Calpine and Cisco debate over Coyote Valley
Throughout the years the technology industry has been growing with incredible speed expanding all over California. San Jose is known as the capital of Silicon Valley where major technology companies and start-ups call home. With fast spreading companies it is necessary to have enough power in San Jose to supply the increase in energy demand. Recently there was a plan proposed to the City of San Jose by Calpine Corporation to build a power plant in Coyote Valley. Nearby residents and several other organizations, including Mayor Ron Gonzales, are against this plan due to environmental hazards and safety precautions with schools and residents. It is possible the power plant can bring to San Jose several positive outcomes that will help develop the city into the center of the technology world. Although the power plant sounds like it would benefit San Jose by creating jobs and providing energy, the Metcalf Energy Center can cause severe consequences to the city in the future.
The power plant is expected to bring more jobs to San Jose during the construction phase. “This project also promises to save customers in California up to $1.8 billion dollars by 2010” (Levey 1) . There certainly is a very high demand in power with the growing technology industry. The state of California fears that if the power plant is not built there will be a shortage of power in the state. “If the San Jose City Council decides not to rezone land for the project, the state could take the unprecedented step of overriding a community's opposition to a new power plant. California has faced persistent power shortages this year. And state analysts already have recommended approving the project” (Levey 1) . If Calpine get approval to begin constructing the power plant, San Jose will have several problems in the future.
Ethical Issues
Is it ethical to build a power plant that will pollute the air and possibly hurt the health of nearby residents? If the power plant is built in San Jose there are people who say that the environment would rapidly degrade the South Bay. City officials are questioning whether the 600-megawatt power plant will give off small amounts of pollutants.
The construction of railroads in California impacted the state physically, socially, and economically; and ultimately helped propel California into the state it is today. During a time when masses of people were migrating to California but were doing so in an inefficient, and sometimes dangerous way, the first transcontinental railroad provided a fast and easier alternative. During the 1850's and 60's California was booming as many people from across the country uprooted their lives and headed west to begin a new life and attempt to strike it rich. Covered wagons were not an ideal way of travel but were the only way to go until the railroads were constructed.
The thought of good people brings warmth and joy to my heart. On a daily basis I would like to think that most, if not all, of the people we surround ourselves with strive to be good people. My initial thought that came to mind before I began to read David Foster Wallace’s “Good People” was that this would be a story about all the people around each other doing good for one another bringing happiness to me as a reader. The story took a huge turn as it did not talk about the good of the people, but the expectations and judgments we hold for others to be good people. My eyes and my heart opened up, as Wallace’s story unfolded, in which he used a controversial issue to make a point by tugging at the emotions of the reader. I now know that this story was not to make a statement about a very controversial issue, but to make us realize that being a good person doesn’t always mean we have to follow by the expectations or rules that have been set for us, but by being who we truly are and having an understanding for one another.
Carone M, D. C. ( 2007). Clinical Challenges In COPD[e-book]. (Oxford: Clinical Pub) Retrieved March 24, 2014, from (EBSCOhost).
In August 18, 1920, the U.S. Constitution Granted U.S. women a right. That was the right of vote. In American history women had no right to vote or be part of government. They were born to be at home and do the house choir and motherhood. They had no right to educate or go out, thus the 19th amendment was approved that gave the women the right to vote (Matthew, 2017). Having the right of votes for women was not easy. It was given to them after years of fighting and struggling, after fighting and protesting so long for their rights they were finally victorious. Women in America were finally given their rights. One of the most important freedom given to women in 19th amendment is their rights. This essay will investigate how women were given the right to be equality, the right to vote and be part of government, and also, how this amendment affected the lives of women.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a lung disease that affects breathing. This disease is one that blocks or obstructs air flow which then affects the way that one breathes. It diminishes the capability of airflow in and out of the lungs. COPD is the term used for a group of different diseases that affect the lungs. The two most common types of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is a destruction of the small bronchioles in the lungs and chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes. Both emphysema and chronic bronchitis are obstructive diseases that impact breathing in a negative manner. (COPD, 2014)
In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was sign into the Constitution, granting women the rights to vote.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is preventable disease that has a detrimental effects on both the airway and lung parenchyma (Nazir & Erbland, 2009). COPD categorises emphysema and chronic bronchitis, both of which are characterised by a reduced maximum expiratory flow and slow but forced emptying of the lungs (Jeffery 1998). The disease has the one of the highest number of fatalities in the developed world due to the ever increasing amount of tobacco smokers and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014). Signs and symptoms that indicate the presence of the disease include a productive cough, wheezing, dyspnoea and predisposing risk factors (Edelman et al., 1992). The diagnosis of COPD is predominantly based on the results of a lung function assessment (Larsson, 2007). Chronic bronchitis is differentiated from emphysema by it's presentation of a productive cough present for a minimum of three months in two consecutive years that cannot be attributed to other pulmonary or cardiac causes (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014) (Viegi et al., 2007). Whereas emphysema is defined pathologically as as the irreversible destruction without obvious fibrosis of the lung alveoli (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014) (Veigi et al., 2007).It is common for emphysema and chronic bronchitis to be diagnosed concurrently owing to the similarities between the diseases (Marx, Hockberger & Walls, 2014).
(Action): If we don’t do our part to stop the expansion of nuclear power plants, the future of our planet will be bleaker. Every year, thousands of more pounds of nuclear waste will be buried underground and the damage to our environment increases. There are more efficient energy sources other than nuclear power and we must do our part today to prevent a catastrophic future for our children. The dangers that nuclear power plants pose for the United States are very real. There are many alternative renewable sources of energy available to us such as wind and solar power, which provide a much safer and efficient alternative to nuclear power. You alone have the power to speak up and act against the expansion of this dangerous energy. The future of our environment’s safety and our nation’s energy supply lies in your hands.
One of the common diseases in the respiratory system that many people around the world face is emphysema or also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is a chronic lung condition where the alveoli or air sacs may be damaged or enlarged resulting in short of breath (Mayo Clinic, 2011). If emphysema is left untreated, it will worsen causing the sphere shaped air sacs to come together making holes and reduce the surface area of the lungs and the amount of oxygen that travels through the bloodstream, blocking the airways of the lungs (Karriem- Norwood, 2012). The most common ways a patient can get emphysema are by cigarette smoking or being exposed to chemicals, dust or air pollutants for a long period of time. Common physical exams reveal a temperature of 100.8 Fahrenheit, 104 beats per minute, a blood pressure of 146/92, and a respiratory rate of 36 breaths per min (Karriem- Norwood, 2012). (see appendix A.1,A.2, A.3, A.4 for complete proof.)
COPD is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and is a major cause of disability. Millions of middle aged-adult and older adults are diagnosed with COPD. “Over the past decades chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has become widespread and is now the fourth leading cause of morbidity and mortality on a worldwide basis” (Hellem, Bruugsgaard, & Bergland, 2012, p. 206). This disease is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. As time goes on the symptoms will get worse. Most people with COPD have both emphysema and chronic bronchitis. With emphysema, the walls between many of the air sacs are damaged which reduces the amount of gas exchange in the lungs. With chronic bronchitis, the lining of the airways is constantly irritated and inflamed. This causes the lining to thicken and thick mucus forms in the airways, which makes it hard to breathe.
In 1848, the American women's rights movement started, during this movement, even though the leaders of the women’s rights advocated for the Reconstruction amendments , such as Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, these amendment did not promote women’s suffrage. In 1869, the writers of the nineteenth amendment, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony worked in the National Woman Suffrage Association while Lucy Stone led the American Woman Suffrage Association’s state-by-state battle for the vote. After that, the two groups united to form the National American Women Suffrage Association. This association aimed to secure voting rights for all American women (American memory, 2010). During World War I, women contributed significantly to the nation's war effort. As a result, many politicians began to realize that women could be an important source of votes, and then the United States Congress supported the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Finally, in 1920, women won the vote throughout the nation (Jone Johnson Lewis, 2008). In simple English, the Nineteenth Amendment states that Constitution cannot deny or abridge the citizens’ voting rights, regardless of the sex.
The Fifteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits the government, federal and state, from denying citizens the right to vote based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Nevertheless, this amendment still did not give women the right to vote. Gender equality in current times is an essential part to the modern democratic government. Under international standards, both men and women should have equal opportunities to participate in the political process. However throughout history, women, the numerical majority, were neither encouraged nor allowed to participate in the United States political process through political attitudes and institutions. Women gained momentum for the women’s rights movement, their struggle for suffrage and equality, through their ability to bring their differentiating views together to work towards one goal.
Instilling this new way of energy usage into off-grid communities will inevitably increase the state of living for those in cities and other well populated areas. The change to renewable energy sources could drastically lower the pollutants currently being dispersed into the atmosphere by coal mines and other harmful power options,
In the search for alternatives to fossil fuels, scientists and policy makers have focused on three options: nuclear power, energy from biomass; and a combination of wind, water, and solar power. Nuclear power, however, is much more costly and runs the risk of having it fall into the wrong hands where it could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. The third option entails wind turbines, photovoltaic power plants and rooftop systems, concentrated solar thermal power plants,...
Media coverage of such cases have made the public less comfortable with the idea of moving further towards nuclear power and they only opt for reducing human activities to reduce global warming. It is true that there have been some notable disasters involving nuclear power, but compared to other power systems, nuclear power has an impressive track record. First, it is less harmful and second, it will be able to cater for the growing world population. Nuclear power produces clean energy and it delivers it at a cost that is competitive in the energy market (Patterson). According to the US Energy Information Administration, there are currently 65 such plants in the Unite States (National Research Council). They produce 19 percent of the total US energy generation.