Hidden Dangers

My hometown is Utica, Ohio which is located in Licking County. I learned that Licking County has the highest radon levels in Ohio. Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless gas that is harmlessly dispersed in the outdoor air. Although when it becomes trapped in buildings, it can be harmful at elevated levels. It has recenty been determined that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the united states. Some studies indicate that radon causes between 15,000 and 20,000 lung cancers death each year. However, because you can not see or smell radon, people tend to minimize the health effects and ignore the possibility that it might exist in elevated levels in their homes.Since Licking County has one of the highest levels in Ohio, the Licking County Health Department has obtained a federal matching grant to provide radon education and free test kits to county residents. The results of radon tests that have been performed by Licking County residents indicate that over 70% of the homes had radon levels above the EPA action level of 4.0pCi/L. This is the first that I have heard about this issue in my area. It really caught my attention and made me want to look more into the issue.

Technology in Today's Time

Technology these days amazes me. I think it is so cool to know how far we have come throughout the years. I honestly don't know what I would do without all of my technological devices that I own. It is simply unrealistic now to not use technology. I am constantly using my cell phone to communicate either through texting or talking to someone. I also use it to receive emails, updates, and the internet when I don't have access to a computer. It bothers me when I don't have access to it, and I don't konw what I would do without it. My computer has also become very important to me. Especially starting college, my laptop has been very helpful to me. There is constantly papers to write, messages to read, and assignments to turn in online. Even other uses of technology such as televisions, washers/dryers, security systems, etc. are so important in daily life. Technology has been used to help further research and keep people safe. Although there are so many advantages to furthering technology, there are also some drawbacks. Technology can be very distracting. It has changed the way we communicate. It also can be very frustrating when trying to learn something new. Overrall I think technology has far more benefits than disadvantages. I sometimes wonder how far we will be in 10 years from now. Only time will tell!

Why I Am Not Going To Buy A Computer

I found this article to be somwhat entertaining. Wendell Berry has some good points about technology and his qualifications for an upgrade make good sense. He proves his point very well but his thoughts overrall are unrealistic. With today's use of technology, computers are a necessity. Computers are used everywhere! I also thought that the feedback included in the reading was interesting. Other peoples opinions based on his opinion made some of Berry's points stronger and/or weaker.

Global Warming

In the article " Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" Movie: Fact or Hype" Stefan Lovgren gives us his opinion of the topic of global warming based on Al Gore's opinion. The reading was very straightforward and gave facts for and against Gore's opinions. Global warming will always be a huge topic as the Earth continues to age. Scientists will always be studying this and it's hard to have an oninion based on the facts and reasoning given. On every topic, Lovgreen somewhat supports and disagrees with Gore's statements. He uses scientific facts to back up the information. Interesting points are brought to our attention, but I think that the topic of global warming will always be everyones own opinion based on facts.