller than a penny).
     I want a husband who greets me enthusiastically at the door. I want a husband who looks at life eagerly with new, wide eyes, who thinks every meal I place before him is a feast and who isn’t afraid to get lost in dreams by sleeping 20 plus hours a day.
If I could find a husband like this, maybe I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of my life as a crazy cat lady.
   
   



   

Process Analysis: Swing Dancing

SWOOP ME! 

Response to "Behind the Formaldhyde Curtain"

This essay made me squeamish primarily because of the disgustingly detailed description of the entire process, however, the concept of embalming itself made me uncomfortable as well. While Mitford outlined at length the painstaking process of preparing a body after death each process was disconcertingly fake and unnatural. The concept of open casket allows the deceased's family and loved ones to say a final goodbye, however, natural process make this unreasonable and unpalatable in the real world. No one wants to see a rotting corpse. But as Mitford implies and I felt while reading the essay, the most disconcerting part is that this is all a ruse, a ritual create to ignore death even at a funeral. Mitford notes that the funeral director is content in making "the funeral a real pleasure for everybody concerned." Like euphemisms which skirt the issue of death and mortality, embalming perpetuates the concept that ignorance is bliss. Sure Aunt Helen "passed away" last week but she still looks vital and peaceful in the casket. Even the term casket seems less threatening, more bearable than "coffin."
I think that embalming may be a veritable coping method for some people and though I would personally not want my body or any of my loved one's bodies embalmed, I respect other peoples' desires to use to process. Some may argue that it allows for the people present at the service to appreciate the person as they were in life and to say a final goodbye. And while this is a possibility, to me the injections and reconstructions, perfumes and make up, while necessary, defeat the purpose. I would personally rather see my loved one in my mind as they were in life, lively, vital and real, not a reconstruction of a person lying in a coffin. It may be everyone's choice but open casket ceremonies to me are unnatural and evasive.

Comparison essay

In an ideal world of public transportation...

Let's Lead by Example

Here is an essay that I wrote. 

Response to "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society"

                When reading Jonathan Kozol's "The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society" I was shocked. It's always kind of been an unexplained assumption of mine that in a civilized society, the majority of people are literate and those who are illiterate are few and minimally affected. Reading this essay, it is painfully obvious that it is a much larger issue than I originally thought.
          The essay is meant to shock the literate population who was hardly phased by reading the article itself. To reinforce this idea and to convey the severity of the problem, Kozol utilizes a repetition of the phrase "Illiterates cannot." Obviously, illiterates cannot read however the author explores the broader expanse of things that illiterates cannot do because of their position. Many paragraphs begin with this phrase and provide examples for simple things that the majority of the population take for granted. The phrase suggests that because they cannot read, illiterates are disabled in a society which is created for those who can read. The repetition suggests that the list of problems is endless and this is only a small portion of the examples that makes illiteracy such a serious problem in society.

Narrative Style

I know we were only supposed to imitate the style of one the passages we read last week, so I feel a little cheap for leaning so heavily on Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks" in both theme and focus on Chinese ethnicity (food in particular), but I couldn't really help myself. Here it is, A Chinese New Year.

Life as an Only Child

                I’ve always said that my childhood devoid of siblings was fantastic conditioning for my future as a crazy cat lady. I love being alone, I am self-sufficient, and would be content with only the company of a warm, furry ball to spoon at night. Sure it might get a little lonely, but, hey, I’m used to it!
              Joking aside, a significant part of who I am stems from the fact that I am an only child. Sometimes when people find out that I am an only child they smile knowingly and say, “Oh, that explains so much.” What does that even mean? Am I marked from the other people who grew up in the company of brothers and sisters with some strange social quirk that only single children have?
               Maybe it isn’t particularly obvious, and while I can’t attribute general social awkwardness to my only-childness (yes, I’m making it a noun), I am marked as an only child. In my case, I have an unfortunately extreme form of only-childness with not only the absence of brothers and sisters but of close family relatives my age. I was born in a period when all of my extended family for some reason decided to take a hiatus from child rearing. So when I was a toddler, my cousins were just graduating college. Watching my four younger cousins born a decade after me, I realize that I was denied the opportunity to escape from the adult world in pillow forts and water balloon fights. I always sat at the adult  table.
               So here I am. A product of my.childhood.  Some would say that I was denied a proper childhood though this isn’t something I really identify with. So for this free choice blog, I wanted choose a topic that I could write about from personal experience but also something wanted to learn more about. While I feel like a life with siblings would have made me a different person, I am not entirely sure how or why.                            Psychologically, it would make sense that people who grew up in an environment with adults will have certain behavioral habits different from people who grew up sharing a room and the attention of their parent(s).
Obviously there is a wide range of possible experiences for only children though there are a few trends that I would like to identify and explore further in future blog posts.
-ambition to live up to parent’s achievements
-tendency to not want to share/to prefer privacy
-to prefer peaceful environments and shy away from conflict
-feelings of stress to behave correctly
-independence/self-sufficiency
-morality based off parent’s views
-ability to communicate with adults
-preference to being introverted
-feelings of self-consciousness
There are common traits that I have noticed in myself and other only children. I would like to make this a somewhat personal case study of my own experience and the impact that this upbringing and these characteristics may have on an individual in the future.

Greasy Lake Response

The short story "Greasy Lake" by T.C Boyle recounts the night that a group of teens spent up at Greasy Lake. While in the opening, the writer depicts the boys forcibly and almost comically trying to be "bad characters." While they live in the suburbs, drive their parents' station wagons, drink cheap liquor and try to look like they aren't trying, things escalate out of their control on that night. While the writer implies that they do little more than innocent, adolescent shenanigans,  that night they go on to almost kill a man, rape a girl and find a dead body.

    The boys act the way they think they are suppose to and respond to situations not because they are necessarily bad or without morals but because they constantly strive to be “bad characters.” Even the phrase, “bad characters” is forced and kind of bumbling and awkward. The phrase is often repeated and reinforces the image that the boys have of themselves and this weak image they try to project themselves as. When they get in the fight with the man who they thought was in Tony’s car, digby uses the tire iron which he keep under the driver’s seat. He admits that he had only ever used it to change tires and had only been in a fight once before in sixth grade though he kept it there to seem tough and grabs for it instinctually, pushed by his determination to be a bad character.

A quote that stood out to me the most was “I was nineteen, a mere child, an infant, and here in the space of the five minutes I’d struck down one greasy character and blundered into the waterlogged carcass of a second.” Digby recognizes that he is a child and that while he has been trying to act older, even though he is on the brink of his teenage years and feels like he is above everything else, he is still innocent and inexperienced. I love the parallel comparison of the greasy character, the man who they fought with, and the “waterlogged carcass of a second”, the lake. The imagery is fantastic and portrays the lake as a putrid, disgusting body of water, though dead because it is a carcass.

I wonder if the three boys would actually have raped the girl. It was a shocking twist to me because while the fight with the man was more of a reaction, the rape was preemptive. The scene is hectic and jumbled, and while they are in a passionate impulse it seems like they might actually do it. I wonder if they would have carried on with it had they not been caught first.

At the end of the story, the boys turn down an opportunity to party with some girls. By the end they are shaken and don’t want to get into any more trouble. All the want to do is sneak back into bed and the safety of their homes. The night’s events made Digby realize his innocence but it is unclear if he has learned his lesson.

Description Essay

Here is my description of my family's town back in the Italian part of Switzerland. It's Gnosca, pronounced with a silent "g" as in "gnome."

Object Description

CLICK HERE! 

Box Man Debrief

1. A new concept that arose in this discussion for me was the idea that the box man's loneliness was chosen because it is a simpler struggle for him than that of other people in more traditional lives. This is evident in his refusal of help and the potent description that people talk to him with "persuasive tones reserved for rabid dogs" as people view him as an outsider.
2. I wish that we had been able to talk about the atuthor's use of fictionalized examples to add to the thesis. We did not discuss the function of this example or the credibility of the fictional situation.
3. I wisht that I had been able to talk about my views on the above, unmentioned topic and analyze the author's purpose in the contrast between the two situations. I thought that the purpose of the author's imaginaitve description was to create a universal situation with added details that could and do apply to many people. Though it is fictional, the account identifies a common human predicament and contributes to the thesis.

Labeling Myself: I am a ____

First attempt: I am a socialist.
Second attempt: I am an introvert.

Link to Manufacturing Consent Long Form

Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media Long Form

How to: Create a Just, Thriving, Sustainable World

I don’t really feel comfortable with calling myself a social activist though with my senior project, I hope to take on the role of a community organizer and as someone who brings about local social change. So maybe this makes me a social activist; I’m not sure.
        What I want to do is overcome the boundaries of a separated world of alienated individuals struggling to grasp and sense of self in an evolving and, frankly, deteriorating world by creating a Thrive Hub at our school. A Thrive Hub is a community model which unites individuals toward a common purpose to educate others and take action. I hope to facilitate a Wake Up, a presentation which asks the questions which addresses the questions of or current status in the world today, for the Napa High community and to educate and inspire my peers to take action themselves.
I have been involved with Thrive Napa Valley for several years which is essentially the adult version of what I want to form at Napa High. After attending the week long training at Whidbey Island with Generation Waking Up, I discovered not only a deeper sense of myself but the impassioned determination to make a change in my own community.
          In my training, I found that to bring about a more just, thriving a sustainable world, we must first change ourselves. By facilitating a Wake Up experience at Napa High and by creating a Thrive Hub, I hope to breach some of the boundaries within our community and leave behind a legacy for students to carry on.

Do I really have to think of a title?

My name is Anna (pronounced Ahn-nuh) though I will respond to the more traditional pronunciation. When I was younger, I decided that my name was boring and thought that I would take matters into my own hands. After some deep consideration and careful planning, I proceeded to tell everyone in my preschool class that my name was in fact, Teapotta, an original name I perhaps thought was fitting for me. To my mom’s amusement and chagrin, I still have some craft projects from the Teapotta days with my self-chosen name written on the back.
If anything, this story showcases my quirky nature and sense of independence. The accusatory statement of “You’re weird” is often met with the enthusiastic response of “Thank you!” I love being strange and watching people’s reactions to my occasional goat noises and inexplicable statements.
As an only child with no relatives my age, I grew up in an adult centered world, never offered the option of sitting at the kids’ table. My mom often likes to say that I was born 40 and grow more middle-aged each year. In middle school, my lack of a social life or friends outside of a conventional school setting left me to fill my free times with books. I befriended the characters within the pages and let my imagination run with the plot.
An early love of reading and my creative nature led me to believe for many years that I would become a writer. The summer before my sophomore year attended a two week creative writing camp with similarly minded people. I absolutely loved having the space to write and share my stories with others and felt like I grew significantly a writer. In spite of, or perhaps because of this experience, I realized that writing was not the career path for me. I am simply not cut out for the long, grueling hours spent in front of a blank page, squeezing my brain for inspiration. My love of reading and writing continues but my idealized career path had vanished.
           Like most of my peers, the casually presented question “What do you want to do in life?”gives me the chills. Just because I'm on the newspaper staff of The Beat of the Drum doesn't necessarily mean I want to be a journalist. This sense of unknowing on a threshold of possibilities frankly scares the crap out of me but also elicits a feeling of excitement. At this point, I can be nearly anything I want. And though I realize that this has limits within the reasonable confines of my abilities (for example, with my extreme phobia of needles, it will be unlikely that I will become a doctor or tattoo artist) my lack of certainty for the future ensures a plethora of possibilities.
Though at times I feel undirected, there are flashes of clarity in my life. I recently attended a week long leadership training seminar through the nonprofit, Generation Waking Up, on Whidbey Island with my friend, Lara.
After that experience, I feel inspired to do the vague, philosophical and often cliched idea of “good” in the world. I’m planning on opening a Thrive Hub (something I will talk about more in my second blog post) and hopefully, in the future, traveling to spread more of this undefinable “good”.
   Other than that, have I mentioned that I love cats?