Cochlear Implants

A person is always listening. Rarely, does an individual ever hear true silence and in those rare circumstances they will not feel peace, but rather become anxious. Noise is a sense of comfort and security and can indicate a countless amount of things to the listener even if they are unaware of their surroundings. A deaf person does not have the luxury of sound and is forced to lip read, use a hearing device, or sign to people. Although these are all satisfactory ways to communicate, the cochlear implant acts more as a replacement to hearing instead of another means of communicating. Cochlear implants are the most viable hearing device for parents that choose not to teach their child sign language or for people that plan to rely on hearing aids and years of intense speech therapy and lip reading courses. Although cochlear implants are a breakthrough in technology they do have limitations and many believe that these risks outweigh the benefits of the cochlear implant. Many different types of hearing loss and different degrees of hearing loss have seen improvement once implanted with the device. Even though the benefits of the Cochlear implant are countless the devices are still met with controversy and skepticism, especially when children younger than four are implanted. Children should be implanted with cochlear implants because the earlier the child is implanted the better they can associate sounds with words to develop speech faster and more accurately. Cochlear implants are capable tools that allow the subject to hear and develop language skills more efficiently than with any other device, in adults as well as children. The Cochlear implant cannot be denied as an option to deaf children even though it has some limitations and risks because compared to other devices, the cochlear implant allows the deaf to hear. The benefits of a simple sound outweigh everything else. 

The Collegiate Trifecta of Tragedy

Kelly Camarco

Ms. Britenburg

English 103

4 October 2012

The Collegiate Trifecta of Tragedy

            The current generation of college students is one that has no choice but to thrive in a high-pressure environment with packed schedules and distractions at every turn. It comes as no surprise that too few students attain the amount of sleep their bodies require for proper function. But because brain development is believed to continue well into one’s twenties, it is imperative that college students remain cognizant of the fact that although they are grown up, they are still, in a sense, growing. Sleep is essential for overall success in college. When the body is sleep deprived, it contributes to a trifecta of collegiate tragedy: weight gain, a weakened immune system and cognitive depreciation. 

The Wrong Way to Clean Up Piracy

Over the past decade, an increase in online piracy, in which copyright material is illegally downloaded and shared, has gained the attention of the federal government. Content creators outcries for help have led to government to respond to this growing issue by attempting to pass the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). With the passage of this act, the government along with content creators would have new powers to prevent online piracy by being able to shut down targeted websites. Although the prevention of online piracy is a serious issue, opponents to the bill argue that SOPA puts an unfair amount of power into the content creator’s hands since any website containing any amount of copyright material could be shut down. In a cartoon by Cathy Cochrane and Sherry Snowden, SOPA is depicted as a bill that could easily be taken advantage of to hurt the online community. SOPA is an ineffective bill due to the high potential for abuse in that; content would be unnecessarily censored at the government’s discretion, websites with legal content would be affected, and the overall functionality of internet intermediaries would be restricted.    

Tanning Industry

Throughout history people have desired to have a different skin tone then they were born with. In today's world millions of people particularly young women are suffering from skin cancer in order to be a shade darker. The tanning bed industry has taken advantage of these people by convincing them that indoor tanning is safer than outdoor tanning. The lax laws in place regulating the tanning industry has lead to the steady increase of cancer in young women in the past three decades.

How does a moratorium on offshore oil drilling and exploration in the Gulf of Mexico effect the economy of oil drilling states surrounding the Gulf of Mexico and ultimately the United States economy?  An oil moratorium is defined as a legally authorized period of delay in the performance of a legal obligation or the payment of a debt (merriam-webster).  The oil moratorium was put into place due to the British Petroleum oil spill of 2010.  It was put into place for six months by the Obama Administration and President Obama was willing to extend it for at least another six months once the moratorium ended.  I disagree with the oil moratorium and believe that the Gulf of Mexico should be opened for more drilling and exploration.

Additional Info for this week's post!

Additionally, if you feel as if your thesis would benefit by having an introductory paragraph to accompany it, I highly suggest you write one. Hint. Hint.

Mandatory Blog Post

For this week's blog post, write your thesis for your Research Argument Assignment. I expect a thesis that is specific and well written: approach this as if it is your final version. Your argument should do just that: argue a position you have taken on a particular issue, rather than merely stating an observation. This is not the place for generalizations.

For help, refer to the DK handbook pgs 21 and 96-97 and 139 or EID 17-19 and 80-81, or better yet take it to the writing center.

This blog post is absolutely mandatory. If you do not post by Friday at 10am, you will receive a significant deduction on your final paper grade.