#1 http://www.ca-ilg.org/node/1668
This is an institutional source by the Institute for Local Government. It describes what they believe local officials should look at when it comes to fuel efficiency and alternative fuel vehicles. It discusses the pros of using any type of vehicle that is not petroleum based and its benefits for the community while not addressing the cons. The author of the article is the ILG and it was originally published in the November 2008 issue of Western Civilization Magazine. Having accessed the site in early November it hasn’t changed since my initial visit. The audience is local officials and also citizens, to persuade them to want their officials to look at alternative fuels. The article is funded by the ILG. Sources are heavily used and are mostly links to government websites, while various links at the bottom connect to websites discussing the specs of different types of hybrid cars. These sources solidify their arguments by providing positive examples and facts. This is useful because it gives facts to back up the data and comes from a reliable source. I chose this article because it actually provides ideas of what we can do for a more energy efficient future and its positive effects.
#2 http://sqbiofuels.blogspot.com/
Alan Twigg, Station Manager of Sequential Fuels, gave me good insight into biofuels role in our transportation fuel future. He talked about how the essential part in biofuels is the source in which they come from and discussed with me other topics surrounding the issue. This is a citizen source because it was an interview I recorded with an audio recorder October 28th at 2:30 p.m. Biofuels are a huge part of the debate and Alan was very knowledgeable about current events. He gave me handouts and referenced me to the company’s website and blog that gave me links to other organizations and news surrounding biofuels. The audiences are those who are already involved in the biofuel culture and those who could potentially be persuaded to switch to biofuels. The source is very influential locally because they are a local business and are trying to inform the public of their services and the importance of it. Sources he used were local businesses, laws, and personal experiences with the company. I chose this source because he really shaped my understanding of the current issue with biofuels, both the positive and negative aspects. This interview is useful in my argument because he explained the positive factors coming out of experimenting with biofuels.
#3 http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/4279508.html
This is a journalistic source because it comes from the magazine Popular Mechanics. It was originally published in the September 2008 edition of the magazine and I accessed the site in early November 2009. The article shows that while it will be a slow and complex process, alternative fuels will “become cost-effective gradually, as the market shifts.” It explains how biofuels, electricity and even hydrogen have their part in the future and instead of choosing one we need to continue refining our technologies in all areas. The author is Jennifer Bogo with additional reporting being contributed. Sources include scientists, researchers, experts, and auto companies. The sources are all highly credible and are mostly quotes instead of links to something written. The magazine is funded by automobile and technology companies. Anyone has access to the site, subscribers had access to it initially when it appeared in the magazine, and their whole readership is the intended audience. The article can be very influential because readers trust the magazine. This article is useful because it provides many aspects and views towards the debate, has strong sources and discusses exactly the issue I am doing by looking at where the issue is going to go.
#4 http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/hybrid_electric.html
This is an institutional source from the Department of Energy Website. The source includes information on what the government and each state is doing concerning the different alternative fuel sources. This website and the Department of Energy itself is referenced to in most articles concerning alternative fuels. Sources it includes are all institutional, describing laws and government documents of the issue. This causes sources to not be diverse in type but easy to link. The website is funded by the US government and its audience is its citizens. With such a large audience, this source is highly influential and their actions are a huge aspect of the debate on what we should do. This article is useful because government leaves a huge amount of paper trail, and includes a great variety of related links. Being issued from the government makes it highly credible that its content is accurate. I chose this article because the government is referred to heavily, make up the laws that affect the issue, and have a big role in and influence in the debate.
#5 http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/21330840-41/story.csp
This is a journalistic source from the Register Guard, a local newspaper. It talks about Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s plan to seriously implement electric cars and accompanying charging stations into Oregon roadways. The article was written by David Steeves and appeared in the Oct. 11th issue of the paper. Sources include Gov. Kulongoski, ecoworld.com, local professionals and experts, and sources from the Department of Energy. The sources are diverse and backup the articles argument. The audience is taxpayers and those who are wondering if electric cars could be the future transportation fuel. The Register-Guard and Kulongoski have a huge following locally and can be very influential to their followers. Government is the one paying for these new fuels and implementing them. The article itself was funded by the Register-Guard. It has an impact on the debate locally because it is getting people to think more seriously of an alternative fuel being a major fuel source a reality. I chose this source because it discusses a plan of what we can do in the future and the issues people have with electric cars; even the Department of Energy called the plan “too futuristic.”
#6 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/science/28batt.html?_r=1
This is a journalistic source from the New York Times, a world-renown newspaper. The article discusses the issues surrounding batteries that would charge electric cars. There are many factors into the battery and the article does a good job of summarizing them and the current events surrounding the issue. The article was written by Matthew L. Wald and was published July 27th, 2009. Sources include International Battery, the Obama Administration, battery experts, government sources, and Consumer Reports Magazine. They are very diverse and the quotes are effective in telling about the issue. The New York Times funded the article. The audiences are those in the auto industry and everyone who is looking into the issue of alternative fuels. Those interested in the battery of an electric car will find value in the article as well. The New York Times is always a very influential source because it is a world famous newspaper. Having the article available online also increases the audience to all readers of the newspapers printed paper and website. This article is useful because it comes from an established newspaper and gives me great information on the biggest issue surrounding electric vehicles.
#7 http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1701221,00.html
This is a journalistic article from the Time Magazine website. The most important aspect of biofuels is the source in which they come from. The article explains how we are slowly finding more efficient ways to find sources for biofuels. The article was written by Bryan Walsh and was posted to the website on January 7th, 2008. Sources the article includes are biofuel revolutionaries like Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S. Department of Agriculture, private companies developing technologies, and Scientists at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo. They are very diverse and help strengthen the articles points. The article is funded by the magazine and the audiences are those who are turned away from biofuels because they believe they are effecting out agriculture economy. The article will be influential because it is coming from an established magazine that is listened to by its readers. I chose this article because it is useful in addressing the most pressing issue with biofuels today. It gives me some great points I can use to address this aspect of the issue.
This is a journalistic source from the New York Times website. The article describes what the Obama administration is doing to make auto standards more fuel efficient and better for the environment. Finding ways to use less gas and lower emissions are positive outcomes emerging out of the research for alternative fuels. The article was written by Josh Voorhees of Greenwire and the article was published September 15th, 2009. Sources this article uses are the EPA, the DOT, President Obama, State Department climate envoy Todd Stern, and John Kerry. All the sources are institutional and are not diverse in that sense. They help strengthen the argument and show who is involved with the issue. The article was funded by the New York Times and Greenwire and its audiences are anyone who drives. The New York Times is a very influential newspaper and they have a very strong following, so this article is influential because of its source. It is useful because it comes from a reliable source, includes good links, and shows what is currently in the news with the issue. A big aspect in my argument is that the process itself of searching for these new fuels is having positive effects and this article gives me some concrete examples.
#9 Interview With Bill Carpenter
This is a citizen source because it is an interview I held with Bill Carpenter. He is an environmental lawyer and he gave me insight into the unintended consequences with the laws affecting alternative fuels. The interview took place in the evening of November 5th, 2009. Sources he used were laws imposed by government and personal experience with the issue. His references were both made to local and national sources. The only audience for the interview was myself but Bill works with local clients who are involved with aspects of the issue and they could get information from him as well. I chose to source this interview because he has no affiliation with either biofuels or electricity, and instead gave me an overall view of the situation based on their knowledge with the issue. He gave me a different perspective to look at each of the points in the debate and talked about the laws being put in place and their effects. While I had heard of the laws being put in place, I had never heard about the issues there were with them until I had this interview.
#10 http://www.economist.com/debate/days/view/319
This is a journalistic source from the website economist.com and is a virtual debate on the issue. It gives a summary of both sides as well as backs up my issue on how both technologies are “evenly balanced and changing rapidly.” The page was originally published by the website May 22nd, 2009. Sources include Alan Shaw, boss of Codex and Sidney Goodman, vice president of automotive alliances at Better Place. The sources are all quotes but they are diverse in that they come from different sides of the argument. The article is funded by the economist.com website and both parties it represents. Its audiences are those who are interested in what the fuel of the future is and also those who feel strongly about one of those fuel sources and want to debate it. The website seems to have a decent following but I don’t think that is it influential in that most people who would contribute to the site would already have their opinion on one of the sides set. It is a useful article in that it gives you multiple perspectives on both sides and how they are connected. It also gives you an alternative way to look at the issue, in that you can look at it by only backing up one alternative fuel source.
December 3, 2009 at 8:22 pm |
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