Final

Ending the Anger or Should I Say Rage

Road rage is probably the most tangible reason that Arizona has so many accidents each year, almost half being fatal at 45%(Motor Vehicle Fatalities). The large problem with road rage is the fact that there are too many cars on the road and not enough roads for the cars. I drive to school every morning for an hour and a half and people cut each off constantly. I have almost been in many accidents because a car in front of me gets cut off and slams on the breaks. “Rush-hour crashes, many of which are caused by the aggressive driver, are a major contributor to congestion and 10 percent of them contribute to a second crash” (Aren’t the Same). If road rage is to be stopped people must take actions in preventing the rage. Possibly if a person is a dangerous driver, and has been cited for it, there license plate should be marked so others know. Thus, if someone gets cut off they should call in the license plate and that person should receive a citation. Good drivers should be rewarded at the end of every year with lowered insurance or a payment.

The dangers of road rage would be cut down exponentially if a person who suffered from it was clearly marked for all to see. A huge reason to steer clear is the fact that there is a chance that the crazy person is carrying a gun. “Overall 11% of drivers carried a gun with them in their vehicle” (Armed and Dangerous). It would be terrible if a person got cut off and tried to get back around and the person with road rage pulled out a gun and shot them. And all for what, getting home two seconds faster? Instead of getting shot, a person should be able to call in the road rage offender and that person will be cited for their dangerous driving.

When a person is cut off it would make perfect sense to call in the license plate if the crime was out of spite or anger, hence, road rage. “Aggressive driving is defined as a progression of unlawful driving actions such as: speeding, improper or excessive lane changing, failing to signal intent, failing to see that movement can be made safely, or, improper passing” (Aggressive Driving and Road Rage). Road rage driving is a crime and therefore, if a person can call in a license plate of a drunk driver, they should also be able to call in an unlawful angry driver. This is the only logical thinking that can be done in this situation in order to cut down on the crazy drivers of Arizona; and so, a safe and careful driver should be rewarded at the end of the year.

Dangerous driving should be punished and opposite, good driving should be rewarded. At the end of the year, a good driver should be allowed to decide together with their insurance company if they want to lower the cost of driving insurance or get a money reward. Now I understand that people who are not safe will find a way around the reward by bribing people they crashed into but in the end, it will lower the percentage of crazy drivers and road rage in the Valley. “Many “road rage” incidents have resulted from citizens overreacting and allowing their ego to stand in the way of common sense and good judgment, rather than safely reporting aggressive driving incidents” (Aggressive Driving/Road Rage). If people would just sow down and use their brain, Arizona would be a much safer place to live because the worry of dangerous drivers would go down exponentially.

Road rage is a leading cause in the death toll of Arizona’s drivers. If people just took a couple extra seconds to cool down and think before they acted rashly, there would be no worry of being killed because of some idiot driver. Road rage and aggressive driving are a monster problem with few differences:

Aggressive Driving vs. Road Rage Driving


Road Rage

"Anger Toward Another Driver Elements"

Hostility Can Cause

Rude Gestures Confrontation

Honking the Horn

Aggressive Maneuvering

Aggressive Driving

"One who operates a vehicle in a bold or unsafe manner"

Tailgating Can Result

Speeding In Citations

Illegal Lane Changes

Red Light Running

Causes:

Competition Among Drivers

Congestion - Traffic - Construction Zones

Frustation

(Road Rage). When a person encounters someone with road rage they should just call in the license plate and get out of the way because there is no sense in taking a chance of getting shot or something stupid. Arizona would be a safe place to drive if drivers paid no attention to road rage and just let that person do what they want and not challenge. This is the best way to cut back on the dangerousness of road rage and the accidents it causes. All of these options are very possible to do and the laws are easily followed if “cool down” time was taken. The law should possibly take it a little harder on dangerous drivers and Arizona would be a recognizably safer place to drive.

Crazy people may say, “Hey road rage is going to happen no matter what the consequences or rewards are.” I agree with this but, if the law toughens up for one year, people will see a blatant difference. It may be ridiculous to have police everywhere patrolling for crazy drivers because this would cause more traffic and slower driving, too slow. Isn’t that the point though, people are driving too fast to start with, this is the while reason road rage is a problem. As I have proven, there really is no reasonable rebuttal that has any evidence it back it up. People may complain that traffic is too bad but is that ten or fifteen minutes worth people’s lives? Leave for your destination earlier to make up for the lost time and to stay away from the worry of rushing home or to an appointment.

The future holds many great opportunities for the Arizona population and increase in safe driving is one of them. Arizona is one of the worst states for driving because we have so many cars and not enough roads. In the future, if we crack down on our driving laws, Arizona will become one of the top five safest places to drive. If the state bands together and our government put together some laws that protect our safety, Arizona will rid itself of road rage drivers and there will be no worries on the road. Being cut off or shot will never be a thought for an Arizona driver again. This is the future of Arizona and the end of road rage. The state will conquer the unlawful driving even if it takes our government and citizens a few years to neutralize our mental block. Crazy drivers will be stopped!

Works Cited

Aggressive Driving and Road Rage. State of Arizona Public Safety. June 2004. April 22,

2007

Road Rage and Aggressive Driving. Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Mar.

2005. April 22, 2007

The Official Website of About: Phoenix. About: Phoenix. Mar. 2006 April 22, 2007

The Official Website of the British Medical Journal. British Medical Journal. Feb 2003.

April 22, 2007

The Official Website of Department of Public Safety. Depatment of Public Safety. Aug.

2003. April 22, 2007

The Official Website of National Center of Biotechnology Information. National Center

Of Biotechnology Information. Nov. 2002. April 22, 2007

t_uids=12371785&dopt=Abstract>

Annotated Bib

Under Age Substance Abuse

I am doing research on underage substance abuse and the causes and effects of why it happens. I am also talking about why kids try drugs and get addicted to them. The focus will probably sway more towards athletes and the reasons why they need to abuse the use of drugs and performance enhancers. Many articles will range from child abuse to the use of drugs in sports. I guess it really doesn’t make any sense to me why people use drugs because I am an athlete and I never have seen any reason to use drugs. I will propose a way to combat drugs by bringing a harsher punishment to people who are caught using drugs. I also, will bring up a proposal of random drug testing and when offenders are caught the punishment will be terrible. If any users will be caught and they are athletes I will suggest they be kicked off the team and have some other type of punishment. In order for this to work my research will really need to be focused on athletes in high school and college because it seems lately that they are a huge problem. I will start by setting up educational opportunities by clean professional athletes to come in a talk about how it is stupid to use drugs. I will also bring in recovered drug addicts because they always seem to have the biggest influence on people. The research I will conduct will focus on early childhood and slowly move into the college realm as I set up the causes and effects of drug abuse. I think it will be cool to learn why drugs become addicting because I will be able to talk to a few of my friends to help them get away from tobacco use. This proposal will be a really hard plan to commit to and it will take many years just because of how many problems there are in schools around the US today. It seems like every kid is a drug dealer or knows one and this is where we must aim to stop the problems. The education will be focused on the dealers and a way to help them get out of the drug selling problem. It would not make much sense to not think about the drug dealers when teaching kids about drugs because if we don’t get rid of them then we won’t stop the problem. This is where my proposal will take place and I will really focus my research to fit into the progression from a young adolescent into a college student and the reasons why people begin to use drugs and get addicted to them. This is going to be a tough research project but it will all be worth it when it comes out into the final product.

1. Clark, Charles S. "Child Sexual Abuse." CQ Researcher 3.2 (1993): 25-48. CQ

Researcher Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This is an article on sexual abuse of children. It seems to have some effect on their dependence on substances as they grow into their teens and adulthood. As children are abused sexually they look for other ways to let out their rage and fears. Also, they may feel like using substances cleanses them from their “dirty” life. The author uses a lot of language that is easy to understand and really uses it to connect with adolescents. His topic is really very relevant to the time period because it seems that many more children are being sexually abused; and also, many have come out into the public about it because of all of the help given by groups of people. This is a solid article because it really works with the causes of substance abuse and fits well into my ideal proposal.

2. Clack, Charles S. "Underage Drinking." CQ Researcher 2.10 (1992): 217-240.

CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This article shows that some progress is being made in combating underage drinking on campus. It also shows however that it causes more then fifty percent of the sexual abuse cases reported on most campuses. Underage drinking on campuses is a huge problem that is leading to rape and other health issues. Campuses around the country need to implement maybe a weekly check on the dorms to see if anything is going on that is not suppose to happen. This author seems to really know what he is talking about with the problems on school campuses and drinking. He shows his relevance as he relates his knowledge of underage substance abuse to people who need to understand, underage abusers. This may be an article that I use a lot of information because of how well Mr. Clack writes, how easy he is to understand, and how well he gets his point across.

3. Clemmitt, Marcia. "Combating Addiction." CQ Researcher 17.6 (2007): 121-144. CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This is an article on drug addiction. It lays out how exactly drugs become addictive and then shows how difficult the habit is to break. It explains that once a person gets into a routine it is almost impossible to quick using unless they can get out of that routine. People go into rehab to get away from their daily activities and to find a new way to go through their day to dodge the free time to use their substances. This is a good article because of how well Marcia lays out what happens to a person. She seems to really know what she is doing. This is a solid article because it talks about what happens and it is important for me to know how people get addicted or I wouldn’t be able to write my proposal, this is very relevant to my research.

4. Cooper, Mary H. "War on Drugs." CQ Researcher 3.11 (1993): 241-264. CQ

Researcher Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This is an article about the war on drugs. It brings up the option of whether it is smarter to educate on the terrible effects of drugs or just to try to use fear as a way of prevention. It explains that maybe it is better to just scare people away from using drugs by making punishments worse. This has not worked yet as there are so many underground cartels it is ridiculous. Mrs. Cooper is very well informed as she shows the pros and cons of education and fear. This is a smart article to use because it brings two aspects of thought and reason into play as it shows what happens form both sides of the plate. I will hopefully be using this article because it does have some great information from a very smart source.

5. Glazer, Sarah. "Preventing Teen Drug Use." CQ Researcher 5.28 (1995): 657-

680. CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This article is about teen drug abuse and its rising statistics in America. It says that although it seems drug use is falling in high school age kids and it is rising dramatically in pre-high schoolers. It shows that people are beginning to try drugs early because it is the cool thing to do. It is a good thing that it is dropping in high schools because it means education is working. Now it is time to implement the knowledge even earlier. This is an ok source just because I am not really going to be dealing with pre-teen drug abuse. This lady is very informed but worries too much with younger people and I am really trying to focus on high school to college age. I probably won’t use much from this source but it is very informative if someone is looking for problems with younger children’s’ problems.

6. Glazer, Sarah. "Treating Addiction." CQ Researcher 5.1 (1995): 1-24. CQ

Researcher Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This is an article on treatment of drug addiction. It poses the question as to whether the government needs to try new ways of helping the addicted users get off their habit. It doesn’t talk a lot about the problems with substance abuse but just ways to treat addiction. It is a great source for people looking for ways to treat addiction problems as Mrs. Glazer really knows what she is talking about. I don’t really think I am going to use this source because I don’t really want to talk about the treating aspect but how to stop underage users from becoming addicted to substances. This is why I am not going to really use this article; it does really work with what I am talking about. It is, however, a great source for someone who is thinking about going into rehab.

7. Hansen, Brian. "Hazing." CQ Researcher 14.1 (2004): 1-24. CQ Researcher

Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This is an article about hazing and what role drugs and alcohol have in it. It uses specific examples such as a boy who went into a coma after being forced to take 15 consecutive whiskey shots. It also explains how some kids are made to snort lines of unknown substances because they are new to teams. It is crazy what people will make others do just because they have the power. I really like this article because it gives amazing examples of underage substance abuse and this is an easy problem to stop. Hazing only happens because people are new to teams or frats or something else. Mr. Hansen has written a good article that is extremely relevant to what I am working on because he does a good job of presenting problems and possible answers. I will use some examples out of this because it displays what I need in an easy to reach format.

8. Jost, Kenneth. "Sports and Drugs." CQ Researcher 14.26 (2004): 613-636. CQ

Researcher Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This is an article about drug abuse in sports. It shows how many athletes are being accused of drug abuse and then gives statistics as to how it relates to teens. It shows how they turn what they see into practice. It explains that in order to compete in the next level and with the people around you it is “necessary” to use some sort of performance enhancer. Steroid abuse has become a huge problem in sports in high school students because they felt they need it to reach the next level. This is my favorite article because it touches me close to the heart. I really like how this guy writes and explains the problems in an easy to read fashion. I will use a lot of references to this source because I am going to focus a lot on athletics if I stay with my research. This is a good article if a person is looking for anything on substance abuse and sports.

9. Koch, Kathy. "Drug Testing." CQ Researcher 8.43 (1998): 1001-1024. CQ

Researcher Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This is an article posing the question as to whether drug testing is having any effectiveness on fighting drug use. It compares drug use to the numbers tested and how the two may be related. It explains how drug testing in sports may be working but it does not seem to be completely stopping the problem. Drug testing in work does not have intervals close enough together and people are able to use without getting caught because the drugs get out of there system before the tests. It would work much better if it was random maybe even once a month because drugs take longer than that to get out of a person’s system. This is a great article and again closely relates with what I want to talk about. I like the way this article is written and it is easy to understand. I will be using a lot of citations from this source because it will fit nicely into my paper.

10. Mantel, Barbara. "Drinking on Campus." CQ Researcher 16.28 (2006): 649-672.

CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press. Gateway Library, Phoenix, AZ. 19 Mar. 2007

This is an article on how it seems we have failed to control drinking in college as a whole. It shows that as we seem to put more effort into it, the abuse seems to rise. It will work better if people receive a harsher punishment for breaking the rules of the campus. It seems that people will work more with the rules if they know they will get into a lot of trouble. This will only work if every campus in the world turns to a harsher punishment and works together to educate and punish anyone who breaks the rules. This is a good article as it relates to what I am talking about in the sense that it focuses around school campuses. This is a good article and I will most likely use a few quotes from it if I keep my topic.

Velocity

The book velocity lives up to its title as it moves from one spine-tingler to another at speeds unheard of. Dean Koontz is an amazing writer who has never shied away from his roots in suspense writing. Koontz hits a homerun with every book he writes, none of which I have been able to solve before the he wants me to. He knows his writing and he rivals the best of the world in abilities. Velocity kicks butt as it moves from one clue to another in a race to save the life of a loved one while risking the lives of others…who is more important? That is the real question.

I’ve learned through reading this book that the life of ones unknown may really not be as important as a loved one and are worth risking in order to save that person deep in your heart. Velocity keeps you on the edge of your feet as Billy Wiles is put through a plethora of tests to see which life is more important, it all boils down to his comatose wife or his friends and other unknown citizens in his town. A police friend, a mother of two, and a young school teacher are just a few of the people who are put at risk or killed by this deranged psycho Billy must deal with to solve the mystery of the killer. It all starts with the first note, after he finishes his shift at the bar, he receives on the window of his car and won’t stop until the murderer is finished or killed.

Billy learns that if he takes the note to the police a young beautiful school teacher will die but if he doesn’t an old woman will be killed. He takes the letter to his police friend Lenny and he tells Billy not to worry about the letter that it is a hoax. So, Billy goes home and in the morning learns that a young beautiful school teacher was killed…Billy learns, this is for real… and the action never stops. Billy works to solve each letter and finally learns that his comatose wife is the final victim if he cannot figure out who the murderer is. Billy finally figures out the identity and it is a race to the finish line, or should I say, the hospital. Billy finally meets up with the man…And sparks literally fly and gun shots explode. IT WAS AWESOME.

Velocity is a novel that I would recommend to anyone I know, regardless of whether they like suspense novels or not, the edginess can catch the eye of any reader. There are some great points to this novel as well as a few problems just like any other book.

“Pros

• This novel reads very fast and is not immensely long
• Some of the characters are very odd but they are all believable
• The shocks when they come are completely unexpected and scary

Cons

• The hero takes some stupid chances
• The villain is too evil (Book: Velocity)”

These are just a few of the pros and cons that a fellow reader agreed with me on. I believe the good out weighs the bad in this book because Koontz is such a good writer he is able to turn some things that would never work into believable ideas.

Koontz earns 9 out of 10 for creativity and for “believableness” an 8. This novel earns an infinite amount of praise on craziness and action. “Koontz, undeniably a master of the genre, delivers not only a classic example of his fast-moving, suspense-driven narratives but also a work that explores the power of language and its effect on decision making and, most important, on our actions (Velocity Powell’s).” Dean Koontz is in my opinion the best writer of the genre. “With Velocity, Koontz has shown why he is at the top of his game (Velocity by Dean Koontz).” This novel completely shows why Dean Koontz is the best and will continue to be the best as long as he writes.

Velocity is the best suspense novel I have ever read by the best author who has ever written. A fellow reviewer who agreed with me on the bad points of the book said, “None as far as I could see. I feel Dean Koontz has produced a very different and imaginative, fast-paced book which will certainly be a best-seller (Dean Koontz Velocity).” This book is simply stunning and will have you on the edge of your seat as you are taken for the ride of your life, well actually Billy’s life, and you will not be able to put it down. Dean Koontz is "America's most popular suspense novelist (Bio, Dean Koontz)." Just like it says he is the best and I guarantee neither he, nor the novel will let you down. READ IT… YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT CAN COME FROM ONE PERSON’S MIND. YOU WON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT HIT YOU.

Works Cited

About Dean Koontz. Dean Koontz Official Website. August 2006. 15 March 2007. Para

3.<>

Book: Velocity by Dean Koontz. About Entertainment. September 2006. 15 March 2007.

Para 2. <>

Dean Koontz Velocity Review. Review Center. June 2006. 15 March 2007. Para 3.

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Velocity. Powell’s Book Store. November 2006. 15 March 2007. Para 7.

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Velocity by Dean Koontz. Mystery Reader. February 2006. 15 March 2007. Para 9.

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Letter to Editor

Dear Editor,

I am writing today because of the problems between baseball and football fans and critics. I do not understand why it is ok to be angry with baseball for “excessive” steroid use when only a few men have been caught and proven to be using them. While on the other hand, football players have been using steroids from high school on, and I know that is a fact because I had many high school football friends. I guess I am just a little upset being a baseball pitcher myself in college. I wish that people would stop being so harsh on only baseball and move to other sports as well. I would just like to know when people will be a crackdown on football as well as baseball and do something about it. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing an answer if at all possible.

In my letter to the editor, I am confused about the way people are acting towards professional baseball players. They are saying that there is a steroid problem in baseball and are “cracking” down on the players, while in football I would bet that many players are abusing steroids to be big and strong in order to keep their roster spot. I am not just saying this because I don’t like football but I knew many kids who played high school football and the majority of them were using steroids in high school. They all went to big Division 1 programs and are starting as freshmen and sophomores. I have not met a person yet playing baseball who has used steroids and I have been playing my entire life. This is the whole reason I am confused about why everyone is going after baseball and not “dropping the hammer” on football.

I understand that people enjoy watching the monster hits that happen each year in football but at some point we need to think of the players’ health and begin to wither the use of steroids to a bear minimum because I have learned through numerous articles and research that it is impossible to stop the use in a sport completely. I know that steroids in baseball are a problem and that there is no need to use them, but just like football, athletes think they need something to enhance their performance so they don’t lose their starting spot in the lineup. I know the competition to stay in the roster I am a college baseball player. However, I have never seen the need to use and abuse steroids to make myself better because I care about my body too much. I just don’t see the need to use enhancers in either sport and I definitely don’t understand why baseball is being picked on over football. I may be biased because I play baseball myself, but I have evidence of friends using steroids to play high school football and get recruited to play college. The day I meet a baseball player who uses steroids then I will stay in the middle.

Football is a sport built on huge athletes. I can honestly say that there are not that many “genetic freaks” in the world today to fill every football team roster. The “only” way to keep a leg up on the competition is to use enhancements so that is what they will do. I am not saying to completely stop the investigation and testing of steroids in baseball I just think that it would be smart to do it in ever sport and treat it all the same. Shawne Merriman was caught for using steroids and was only suspended for four games; on the other hand, many baseball players have been caught and suspended for thirty games and fined tens of thousands of dollars. This should be the same for football not just a messily suspension. I love watching football, but I cannot stand it when I hear about the scandal in baseball and they are doing nothing about football.

The reason that I wrote the letter was not to be angry and complain about how unfair sports are and how mean it is for critics and fans to be mad at baseball for using steroids while they are watching football and cheering about the hits made by steroid freaks in football. I was only writing because I had a question why we don’t bring into perspective that baseball isn’t the only major sport that is using steroids. I just want everyone to appreciate sports the same and treat all steroid users with the same punishment and I promise that users will dwindle quickly as they fear they will be kicked out of their sport forever. The question that I would wish to be answered in the next magazine will probably get looked over because I am taking baseball’s side and people will think that I am not smart because I am looking out for the health of all athletes and I just believe that the punishment should be the same for everyone since they all use the same drugs to make themselves better and more competitive. Baseball and football are both on T.V. for the entertainment of fans and I just can’t find entertainment anymore knowing that football is getting treated like nothing is wrong while baseball is having men suspended and kicked out of baseball because they are using steroids.

The Hard Way

I have been working really hard on my research and I am making pretty good progress. I am having trouble with the evaluation part...It is easy to summarize the source but always hard to make a good, solid evaluation. I enjoy this assignment a little because it is a nice way to get sources and start good research for my proposal. At the moment I am focusing on substance abuse but that could switch...who knows? This is troublesome for me to do because I feel really strongly about this subject because I am an athlete and I hate drugs, alcohol, and any other substance not good for the body...All in all, my research is puttin' along. But I will get a good grade, BELIEVE IT!


Uchiha Gatsu

Signing out

Chidori

So I am pretty pissed about my last couple days of class I thought I wrote a good paper and didn't get a great grade. Also, I did an awesome mind map and my teacher did not like one part so I got a C. I am just annoyed that I am working so hard and trying to work around baseball and get to class every time I can and my teachers are not giving me the grades I feel I deserve. Now I can't do an honors class because I don't have time to write a long enough research paper. This is just annoying and I guess I will just have to take those body blows and come back with jabs of my own like my coach would say. I know I will end the semester with good grades because I my teachers will see how hard I am truly working and it will all work out the way it is suppose to. OH well I will just keep working hard in baseball and in school! BELIEVE IT

Uchiha Gatsu signing out

This Could be Interesting

I'm not really sure what to think about writing a blog to the entire world. I have never done this before and I suppose I could learn to like it since it is a requirement. Idon't know how to write this or what to say because I don't know if I will be judged differently because of what I say. I think I will enjoy writing what I feel to the entire world but I doubt anyone will really read it. I wonder how and why people write and read this I have never been that bored in my life to just sit down and read peoples' blogs partly because I have never even heard of this website before and did not know something like this existed. I am willing to try it out and will hoepfully have some good stories to talk about over the course of the semester. So I do really believe that this could be interesting and hopefully people will tune in to find out what happens next.

-Signing out

Uchiha Gatsu