Unanswered [13] | Urgent [0]
  

Posts by bluek7
Joined: Feb 18, 2009
Last Post: Apr 24, 2009
Threads: 2
Posts: 2  

From: United States of America

Displayed posts: 4
sort: Latest first   Oldest first  | 
bluek7   
Apr 24, 2009
Writing Feedback / Critique my current event paper (English Critical Thinking class) [5]

This is for my English Critical Thinking class. It is a current event/research paper. I have a pretty big block quote that I'm not quite sure if I can use it like that. Please tell me if you see my thesis and if my subtopics are related. My grammar is pretty bad also. I appreciate any help thanks in advanced

On March 19, 2009 an undersea volcano next to the Tonga islands, erupted. It released clouds of volcanic smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet above the South Pacific Ocean. Spectacular columns gushed out of the sea about 6 miles from Tonga's main island of Tongatapu (NG). Several weeks later another volcano erupted but this time it was in the Galapagos. This volcano is called La Cumbre and it erupted on April 13, 2009. Thousands of wildlife were threatens because of this natural disaster (CBS). Many volcanic activities hurt the environment on and off land. It also causes many fatalities.

Hydrothermal vents are associated with volcanic activity, it is in all of the world's oceans. These vents can be found at depths of around 2,500 metres and are known as black smokers after the plumes of sulphide compounds that billow from them. Dissolved sulphides in water up to 350 C are pumped up through the vents. Sulphides come out of solution to produce plumes that can rise several hundred metres after it mixes with the surrounding seawater. Eventually it sinks down and form chimneys that can reach 70-80 metres before they buckle and collapse into crumpled, mineral rich mounds (Rowe P.71). And so, mining companies began carrying out a drilling and sampling operation around dead hydrothermal vents off the northeastern coast of Papua New Guinea. They gather around 15 tonnes of sample containing high grades of gold and base metals. Other vents in different location were also collecting material such as, copper, gold, zinc, and silver (Rowe P.72).

[Block quote start]"The minerals' abundance is the result of the same extreme condition that have spawned the vents' rarefied life forms. "You have hydrothermal water in an area of high volcanic activity," says David Heydon, president of Nautilus. "You get a lot of cracks occurring on the seabed and the seawater goes down into the cracks and gets superheated." The water then circulates trough the volcanic rock, leaching out minerals. When it re-emerges from the cracks, its temperature drops suddenly from 350 C to 2 C and the minerals are instantly crystallized. The volcanic and sedimentary material that is constantly spewing forth from the vents then buries the deposits, preserving them from oxidation and erosion (Rowe P.72)."[Block quote end]

Countries such as, China, India and Indonesia are putting huge demands on these minerals, therefore the prices increases. Mining companies only choose dead or nearly dead vent to mined, anything else it would be too dangerous.

Potential for environmental damage is a problem for scientist and conservationists. Dr. Paul Johnson, scientist at the Greenpeace Research Laboratories is skeptical about the idea of mining the vents for minerals. Johnson is against the idea because he has not described all of the species living around the vents. "It's wishful thinking to say that this kind of mining could be surgically targeted. You would only need to be a little off target with these 'surgical' procedures to inflict damage (Rowe P.74 (Johnson))." Until the distribution of species is known one can possible endanger a site by wiping out a vent with a mass excavation. It wouldn't cause an extinction of a species but scientist have not yet understand the dynamics of the sites and whether one site is the key to surrounding sites (Rowe P.74).

"The White River Ash event was the eruption of a stratovolcano (Mount Churchill, Alaska) in the St. Elias Mountains 25 km west of the Yukon border (Bunbury P.453)." This massive explosion caused enormous amount of deposited tephra over the southern Yukon. Ash layers were ranging from 1 mm to .5 m in thickness has been observed in lake sediment. Freshwater lake environment are affected by disturbances that influence the composition of biological communities (Bunbury P.453). This volcanic eruption is considered as a severe disturbance, and evidence of its impact is seen in lake sediments and soils as a layer of ash. The aquatic ecosystems in lakes are being affected by these volcanic deposits because of large volumes of tephra can potentially smother organisms living at the sediment water interface (Bunbury (Edmondson, 1984)). Thinner layer of ash deposited farther from the source may have more subtle impacts. Variations in temperature and precipitation over time indirectly influence the aquatic environment and have the potential to alter species composition and abundance (Bunbury P.453 (Rouse et al., 1997)).

Volcanoes kill people in many different ways. Pyroclastic flows which are hot ash clouds that sweeps downslope at hurricane speeds claim the most lives (Slimkin, Siebert, Blong P.255). The most common killer in fatal eruption is tephra, it contain all fragmental material thrown from the volcanoes which cause houses and buildings to collapses. Projectile impact is by far the largest number of fatal tephra accidents. Many lives are lost within the first 24hours of eruption, which is when the element of surprise is the strongest. Danger persist well after the eruption's first month nearly two-third of the fatalities and half the fatal events have taken place more than 1 month after the eruption's start (Slimkin, Siebert, Blong P.255).

The Tonga undersea volcanic eruption released clouds of volcanic smoke, steam and ash thousands of feet above the South Pacific Ocean. The hydrothermal vents around these volcanoes emit rich-minerals undersea which can attract mining companies to come and destroy the ecology. The reason it interest mining companies is because some vents in different location had material such as, copper, gold, zinc, and silver. One careless mistake by the mining companies an entire site of species can be wiped out. Volcanic eruption on land deposits tephra over the southern Yukon. It impacts the lake which has living organism in the sediment water interface. Tephra also affect local area collapsing house and impact people causing fatal casualties. Volcanic activity damages the environment and caused many deaths on both land and sea.
bluek7   
Apr 24, 2009
Grammar, Usage / A DIFFERENT way to say "going towards" [18]

I just recently discovered a thesaurus lol and I highly suggest it. Here is a link to my favorite one: merriam-webster.com/thesaurus
bluek7   
Feb 18, 2009
Writing Feedback / Critic my "Education" essay [3]

Is my thesis strong enough? Thanks in advance for any help

Education is sought after by individuals for their goals towards life. It can further oneself to a successful career just like many college students are doing today but some failed. Some students are inspired by education and want to further on their goals like Mike Rose and the help of his teachers. But not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to go to school and raise a family at the same time because they need to go to work and have dinner on the table. Lucille Elmore is an educated person because she realized what she has to do further herself.

Asking a student why they would want an education and most of them will say "to get a good job." In this essay Five Ways to Wisdom by Otto Friedrich she explained the reason why most students say this. According to Rev Theodore Hesburgh, president of Notre Dame "the most popular course on the American campus is not literature or history but accounting" (p.196). Students are not just looking for a good major but also an entry in to the middle class. They want to get a good job right out of college. The reason they pick accounting is because there are a lot of job offered for accountant. Michael Adelson, 23, a UCLA psychology student has not found a job since he graduated. He has said that his Bachelor of Arts degree is completely useless. Even having a PhD in Renaissance painting or the history of French monasticism won't land you a job right away. According to George W. Valsa, supervisor of the college-recruiting section at Ford: "we are not ready to sign a petition to burn down liberal arts colleges, but don't expect us to go out and hire many liberal arts graduates." Ford has almost 1,000 graduates working for them mostly engineers or M.B.A. (Pg196). Knowing this information is crucial for getting a job after graduating because just like Adelson with the degree in psychology he has no job.

Mike Rose was a struggling student in his younger life, until he reached his second year of high school where education became interesting to him. In the essay Jack MacFarland, Our Lady of Mercy High School Rose had the help of his English teacher Mr. MacFarland to discover what education meant. "He gave me a way to feel special by using my mind" (Pg185). Professor MacFarland has a way to make his student feel good about school. In addition Rose also said "While it's certainly we're created an educational system that encourages our best and brightest to become cynical grade collectors and, in general, have developed an obsession with evaluation and assessment." (Pg185) Rose stated that he loved getting good grades from Professor MacFarland. This is the definition of what an educated person is. Rose struggled early in school and then successfully passing the hardest teacher in high school. He discovered something that was inside him that needed help and Professor MacFarland saw that opportunity. With the help of one teacher many student can be inspired just like Rose. He did not realize it yet but Rose was on his path to keep the tradition of teaching continue.

There are peoples that don't value education as much as others. For example, in the essay Overcoming an Invisible Handicap, Lucille Elmore decides to enroll in college at the age of thirty. After graduating high school she and her husband chose to start a family instead of going to college. Settling down Elmore finally decide it was the right time to further on her education. She has what a lot of people want that is a family, a decent job, and a warm home. One can question her on why she wants to go out of her ways and be a student again. Elmore definition of success is not for monetary rewards like many college students. She said "I know I am a failure. I'm a failure because I am ignorant. I'm a failure until I have knowledge, until I can work with it, be excited by and play with ideas" (p.210). For some people (like Elmore) having an education is not for rewards but for self knowledge. She is an educated person because doesn't look at things in term of money but instead the power of knowledge and using it as ideas.

Education is a way to better oneself in one way or another. The majority of college students are seeking an entrance to middle class system in which they want to get paid after graduating. They want a high salary job for all those years of hard worked they have put in college. Some people need the inspiration to continue learning just like Mike Rose. With the aid of professor MacFarland Rose became inspired to like school and education altogether. After being out of school so long Lucille Elmore decides to go back to college. She did not go back because her job asks her to but instead Elmore wanted to learn and play with ideas. Many have different reasons to why they want an education but they share the same goal, a better life.
Do You Need
Writing
or Editing Help?
Fill in one of the forms below to get professional help with your assignments:

Graduate Writing / Editing:
GraduateWriter form ◳

Best Essay Service:
CustomPapers form ◳

Excellence in Editing:
Rose Editing ◳

AI-Paper Rewriting:
Robot Rewrite ◳