Essay 3: Final Draft

Springtime is a great time because the snow starts to melt, everyone gets excited, and it starts getting that summertime beauty. Unfortunately, there is also an ugly side to the spring thaw, the forgotten trash buried in the snow. Although picking up trash is not always fun, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity should conduct road cleanup on Geist road during the spring breakup because trash is an eyesore for people, better for the environment, and it is a great community service act.

Fairbanks has three entrances by road, the Parks Highway from Anchorage, Richardson Highway from North Pole and beyond, and the Steese Highway coming from the North. Geist Road leads off the Parks Highway and is one of the first roads many tourists drive through coming into Fairbanks. It is on this road that it is also one of the dirtiest in the spring thaw, and therefore needs to be cleaned so that it presents a good image of Fairbanks as a whole. Not only will it help the image of Fairbanks to tourists, but it will also be nicer for locals too, and by making it visually better for tourists to look at, it will help to bring tourists back to help promote Fairbanks’ economy.

Not only will cleaning up Geist Road be visually pleasing to look at, it will also be better for the environment. Most trash that has lasted through the winter is the plastic, glass, and paper products, none of which will disappear on its own within a summer. Not only will the trash not disappear on its own, but if there is food, or even the scent of foods, then it is possible for the trash to be eaten or drug off elsewhere by animals. And most the glass that is thrown out by the side of the road gets broken, which is unsafe for wildlife, pedestrians, and vehicles that drive too close to the edge or need to pull over.

Sigma Phi Epsilon is a great fraternity and cleaning up Geist Road is a great way for them to help out the community, get their name out there, and have a great time. Doing road cleanup is an easy community service activity that is easily recognized by the community. This is also one of those projects that lasts, at least for the season, and is easily repeated each year and can become a great yearly or bi-yearly event.

Needless to say, cleaning up Geist Road is not only a great thing to do to help clean up Fairbanks’ image, but is also good for the environment and is a Great opportunity for Sigma Phi Epsilon to conduct some community service.

Essay 3: Rough Draft

Springtime is a great time because the snow starts to melt, everyone gets excited, and it starts getting that summertime beauty. Unfortunately there is also an ugly side to the spring thaw, the forgotten trash buried in the snow. Although picking up trash is not always fun, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity should conduct road cleanup on Geist road during the spring breakup because it is an eyesore for people, better for the environment, and it is a great community service act.

Fairbanks has three entrances by road, the Parks Highway from Anchorage, Richardson Highway from North Pole and beyond, and the Steese Highway coming from the North. Geist Road leads off the Parks highway and is one of the first roads many tourists drive through coming into Fairbanks. It is on this road that it is also one of the dirtiest in the spring thaw, and therefore needs to be cleaned so that it presents a good image of Fairbanks as a whole. Not only will it help the image of Fairbanks to tourists, but it will also be nicer for locals too.

Not only will cleaning up Geist Road be nice to look at, it will also be better for the environment. Most trash that that has lasted through the winter is the plastics, glass, and some paper products, and none of this will disappear on its own within a summer. Not only will the trash not disappear on its own, but if there is food, or even the scent of foods, then it is possible for the trash to be eaten or dragged off elsewhere by animals. And most the glass that is thrown out by the side of the road gets broken, which is unsafe for wildlife, pedestrians and vehicles that drive too close to the edge or need to pull over.

Sigma Phi Epsilon is a great fraternity and cleaning up Geist Road is a great way for them to help out the community, get their name out there, and have a great time doing it. Doing road cleanup is an easy community service activity that is easily recognized by the community. This is also one of those projects that lasts, at least for the season, and is easily repeated each year and can become a great yearly or bi-yearly event.

Needless to say, cleaning up Geist Road is not only a great thing to do to help clean up Fairbanks’ image, but is also good for the environment and is a Great opportunity for Sigma Phi Epsilon to conduct some community service.

Note: I will be taking this to the writing center, and have a friend who is an English major read this over, so I will hopefully be posting the final draft this weekend sometime.

Essay 1:Final

Whenever we go to choose a new vehicle, we always look to what features it has that we like over other vehicles, and one thing that we are concerned about nowadays is fuel efficiency. Although diesel engines are looked down upon by the general public, they are a good choice because they are reliable, have good fuel efficiency, and are powerful. Diesel engines should never be forgotten when choosing your next vehicle, even though the old models have had bad smoke problems, been loud, and smell funky. These problems should not discourage people from getting one since the modern diesel engine has overcome these obstacles.

Diesel engines are more reliable than a gasoline engine and some hybrids because their service intervals are longer. Most gasoline engines recommend changing the oil and oil filter about every three thousand miles; whereas most diesel engines recommend changing the oil and oil filter about every ten-thousand miles. What this means, is less time in the shop and therefore less money you will be spending on maintenance. Diesel engines also have a history of lasting more than three hundred-thousand miles, whereas most gasoline engines only last around two hundred and fifty thousand miles. The reason that diesels go so long on oil changes and other maintenance items is because they run at a lower rpm(revolutions per minute) and also at a lower operating temperature. Most misconceptions about diesel reliability are the maintenance costs, while yes maintenance can be costly, it can be costly for all other engines as well. So in all fairness, maintenance is costly for all vehicles, it just depends on the shop you to your car too or if you do it yourself.

Fuel efficiency is another big concern especially with rising fuel costs and diesel engines do get better fuel efficiency than gasoline engines. The main reason a diesel engine gets better fuel economy that a gasoline engine is because it does not need to burn as much fuel as a gasoline engine to create the same amount of power, this allows them to burn less fuel and still achieve the same amount of power, and thus better fuel economy. Another reason that a diesel gets better fuel efficiency is because they run at a lower rpm, and thus less gas is burned. Another misconception about a diesel engine is the smell from the exhaust. Though the older engines where smellier, the newer ones are not as smelly due to the catalytic converters that are being installed on them which cuts down on the emissions from a diesel. The catalytic converters have also cut back on the so called “smoke” problems as well.

If it’s pulling power you want, then a diesel is the way to go. Not only do diesels create more power than a gasoline engine, but they also achieve better fuel economy while pulling a heavy load than their gasoline counterparts. Diesel engines create more torque while in lower RPMs than other engines because of the efficiency of the engine and its ability to burn more of the fuel. Torque is the force an object is rotated around an axis, or in other words, the force in which the engine spins your axel. Diesel engines are able to create more force, and thus more torque than other engines and it is this force that allows for the power to pull heavier loads while at the same time at least matching a gasoline engine’s fuel efficiency at normal operating. The key to a diesel engine creating more torque, getting better fuel efficiency, and being reliable is that they do not use a spark plug to ignite to fuel to burn, but rather they use a glow plug that helps heat the fuel under great pressure so that it ignites with a so called spontaneous combustion due to the high pressure. It is because the diesel fuel is burned at such high pressure that it is able to burn more fuel, and also create more power from the combustion than a gasoline engine which must use a spark plug to ignite the vapors of unleaded fuel.

After looking at the plus side to diesel engines, it is clear that they are not as bad as they are made out to be and are a good alternative for choosing you next vehicle, even if it isn’t a truck. They are just as reliable, if not more, than a gasoline engine, can achieve better fuel economy than gasoline engines, and can provide more torque for pulling than gasoline. All around they are just as good, if not better, than gasoline engines.

Week 7&8: Response 2

In Marquez’s essay, she points out why most immigrants and their children still speak in their native tongue when in public, and why they still do speak their native tongue. She makes a point that they often speak in their native tongue out of respect for their elders, while at the same time providing a sense of comfort for them, since most immigrants who have English as a second language are not too fluent in it and therefore can have communication issues with it. She also points out the commons fears that most people have when hearing others speak a language they cannot in a public place, and that is fear and unpatriotic. People sometimes have a fear of others who are speaking a language they don’t understand because they often worry about what they are talking about, and they also feel that it is unpatriotic to speak another language in America even though we do not have an official language that is required by law to be spoken. She points out that it is not rude of them to speak their native tongue when in public, though it is rude for them to speak a language in front of a person who doesn’t understand it, when that person is trying to partake in the conversation. Marquez gives an example of how she will introduce a friend to her parents in English when she knows that her friend doesn’t speak Spanish, so that person does not feel uncomfortable.

Week 7&8: Response 1

In Han’s essay on gay Asian-Americans, he visits how they are shaped into the stereotypes that are given to them and what influences these forced stereotypes have on them. Han shows us that as early as the 18^th century Western culture has portrayed the Asian people as feminine, while elevating itself as a masculine culture. Asian-American men are further excluded from society, by both other Asians and the gay community, because they do not fit into the typical mold of what white Caucasian men want, and are therefore forced into becoming more sexually deviant or bringing out more of their feminine qualities. Han also shows that most Asian-American gay men are often forced to wait longer than their Caucasian counterparts to come out to their families because their family ties tend to be stronger, and therefore they are more afraid of rejection from their family. This tends to lead to more Asian-American gay men to participate in unsafe sex due to a lack of support. Because these men are both turned away from the gay community and the Asian community, they tend to be marginalized because they are not wanted by either group.

Step 2: Sources

Key topics in conservation biology. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. Ltd., 2007.

Stanek, Ronald T. Harvest and uses of wild resources in Tyonek and Beluga, Alaska, 2005-2006. Juneau: Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Division of Subsistence, 2007.

Knezevic, Irena. "Hunting and Environmentalism: Conflict or Misperceptions." Human Dimensions of Wildlife 14.1 (Feb. 2009): 12-20. Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 5 Apr. 2009 .

Campbell, Michael, and Kelly J Mackay.. "Communicating the Role of Hunting for Wildlife Management." Human Dimensions of Wildlife 14.1 (Feb. 2009): 21-36. Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 5 Apr. 2009 .

Caro, T.M., et al. "Animal breeding systems and big game hunting: Models and application." Biological Conservation 142.4 (Apr. 2009): 909-929. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 23 Mar. 2009 .

"Hunter Information and Training Program." Alaska Department of Fish and Game- Department of Wildlife Conservation. 2009. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 01 Apr. 2009 .

The Hunting Heritage Partnership. National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. 01 Apr. 2009 .

This is just a tentative list of what I have gotten so far, so you know I'm not ignoring the assignment. I am having difficulty finding sources that would actually assist my essay, rather than just research projects on animal populations and outside effects.