first full paper response #6 The NuCLEAR Future

The Nuclear Future

By: Jonathan D Livers

Eng 102: Michael D Benton

Roughly ninety-two percent of Kentucky is powered by coal energy; the other eight percent is a combination of natural gas and hydro power sources. Kentucky is one of the 19 states out of 50 that don’t have nuclear power. Of those 31 states that do have nuclear power, they are home to 104 power plants. One of these nuclear power plants could eliminate at least 3 of the 20 coal power plants in the state of Kentucky, so why haven’t we chosen the smaller route? What at the dangers of nuclear power plants? Would the benefits outweigh the cons? These are all question that should be asked; answered.

I’m all for nuclear power, but people take glimpse of our past encounters with this outrageous energy source and think that it’s a disaster. No one takes in consideration the development of resources which the human mind has come up with in the past couple decades. Such key event as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl were small flaws that put the last few twist to lock on the cabinet of nuclear power. 

In the time that nuclear power was put on hold, petroleum consumption increased exponentially, almost doubling the use. During the early 90’s “new energy source” was all the rage, but fell off shortly due to the lack to resources, but nearly two decades later, here we are again, the same question in mind, how can we save our planet?

Almost every way we make electricity today, except for the emerging renewables and nuclear, puts out CO2. And so, what we're going to have to do at a global scale, is create a new system. And so, we need energy miracles.

-Bill Gates

It’s about time for us to come of the conclusion that we have been too dependent on oil and coal for energy, both which are harmful to our environment. Not saying that nuclear is the safest alternative, but it’s a worthy competitor, and it has the potential to being the future of our power sources. Just a few ounces of uranium (the main material in nuclear power) can replace tons of coal emissions. Waste will not be a problem compared to how much we save by stopping coal consumption. Prices of energy cost would diminish, CO2 emissions would slow down, and we would be one step closer to finding a substitute fuel. Of course I feel that petroleum is a very important part of the United States’ industrial world, but at least we can try, try to find the power source in which doesn’t include the US having to purchases billions of dollars of fuel each year from across seas. Maybe we could start saving money and worrying about the problem we have on our own soil, one being our national debt, stop stripping the land of so many of its resources, and give America something to look forward to beside all the bad news we always hear about. Nuclear power can be a start to solving our problems, it may not be the complete answer, but it’s a start.

Citation Page

Huber, Peter W. "Why the U.S. Needs More Nuclear Power." City Journal. Winter 2005: 1. Print. <http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_1_nuclear_power.html>.

in text: (Huber 1)

Exner, Rich. "104 nuclear power reactors in 31 states: Sunday's numbers." Cleveland.com. March 20, 2011: 1. Print. <http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2011/03/104_nuclear_power_reactors_in.html>.

In text: (Exner 1)

Paper’s Sources

Huber, Peter W. "Why the U.S. Needs More Nuclear Power." City Journal. Winter 2005: 1. Print. <http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_1_nuclear_power.html>.

Freind, Chris. "America Needs More Nuclear Power." NewsMax: NewsMax. 2011. 1. Print. <http://www.newsmax.com/Freind/nuclear-power-threemileisland-chernobyl/2011/03/15/id/389541>.

books

Herbst, Allan M. Nuclear Energy Now. 1. 1. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2007. 1-199. Print. <http://books.google.com/books?id=XR9b-4PiT4sC&printsec=frontcover&dq=us+needs+more+nuclear+power&hl=en&ei=MNJwTuG1OsTj0QGWsqHqCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=us%20needs%20more%20nuclear%20power&f=false>.

Shapiro, Irving S. We need more nuclear power. 1. 1. Dupont: Dupont, Public Affairs Department, 1980, 1980. 1-16. Print. <http://books.google.com/books?id=xCoFPwAACAAJ&dq=need+more+nuclear+power&hl=en&ei=p9JwToOPBcnv0gGr3bWFBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&sqi=2&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBg>.

Response # 5 Corporate Heavy Weights Forcing Education on the Little Man

Corporate Heavy Weights Forcing Education on the Little Man

By: Jonathan Livers

English 102: Michael D. Benton

The education system has developed over the years to accommodate the newer century, just as it always has. But is there to a point where we need to stop moving forward with progress and stop? During the industrial revolution, when companies were becoming empires of business, they took reins of the education system to better suit their needs for employees. Soon after came the cooperate era, which sought after bright intellectuals to take over their companies; later requiring all employment with a prerequisite of education, which would make them even more profit. But this nation can only learn so much before we have to ask our self’s, do I need a college education to run an assembly line? Workers in their positions retain within their own ranks the knowledge of how the work is done, and therefore exercised a considerable degree of control over the labor process. Therefore, control of the labor process by owners and managers was often more formal than real. (Foster)

                How much do we learn in school about a factory job? Basically nothing, a little of addition and multiplication may come into play with a machines diagnostics, but nothing of a large magnitude of intensity. Now we take the comparison of what we’ve been taught in high school and compare it to college learning. I’ve had a similar class, Algebra, 4 years out of the last 6 I’ve been in school. First being taught in high school teachers drilled into my head that I darn forgot this information, for it will hold the key to the future of my learning, and as I progressed through the years, taking it in college now, I’ve been told countless times that the systems of equations I’ve been learning will rarely ever been using unless I’m a specific field of study. Giving us the notion which we need to view the sustainability of education needs to be viewed in multiple perspectives, not by just wanting the most intelligent country. (Wheeler 1) Sustaining the education we have now is nearly killing the students which try to accomplish something many of them can’t, a higher education.  Forcing them to move back home, work factory jobs part time, pay back their student loans, and hope every night that they get hired on full time the next day.

                How does this system of education come from our economy and work force? Mainly because our structure of education is based widely on a capitalistic course set mainly due to Cooperate heavy weights. A huge tree which passes down information based on knowledge and rank, Just as the Department of Education would tell a state who would determine the core content, which would be passed down to board of education, which henceforth be giving to teachers which would carry out the lessons teaching the children which would perform the prompted work. How does the government come to the conclusion of what the students need to learn, they have no idea how that specific community works. I compare my home town, an Alcohol producing community, to Pikeville, KY, a coal mining village, to New York City, New York, a Cooperate slaughterhouse of businessmen. Do we truly need to be all taught the same advanced information?

                I’m all for a change in the paradigm of education, but we need to take time to research the right steps into which we need to take action. Not just making the amount of standardized testing more, or raising educational standards. We need to take into consideration in which this economy needs to get back onto its feet.

Citation Page

Foster, John Bellamy. "Education and the Structural Crisis of Capital ." The U.S. Case . The Monthly Review, July-August 2011. Web. 7 Sep. 2011. <http://monthlyreview.org/2011/07/01/education-and-the-structural-crisis-of-capital>.

Wheeler, Keith A. Education for a sustainable future: a paradigm of hope for the 21st century. 1st. 1. New York City: Kluwer Acedemic/Plenum, 2000. 1. Print. <http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_Po4f9HCioUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=changing+education+paradigm&ots=Kai4cl_47k&sig=0tgj-4aYl_D9DjrQaUz1i-aMkdc#v=onepage&q&f=false>.

UK's season opener tonight vs. WKU at LP field.

5 years in a row we've made it to bowl games, 46 returning players, 11 being top defensive, and names like LaRod King, Morgan Newton, and Danny Trevathan are sure to put the fear in the the TOPS tonight in the season opener. It doesn't look as it's going to be a sold out stadium on LP field in Nashville, but i exspect to see a lot of blue in TN tonight. Good luck CATS, let's compete with that 6-7 record from last year. OHHHH C-A-T-S CATS CATS CATS!