Austin M

[milaugew-blog]

Final Paper

My research paper revolves around the topic of gun control (with an emphasis on assault weapons) and examines the pros and cons of firearm restriction. I tried to focus my paper around several main topics that I felt were important. I touch on constitutional rights, recent events that have initiated new talk of gun control, new technologies, and how americans identify themselves when it comes to gun ownership. Research has taken my work all over the place, and it's been tricky trying to stay on the specific topic of assault weapons since the term "gun control" is so broad. However some of the books I checked out at our school's library have been insightful (even though they might not directly correlate to assault weapons specifically) they have given me some insight into constitutional rights and the politics behind gun control. I plan on incorporating some of this new information involving politics and constitutional rights into my paper, and go more in depth. 

[milaugew-blog]

Although he is working towards changing the production of guns, his ideals seem a little extreme. 

Although he is working towards changing the production of guns, his ideals come across extreme when compared to average American beliefs. 

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New advancements in machinery involving firearms could inflict positive and negative outcomes on the safety and rights of Americans 

New advancements in machinery involving firearms could be beneficial to the safety of Americans but could also limit their rights as well. 

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Even though this might seem like a good idea, both sides behind the gun control debate are skeptical of this concept.

Even though this technology might be able to save lives, both sides behind the gun control debate are skeptical of this concept.

[milaugew-blog]

Life Long Student

Life itself can be considered one long test, an endless lesson that constantly tests us to see what we know; for we are constantly learning about ourselves and the world around us both in school and out in the world – and just when we think we’ve got it, life drops a new obstacle down in front of us, waiting and watching to see how we will conquer the vast stone wall ahead; all we can do is examine our past mistakes and learn from them, taking what we’ve learned throughout our lives and hoping we can somehow get past the vast stone wall placed in our way – and no matter how much we know or learn, our lives will always be evolving as we grow, and life will continue to drop stone walls in front of us – but every time we finally climb over a stone wall, we set forth again on the road of life knowing a little more. 

[milaugew-blog]

Gun Control & Ethos

Ethos is defined as the fundamental character or spirit of a culture, or the underlying disposition of a community, group, person, etc. (dictionary.com). Ethos definitely plays a large role in the issue of gun control. Beliefs are split down the line when it comes to this particular subject because of the disagreements over rights and safety. The topic of gun control reveals how deeply emotions run in people, and these emotions are rooted into the morals that people have. I’m not saying one side is right, one side has morals and the other doesn’t. What I am saying however is that people’s history and past experiences help define their outlook on a particular issue. Some argue that we need to ban assault weapons and develop stricter criteria for owning a weapon. Others argue that the system is fine how it is now. Ethos becomes even more obvious when the radical dispositions are examined. Banning all firearms, or having little to no restrictions on firearms are two radical viewpoints that oppose each other. Either way, when it comes to any controversial issue, the ethos of our nation can be hard to determine since it is usually divided. 

[milaugew-blog]

10 Research Questions

1) With studies showing that stricter gun control laws tend to raise crime rates, should there be change in legislation regarding access to firearms? What changes would need to be implemented?

2) Should the President of the United States continue to have the authority to solely order airstrikes from unmanned drones?

3) Do new technologies in social media increase or decrease the amount of social interaction children have with one another?

4) Are genetically modified foods safe enough for consumption? What side affects could potentially rise from genetically modified foods, and should they be labeled?

5) Should the Internet be regulated by the government to help fight online trafficking and piracy? Or is this a violation of our 1st Amendment Rights?

6) Should the United State’s national driving age be raised to 18 in order to help prevent young inexperienced drivers from getting into car accidents?

7) Should the government completely get rid of pennies and instead have nickels be the lowest value coin?

8) Should marijuana be legalized so that it could be taxed? What policies or changes would need to be implemented to regulate drug use?

9) Do hybrid and electric cars really help the environment? Or do the worn out car batteries in need of disposal pose an even larger environmental threat?

10) Do to the evident health risks of second-hand-smoke, should cigarettes be completely banned in the United States? 

[milaugew-blog]

5 different version of thesis

1) Data, diagrams, and interviews with prominent figures in today’s technological world are all used by Kunze to help open the viewers’ minds and cause them to question the cellphone industry. 

2) By showing credibility with prominent figures, the loss of loved ones because of cancer, and other different mediums, Kunze will try to prove that there’s a lot of we don't know when it comes to the link between cellphones and cancer.

3) With the lack of enough information and data to prove or disprove the hazards of cellphone use, the text demonstrates why it's important to play it safe and avoid keeping your device up to your head. 

4) Through many different interviews and important scenes, the text establishes a strong sense of urgency and political corruption when it comes to the cellphone industry. 

5) The text adresses the mysterious surrounding cellphones usage and potential hazards by indicating the facts that scientist don't know and the precautions that the cellphone industry takes to protect itself. 

[milaugew-blog]

Introduction

Gun control is a controversial issue that is widespread. With all the bad news recently there has been a much larger push for restrictions to be placed on gun ownership. While a lot of citizens are pushing for gun control to help make the country safer, criminals are also pushing for the very same legislation. If stricter gun control laws are put into place, less citizens will be able to protect themselves. However, there's no doubt that criminals could get their hands on firearms if they wanted to. Therefore, many criminals support gun control laws because it will leave their victims defenseless against their illegal actions. 

[milaugew-blog]

Group 3: Axes

Group 3: Assertion: Although Douglass’s argument applies to a wide range of historical contexts, the setting of his narrative lends an enormous amount of credibility to his argument.

Example: "The more i read, the more I was lead to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen us from our homes, and in a strange land reduced us to slavery. I loathed them as being the meanest as well as the most wicked of men" (Douglass 132).

Explanation: In the text this quote demonstrates Douglass's main theme that reading gives us knowledge and power. He demonstrates that his new found ability to read allows him to despise his masters. Because he was a slave, he was unable to have any choices or power over himself, and reading opened his eyes to how much power he lacked. He also demonstrates hatred for not only his masters, but of all the white race, because of the oppression the black race had been put through. This goes along with that time period.

Significance: Wanting to break away from the restrictions of slavery motivated Douglass to better himself and expand his knowledge and understanding of the world he was forced into.

[milaugew-blog]

Assertion: Alcohol abuse is a serious problem throughout the world. In just the United States alone, 75,000 people die from alcohol abuse each year. Out of all the preventable deaths, alcohol is the third most prominent. 

Example: In this text, one can see multiple different people excessively drinking alcohol and starting to fight. It also shows a child that is sorrowful as her parent continues to consume. 

Explanation: These examples show us that alcohol doesn't just hurt the drinker, it also hurts the ones around them. Whether a drunken brawl breaks out and someone is seriously injured, or a parent's intoxication puts a child in harm's way, alcohol abuse inflicts damage on everyone. 

Significant: It's important when something as little as "a drink" kills more than 4% of the world's population (2.5 million people), more than violence, AIDS, and Tuberculosis. Everyone is affected by alcohol abuse, whether it be a family member, friend, neighbor, or the person who just crashed into you. 

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References: 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/11/us-alcohol-idUSTRE71A2FM20110211

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6089353/ns/health-addictions/t/alcohol-linked-us-deaths-year/

[milaugew-blog]

This text was written by guitarist and vocalist Jim Adkins, and directed by Paul Fedor. It depicts a house party where everyone is in their underwear except one boy who is fully clothed. Feeling left out, he goes from room to room trying to find a place to fit in. He eventually becomes more and more frustrated and decides that he's going to try and fit in by taking his clothes off too. As he starts to change he notices a girl who is fully clothed as well. They leave the party together without changing themselves. 

I think the intended audience would be teenagers who feel as left out, different, or like they need to change themselves to be accepted. 

The lyrics do a good job of relating to how a teenager might feel. Phrases such as, "It's only in your head you feel left out, or looked down on" - and - "Yeah, just be yourself, it doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else" help tell their listeners that in time they'll be accepted for who they are, and that they shouldn't change themselves just so others will be happy. 

Visually the video does a great job expressing the same message. Everyone in the entire video is doing the same thing except the boy. Everyone's staring him down and giving bad looks; it's easy to see why he'd feel like changing.

I think these messages are what the writer and director were trying to convey both through the lyrics and the visuals. 

[foremgew-blog]

“If you cut off my reproductive choice…I’ll cut off yours” Kind of a bold way to start off right?   A hot issue in today’s world is abortion and wether women should be able to do so. According to the Orlando Medical Center for women’s Health 1/3 of pregnancies are unplanned, 22% of pregnancies end in abortion. People who fight for Pro Life which is anti-abortion are very radical in my eyes; you may have seen them with disturbing bloody fetus pictures on campus or at other locations. They believe abortion is murder to the young UNDEVELOPED fetus that it is against God plan to do so. Personally I think the only people who should have a choice in the decision are the mother and father of the unborn child.  For example what if you knew if you gave birth you would die and the baby might not have a chance to make it either, it doesn’t seem like a very good idea to remain pregnant does it. Or if you got raped and found out you were pregnant, you WOULD NOT want to keep that child you would hate that baby. Simply if you can’t take care of it, these are three of the many reasons why women get abortions. I have a close friend who was in a very abusive relationship that ended in a restraining order 2 weeks after she found out she was pregnant, if you were in her shoes would you keep it? The main point I’m trying to get across is that women should be able to and have access to abortions and more importantly pregnancy prevention i.e.; condoms, birth control and other contraceptives. Planned Parenthood is a nonprofit organization who does just this but there have been talks about cutting funding. It is important to keep these resources available to women and girls.

[milaugew-blog]

I certainly agree that this is a very tricky topic. I don't think that one universal law can make everyone happy when it comes to this topic because everyone is in different circumstances. I definitely think that women should have the option to abort their pregnancy, however I don't think it should be used as means of birth control. It's hard to say for me since I'm a guy, but I would imagine that I would want the choice without restrictions or limitations put in place from the government. If a woman is raped or is facing health complications with the pregnancy I could certainly see that woman wanting to get on abortion. The reason this subject is so tricky is because there are other factors that come into play, such as religion. But at the end of the day it should come down to the woman's decision (and maybe the father's also), not the decision of the state. 

[milaugew-blog]

The Heroes of Sandy Hook

So again, I mention gun control in this post mainly because we're choosing a potential topic we can use later throughout semester. I know that this video is along the same lines as my last post, but I just thought this video (linked below) was an interesting "text" because it makes good points without being too biased. In this text, pictures and words (commentary) are used to express opinions and talk about the news. There is music used at the beginning for the theme song, however this text doesn't use music to get the message across or set the tone for the story. We can see that DeFranco uses his own feelings and words to show how he feels about the issue. It also uses pictures of either himself talking, or pictures of the tragedy that I think help bring out the emotions in viewers watching. I think this video or "text" does a good job because it doesn't pit America against itself on this issue, it just talks about the tragedy. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWsdj2x-so4&list=UUlFSU9_bUb4Rc6OYfTt5SPw&index=19 

[milaugew-blog]

Gun Control

Since there have been several tragedies recently I knew that this would be a touchy subject. However I am not trying to advocate any particular point of view. With the recent school shootings people from across the nation are voicing their opinions on gun control. Just earlier this morning, thousands of people marched on Washington to demonstrate their desires for stricter gun laws. With several shootings happening recently I can understand people wanting to enforce stricter gun laws and universal background checks. On the other hand, when we look at how 22 children were stabbed at a school in China this last December, we can see that it doesn’t take a gun to harm innocent children. However there weren’t any fatalities at the Chinese school stabbing. At what point do we draw the line? Do we completely ban guns all together? And if so, would criminals be able to get their hands on illegal arms anyway? I do believe there should be background checks and certain legislation put into place, but I’m not sure what laws exactly. I also think that if schools did in fact have armed guards it would, at the very least, discourage criminals from attempting anything and if worse came to worse those guards would be able to protect the children. Either way both sides have good points, after all it is a very complicated subject and I’m curious to hear everyone’s opinion.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/26/us/gun-control-rally/index.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2248054/China-stabbing-22-children-elderly-woman-stabbed-outside-primary-school-Chinese-knifeman.html