To Blog or To Write?

How is blogging different from writing essays? Blogging is different from writing for several reasons. First, with blogging, you type. You do type when you write essays, but at some point, everyone writes too--like in the peer review process for example. Second, blogging is much more informal than writing an essay is. A blog entry is like a small insight into what the blogger is thinking. Another difference is that blogs are not really edited and dissected and analyzed as essays are. One really important thing that blogging has taught me which I can use when I write my essays is that if done correctly, a lot can be said in a little as opposed to a little being said in a lot--you do not need paragraphs and paragraphs of text to relay a minute point.

Cap & Trade: Good or Bad?

I took an AP Environmental Science course in high school, so I knew the logistics of the issue. In writing this paper though, I definitely did some more research to solidify my knowledge base on the subject. Cap and trade is basically a policy where the nation has set a cap, or limit on the amount greenhouse cases that can be emitted into our earth's atmosphere. The most common greenhouse gases are dioxides including, but not limited to Carbon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, and Nitrogen Dioxide. As we all know, greenhouse gases are harmful because the emission of said substances into the atmosphere has been scientifically proven to deplete the ozone layer and accelerate global warming.
With the cap and trade policy, companies can purchase pollution permits so that they can pollute within reason. Companies that foresee falling short of their allotted pollution have the power to sell their permits to other companies. This is where environmentalists think that the policy is no good and has the potential to be manipulated and misconstrued. They are under the impression that some companies will pollute well within reason while others will pollute obscene amounts because they have purchased the permits of other companies. What the environmentalists against the policy do not see however, is that companies who pollute over the national standard are harshly fined. In general, no one wants to be slapped with a fine no matter how wealthy or how powerful the entity is.
If the policy were put in place, about 17% of pollution would be eliminated by 2013 and about 83% would be eliminated by 2050! That alone is incredible. Not to mention that if this policy were put in place, many new green jobs would be created and there would be more opportunities for scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs to develop new, cleaner ways of doing things. Cap and Trade is an excellent policy that should be put into place immediately. Here is a link to a video that helped me solidify my stance on the topic.

My Museum

Think about it. Everyday, we use pottery and ceramics and don't think twice about it. We use mugs to fill our cups with morning coffee or tea, we use bowls to eat out oatmeal, drink out soup etc. Our use of ceramics is one of the things that separates us as humans from animals. Using things like cups and bowls and mugs as opposed to eating without the aid of these items makes us civilized. I think that pottery and ceramics in history is a really interesting topic and should be the subject of my museum. With my proposed museum entitled, The Museum of Pottery and Ceramics, I hope to educate the public about ceramics and pottery throughout the world and in our human history. My museum would have an exhibit about primitive ceramics which shows a map of where the art first started and spread, an interactive exhibit/AV room that would show a video about how ceramic pieces and pieces of pottery are made, an area for kids and adults alike to touch clay at its various stages in the firing process, and an up and running ceramics studio taught by professionals in the field. It is palpable that the general public has simply lost touch with the art. My museum would hopefully make people more aware, teach people about ceramics and pottery, remind them of ceramics and pottery as art as well as function, and hopefully inspire them.