Notebook Week 1-5E

Abstract Question: Why do people need to have higher concern/action towards the quality of air currently in Utah?

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As I created this question I began to brainstorm about the surrounding outcome. As I put the puzzle of the pieces together I remembered I had a friend acquainted with the Salt Lake City Air Protectors. This past weekend (1/19/2019) was the SLC Air Fair. As I began my research this is what I found from the people that I interviewed to help me in my field research.

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Maomi Cundick, member and Media Director for Salt Lake City Air Protectors:

Bad air affects everyone. People are usually concerned with eating the right foods and drinking plenty of water but do they think about the quality of air we all breathe. How long could you go without eating and drinking? But really how long could you go without breathing?

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Polluted air shaves years off of peoples lives.

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We will never be able to change the shape of Utah. The air gets trapped due to what we as a society puts out. We are living in the actions of our consequences.

 

As I continued my research I found myself talking with a local member of the community and this is what she expressed to me...

 

Marsha Moench, citizen & member of the community:

Originally from California, Mrs. Moench has spent the last 40+ years of her life here in Utah. Since her time while living in Utah she says that the air quality has never been this bad before. At 70 years old she was recently diagnosed with asthma. She has served as a nurse at the VA hospital when she discovered how bad things were. On her way from the parking lot into work she had to climb a hill and by the time she got to her building she had experienced bronchospasm's and her fellow nurses made sure she sat down and gave her some oxygen. We were in a joined conversation with my friend Maomi and she mentioned that Utah air shaves 1 to 2 years off of your life. Mrs. Moench tells us she does not have the time to loose like that. She is supportive of the cause for cleaner air because the actions of today will be positive for the future even if she may not get to see it. Due to the unhealthy quality of Utah's air is why she is planning on moving out of state.

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before I left I had a conversation with one of the SLC Air Protectors Chairmen and continued my research with getting some insight to his organization...

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Carl Moore, One of the Chairmen of Salt Lake City Air Protectors:

 

Who and what they are about: 

Indigenous Lead Organization 

God given stewardship + environment 

Ute, Shoshone Tribe, etc.

 Using this approach to elevate voice & perspective. Us & Mother Earth. 

 

Air is bad because how we treat each other. We have been bad to each other. Societies concern is on consumerism. 

-We all have a responsibility.  We are all related: humans, Plants & animals to relationship to earth. We all have indigenous roots (this aspect has been for a long time). 

 

Gardening, growing our own food 

-Less emissions/Plant trees 

Community gatherings 

Live more responsibly 

 

Success: 

Straw-less in SLC- 100 restaurants participate in this movement. 

Demoralizing straw use 

-”Lessoning the load” 

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Criticism received: 

The disabled community felt that they were making access for them unavailable but in reality it was meant to prevent wastefulness for those who have it for convenience or really don't need it and just end up throwing it away.  

 

Problem: 

Leadership is lacking 

(government/politics/Utah Legislature) 

Pushing Through: Keystone Pipeline, arctic refuge drilling, eliminating Bears Ears to get coal. 

Hearings: Fighting SLC Inland Port 

-SLC allowed distribution hub- 

-Trains, Airport, refineries, trucking, road construction... Making it an industrial state 

-It all adds to the inversion. 

Our environment is natural for an inversion. 

-We need to reduce carbon emissions. 

 

Other resources to research: Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment

www.facebook.com/utahphysiciansforhealthyenvironment

www.uphe.org 

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NOTEBOOK WEEK 2-1E

1e. Describe your personal ethic. How does it align with civic actions? How does your ethic endorse the responsibilities of an active citizen in society? What other experiences (academic, personal, etc.) informed your personal ethic?

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    My personal ethic would have to be one that is based on integrity, humility, courage & excellence. I find myself in integrity because I believe that I am trustworthy, reliable and mindful to the actions that I take and to those who are around me. I believe in everything that I do and will do, will be with actions of honesty & merit. When it comes to my own humility, I find that I succeed more when I am on common ground or sharing equal value to those that I work with and those that are in my close circle. I believe that in being a good leader (or even a good person), that I must treat everyone as an equal. In doing so, I hope to be seen as fair and willing to look at all sides to make a correct judgment when needed too. I am not better than anyone and even if I am spotlighted I accept it with a kind "thank you" and move on about my day. When it comes to courage I believe in speaking up about something that is not right even if it feels like there are multiple influences that could try to pressure me otherwise. I believe in myself to know that I have the courage to make the right decisions even against the fear of failing. In excellence I will always try to be "top notch" in every task I do or every goal I work to achieve. If I put my best foot forward and whole heartedly believe that what I am doing is to the best of my ability, that no matter the outcome, I know that my actions, mentality, & behavior got me to that result.

     I regard these qualities towards my civic actions in that I remain mindful of what I am doing and how I am living my life. To how I treat myself, to my loved ones and even to those who I meet while I'm out in my community. If I go camping, I clean up after myself because I care about my environment. If I can recycle old items like clothes I give them away to those who could benefit from items I no longer need. I like that saying that one persons trash is another persons treasure. I am the youngest sibling in my family and "hand-me-downs" was exactly what I got. I also moved a lot as a child so I never really kept much because my family would constantly be on the move after a year or plus of that. So I am familiar with giving things away to someone who would be better to have those items. I have given car seats away for free and have also bought items for those people whom I believed needed them. As someone who has struggled and needed help on many occasions, I can say from the heart how warming it was when someone was there for me that cared.

     My ethic endorses the responsibilities of an active citizen by the want to give back to my community and join in an organization that represents those qualities. As well that in everything that I do and everything that I am, I treat everyone who comes in my path with respect. In my point of view, in regards to the work I do in health care, we get patients that come in for surgery for one reason or another. I treat each patient with kindness and caring. If I can do that with them they can take that experience back out to there communities and carry on those actions that I took. I do this as well with my own family. I raise my kids to understand qualities of respect and kindness so when they are out there in the world, they will have those same tools that I taught them to share with others. From that I can only hope that, that cycle continues out into the world.

     An experience that made me realize my personal ethics was actually from a really bad relationship I had a long time ago. This was the type of relationship you learn from and it even changes your life. The type of relationship I experienced was when the person I thought would treat me good was deceptive and would "gaslight" me in almost every aspect. I wasn't good enough for them, I had to do all the work, deal with multiple guilt trips, lies, put downs, and control rages. Sometimes I had to deal with violence from that person along with being pressured and manipulated. Someone that I trusted, took advantage of me and my naiveness. It got to the point were I cried so much that I ran out of tears. I would say anything to get this person just to give me a break or leave me alone. The lesson that I learned was that no one ever deserves to be treated in such a way were they are put down, made to look at fault constantly, feel sad, alone and heart broken daily. People of all types (young & old) deserve to be happy and treated equally. I realized that I wasn't being honest to myself or others about the dangerous situation I was in. I had to leave and I didn't want to be that person who accepted fault when it was not my own or accept something I did not deserve. I needed to be true, honest and realistic with every action that I took instead of looking through "rose colored glasses". From that moment forth when I finally left, I kept that promise to myself. I promised that I will never be a deceptive person because I remember what it feels like to be treated by someone that way. I must be straightforward and hold myself accountable in high regard because that is what will keep me on the correct path.

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NOTEBOOK WEEK 3-8C

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8c. Select a source you found while conducting research on your topic. What strategies does the writer use that you appreciate? What of those strategies can you model and incorporate in your own current project? Practice modeling one or more strategy.

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The source that I found while conducting research was an article from the Utah Business magazine called a "Hazy Outlook: Regulators, industries and innovators are tackling Utah's air quality from multiple angles," by Adva Biton. Strategies that I appreciate the writer uses is that they give an honest approach to there writing in my opinion. From the reading not only does the writer use facts but also incorporates real point of views from the industry and what some of the outlooks of the refineries are attempting along with actual updates with the Division of Air Quality itself. In my own current project I believe that I can equally input factual findings and also a variety of point of views. I believe that it is very important for me to have a non-biased view on my current project. I need to give a whole picture to my audience in the sense if they were to not know anything about this state or its air quality and properly inform them of what's going on.

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NOTEBOOK WEEK 4-3B

3b. Write a flash memoir or audio essay modeled on the style of Einstein's "The World as I See It." What particulars of the issue do you, through your own experiences and areas of expertise, view especially clearly? What fundamental understanding about the world do these lead you to have? Mention the sources that have helped you achieve this understanding and explain how they helped shape that understanding.

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For the longest time my life was like a little world of my own fantasy. I believed that I was in a paradise & everyone was my friend. I never thought anyone would be my enemy. But the truth is that my family was destroyed by divorce. My skewed sense of what I thought was reality shattered into many pieces and quickly I learned how wrong I was. From thinking I had the good life at "age 5" to the terror of sadness that came crashing down. Internally I became completely against the world at that moment. The reality that I learned is that this happens to more people than I ever thought. I also learned quickly what it was to feel alone, but to understand the hurt of others. The world we think should be happy is not always what it seems & people are not always what they seem. Remarkably through all that pain, I learned companionship. Others who have been hurt through family trials of no fault of there own, created the healing I sought after tragedy. Through this I relearned the reality of what life is, to be able to evaluate my decisions more rationally than thinking life is posy's and rainbows. From that moment forth I wanted to face the world, ready for any challenge even if I needed to cause a disruption. My understanding of the world change to see that not only are there just broken families, there are homeless people, criminals, drug abusers, etc. It opened my eyes in a positive light as well to the many different people from around the world as well. It lead me to grow curiosity in there cultures, civilizations, & histories. The most refreshing thing in life is meeting someone who just wants to live there best life and do good in the world. I currently find myself surrounded by individuals like that. Family means the most to me these days as I watch over my own little flock.

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NOTEBOOK WEEK 5-2I

2i. Visit a public space that is connected to your issue. Take your notebook with you. Meander through the space for at least an hour (or situate yourself somewhere you can watch from for the whole hour). Observe the people you see and in your notes, describe (using sensory details) what you’re seeing and what is going on. Make your description as creative (while maintaining accuracy) and as lively as possible, encompassing the entire essence of the space within one good, descriptive paragraph.

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It is becoming later in the afternoon and I find myself at one of the UTA stops (Murray station) were locals can find themselves a ride to get anywhere form or to work, or to school, or to a fun destination if they so choose. As one of the many stations here in Utah, I have decided that today I would take the frontrunner to and from work. It is very cold outside but, I managed to be as prepared as I could for the weather. Bundled up in a decent sweater and a winter jacket, with a thick woven scarf, a decent pair of jeans and winter boots, I stand there awaiting the next frontrunner pickup. I would have to admit though I could have chosen a better pair of socks to wear. This was on a day a snow storm was expected to blow into town and it did exactly that.

 

As I stand there at the frontrunner station awaiting my ride home, I watch the cold wind blown in and the clouds roll down from the mountains. I notice that there are many pedestrians coming and going not just for the frontrunner but also for the light rail to take them to other destinations within town. Some are what look like young students that are ready to go home from school and others seem like at this spot was there connection to get home as they get pickup by friends/co-workers or others who arrive here to complete there stop by being dropped off to get a ride home. For me, my work was just in front of this station. The Intermountain Murray Hospital was just a few minutes walk away and I was so grateful that I am able to be so close to connect to this location to be able to come and go from work.

 

I have never tried this before to take the frontrunner for commuting reasons. In my project one of the ways expressed to help prevent more air pollution is to try alternatives to getting to work such as car pooling, or using public transportation such as using the front runner like I did on this day. I can understand from an opposing view why some may be against it. I too had my doubts, being fearful that there may be person's of questionable behavior also being on public transportation but the reality is that a large majority are those who need to get to work or to get to school. Also, to think of dealing with this cold, snowy weather, I could have just easily taken my car instead of waiting in the cold to catch my ride home. I believe that for others who also have this luxury, would also choose to just take there own ride home than have to wait in the cold. But for me I chose to "stick to my guns" (I had to test the waters for myself) and go about it as I planned to do. It was all in all a pleasant experience. I honestly didn't mind the cold because I was prepared, and I put myself in a position to understand the view of others who have to choose this route of transportation everyday. In a sense it made me humble and it also taught me once again to become flexible. I too and others can do there part to have one less car on the road but it needs to be because of their choosing. 

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NOTEBOOK WEEK 6-9B

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9b. Identify something about your writing that you're struggling with, or want to know more about. Find an article/book/website that addresses the issue (you can consult with your instructor if you want help with this) and discuss in detail what you found in this resource that helps you in your struggle. 

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As I begin my research paper, one part I come to struggle with time to time once I have all the information is to begin putting it all together. The opening paragraph is also the part I find awkward. What should I say, or how can I gain someone's attention. The ebook I found from the one library is called, "Planning Your Research and How to Write It," by Aziz Nather. In this ebook, the information I found very helpful was when it said in getting my paper together I can follow the rule of IMRAD. That means 'Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion' in how I should organize my paper. When I go to create my subject of topic in relation to the opening statement of my subject, I should write with subject-verb proximity. I found this to make the most sense because it says the verb should follow right after the subject. Explaining the main point right away will allow me to get my point across to my reader and further allow me to continue to my main point of my research paper and follow the outline I have created for myself.

MLA (Modern Language Assoc.)
Nather, Aziz. Planning Your Research And How To Write It. World Scientific, 2015.
 

 Reference: 

Nather, Aziz. Planning Your Research And How To Write It. World Scientific, 2015. EBSCOhost, libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1091525&site=eds-live.

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NOTEBOOK WEEK 7-9C

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9c. Read Barron's Painless Grammar. Buy or borrow this book and read the whole thing 

(Barron’s Painless Grammar (Links to an external site.) Write a two-page description of at least three things you learned from the book and how those things helped you.

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         Things that I have learned from reading Red Barron’s Painless Grammar was that a variety of different aspects in formal writing. Even though writing may come natural to some, even as we get older, the rules of writing can tend to change or we can simply forget if we are not consistently using them. One form of formal writing that I thought was a great refresher was the aspect of using numbers within a sentence. When someone is explaining a sentence like the one from the Painless Grammar book example, “I ate sixteen pizzas, 6 orders of fries and seventy-seven potato chips, and ½ a pecan pie.” (Painless Grammar, Pg.4830). Though the sentence seems harmless, the book explains that the numbers are inconsistent and hard to read. The best advice for this sentence would be, “I ate 16 pizzas, six orders of fries, 77 potato chips, and half a pecan pie.” (Painless Grammar, Pg. 4830). I personally would even take it up a level and start from the smallest number to the largest in order and then make sure that no numbers are spelled out like ‘six orders of fries.’

           From that refresher, I also learned about the use of abbreviations. In the book it stated abbreviations in examples of states like Tenn.(Tennessee) or VA (Virginia). Though I thought to myself no big deal, I came to the conclusion on how important that could be for my research project. But not just for myself to remember it but for my readers. If I am to talk about scientific research, I will need to remember that not all of my readers will know exactly what I could be talking about. So in that case it would be better for my assignment if I write the words out in full so if my reader decided to look up what I was talking about, that they would have the chance to do so.

Lastly, one of the most important things I found within the book, “Painless Grammar,” was the use of quotation within a quotation. In the example from the book that was used was… Emma said, “Madison said, yes, I’ll help you, but she didn’t.” (Painless Grammar, Pg. 4813). But the way it should be done is… “Madison said, “Yes, I’ll help you,” but she didn’t.” The reason being for acknowledging its importance, was because in my project I will be quoting the sources I get my information from. I believe that it is very important that I quote my research correctly. Overall, I believe this book “Painless Grammar,” was not only a nice short read but it is a great refresher.

Elliott, Rebecca. Painless Grammar. 4th ed., Barron's, 2016.

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NOTEBOOK WEEK 8-3C

3c. Write a two-page flash fiction story about at least two characters affected by your real world social justice issue. While the characters should be fictional, the conditions that they face/experiences that they have should be based on the facts surrounding the issue.

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           If I were asked how long I’ve known my friend Mikey, I guess it would have to be since we were both in our mother’s womb. We have been friends for a long time and even our mothers were childhood friends. Since Mikey and I were born, we have always been close. Lucky enough, we were also each others neighbors, so we always got to hangout and go everywhere together. His mom was like aunt and my mom was like his and our dads were good friends to each other too; It was pretty cool, like having one big family.

Summertime here in Utah is coming close to end and I’m so sad to see it go. School is about to start and everybody is dreading it. Mikey and me are being ‘prepped’ by our moms for our first year of middle school. We can hear them talk about how our voices are going to change, how we are going to go through some kind of ‘growth spurt’ and something else they were giggling about. Mikey and me just thought they were crazy and went outside to play. While outside having a good time riding our skateboards, we decided to have a water break. As we sat down Mikey began to tell me that sometimes he feels like he runs out of air quickly when he moves to fast or plays basketball. He always seemed fine to me but I never thought anything of it. I told him sometimes I feel that way too but it’s because we play so crazy. Later that evening, i went back inside. Mom had to make sure I was ready for my first day of school. It was nothing new to me other than just another first year of school; well at least that was what I thought.

            The suns rises after a good night’s sleep, I get up to get ready for school. My mom has prepared us a big breakfast like she always has every year. It has been a tradition in our home since Mikey and I started preschool. Mikey and his mom come over and we have a good morning meal before our day starts. Off to school we go and I can over hear our moms talking about the weather. The day was suppose to be sunny but, it was cloudy and kind of hazy outside. As we arrive at the school, we see tons of children getting off of the buses and parents dropping off there children at school. We get to the drop off spot and our moms give us hugs and wave goodbye. Mikey and I were off to first period. We were lucky because we have 3 class periods together. We have 1st period, 4th period (including lunch), and 6th period together. I liked the last class we had together because in 6th period it was gym class and that class was always a good time no matter who taught it. The day moves on and so far my first day of school was going pretty well. Mikey and I just got done eating lunch and we went our separate ways for 5th period looking forward to 6th period gym class.

Gym class finally came around and as all first day of classes began, we went through the typical intro to gym. Our gym teacher Mr. Young, was telling us about the activities we would be doing and if we sat through his whole speech that we could go outside for some free time. Luckily I made it through without losing my mind, and so did Mikey. We went outside to the field to walk around the track. On our way there, Mikey and another student Aaron had dared each other to a 100 meter race. Ready-Set-Go! They ran as fast as they could, Mikey taking the lead with Aaron fast on his trail. Aaron finished first as excited as he could be but my best friend had fallen to the ground and I ran to his side. Mikey sounded like he could not breath and I cried for help. One of my friends in our class had got Mr.Young’s attention. Mr. Young came over quickly and right away knew something was wrong. He called the ambulance and they arrived right away. I was worried for my friend as they took him in the ambulance. Aaron felt like it was his fault, but really no one thought that. We all wondered why Mikey was not able to breathe. After school was over, my mom was there to pick me up. It should have been Mikey and me getting picked up by his mom and mine (the tradition was suppose to go that way for the end of the day) but, my mom came alone. I got in our car and she told me we on the way home that she talked with Mikey’s mom. His mother said that he was fine but he was going to have to use an inhaler. Sometimes he might need medicine if he feels like he can’t breath. The doctor said that he has asthma and sometimes he won’t be able to play as much as he would like. For Mikey, the air outside can make his asthma worse on the days that the air is bad or in the ‘red zone.’ On the days the air is in the ‘green zone’ he would feel better and do better, than if it were a day in the ‘red zone’. From this day forth, I learned a valuable lesson. If any of my friends say that sometimes they don’t feel well I should take it more seriously and also that I hope we don’t have any ‘red days.’

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NOTEBOOK WEEK 9-3F

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First, sketch--you can literally do this as a drawing, or with words--two different settings for the events taking place in your current piece. Think about place, about time, about sensory details, about who is there. Second, discuss how you might use any of these details in the piece you're currently working on.