Dangers of Cell Phones

Hiteshri Patel

Professor Mohd Muzhafar Idrus

Writing Gold A-2

27 April 2010

Dangers of Cell Phones

Our country faces a big question as technology is advancing day by day. Whether it is okay to be using cell phones while driving, in recent years cell phones are not only used for making phone calls instead now people use it to check emails, surf the web, and text message. There are many states who have decided to step their foot down and enforce a law against the use of cell phones while driving. Though in a lot of cases these laws do not completely solve the problem but help reduce the incidence of cell phone use while driving. Cell phone use should be band while driving because it could be hazardous.

One of the most important reasons why I feel cell phones should be band is because it is one of the biggest distractions while driving. It makes the driver’s mind diverted from road to other things. Cell phone use while driving has been one of the major reasons of car accidents, “in 2002 study done by the Harvard Center for risk analysis had estimated 2,600 deaths annually”(Britt, 2005). Though this number does not seem so large it has been expected to increase over the years.

The consequence of accidents caused by cell phone use is only paid by the person doing the act but also by innocent people who might be doing the right things and still be injured because of someone else’s mistakes. The distraction as stated above causes 2,600 deaths a year but in addition caused over 330,000 injuries annually in the United States according to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. The type of conversation the driver is having over the phone also could affect the way he/she is driving. It is natural if one is having an argument over the phone their driving abilities will highly be affected as their mind is overwhelmed with their problems. Another big distraction is texting; you can’t have your eyes on the road while you are typing a text message this could lead to many careless accidents.

It has also been seen that the reaction time of a driver on a cell phone is slower than one who is only driving. According to the article written by Robert Roy Britts, drivers talking on cell phone react 18 percent slower to brake lights in comparison to someone not using a cell phone. They also take 17 percent longer to regain speed which would frustrate the traffic and may cause unnecessary traffic. The one positive thing about the driver on cell phone is they tend to keep more distance from the car in front of them as a precaution.

It has been the risk of getting into an accident while being on a cell phone is four times greater in comparison to someone who is just driving. Though I feel that it is better that the driver avoid distractions as much as possible sometimes it might be important for him/her to be using the phone. In that case the law as allow hands free cell phone use which will reduce the degree of danger but not completely void out the possibility of becoming a hazard for people. Like in many states such as New Jersey and New York where hands free cell phone is being enforced it should be considered in our state of West Virginia.

Work Sited

Britt, R.R. “Drivers on Cell Phones Kill Thousands, Snarl Traffic” Live Science Article,

1 February 2005. Web. 27 April 2010

War of Terrorism

Hiteshri Patel

Professor Mohd Muzhafar Idrus

Writing Gold A-2

16 April 2010

War of Terrorism

Newton’s third law states that every action has equal or opposite reaction, when applied to real life it explains the concept of cause and effect. In everyday life we see this theory proven right whether it may be at home, work, or school. When making decisions or taking an action towards something one always thinks about the consequences and therefore is applying Newton’s third law. We realize our actions and words will lead to something else like a domino effect. In our society, for past few years the biggest example of this theory has been presented to us through our government’s decision to wage war on terrorism. The war on terrorism is the cause of various actions that have taken place in our country and have affected the people of our country emotionally, mentally, and physically.

The war United States has declared on terrorism has had both good effects and bad effects. We also have to think that there is a good reason that caused the government to make the decision to go to war. The cause in the case of the war on terrorism was the 9-11-2001 terrorist attacks in addition to other attacks and threats. That disaster caused our country to make some big decisions in regards to national security. It also affected millions of people of our country; millions lost loved ones that lead to family’s falling apart. It made our whole country feel threatened.

The acts of terrorism led to an increase in discrimination towards certain races in the United States. This made living in the United States for many people very difficult because they would have to deal with hatred the American people had for the terrorists. I have heard stories of other Indian families living in the United States that dealt with such cases of discrimination. If it weren’t for the terrorist to cause all this destruction and create hatred in the American people towards each other the rate of discrimination would not have increased.

Any war that is the effect of terrorism costs the country billions of dollars and that money comes from the taxpayers. The war has cost our country to spend an excessive amount of money for the past eight years. During those years we have sent hundreds of troops over seas to fight the battle of terrorism. Some of these troops lost their lives in this battle that left their families to fall apart. Other troops are not mentally the same as they use to be prior to the war. The rest of our troops are fighting the battle but we do not know when it will end.

Even though the terrorist act led to a lot of terrible effects, there was one positive thing that came out of it. The terrorist attacks woke up the world and brought to all of our attention that such bad people still exist in this world, we must stand together and take action. All actions have an equal or opposite reaction as the law of physics states. The actions that we take today will play a big role in shaping a better tomorrow for the people of United States of America.

Assignment #1

Hiteshri Patel

Professor Mohd Muzhafar Idrus

Writing Gold A-2

4 April 2010

Home Away From Home

For decades the Indian culture has married off the daughters of the family, having the daughter move from her birth home to her husband’s house. In recent years, the trend of sending children outside of the home to attend college has become more popular in Indian. The experience of living away from home and living at home do vary but the degree that it could impact the person’s style will depend on the way he/she will decide to accept the change. Though there is no place like home we should try to make ourselves comfortable in the new environment so we do not miss our home.

The support system you get at home in comparison to anywhere else may impact one’s life a lot. For example in when students move away to college in comparison to students who commute to college the level of suppose they receive will vary. At home, the student would receive a lot of suppose from parents and siblings as well as friends. Students living on campus would receive support from family but it might not impact the student as much because it is through phone or email. In addition students living on campus may have to deal with additional stress as they see competition with other students who they live with.

The level of freedom varies between living at home or living away from home. In certain households the parents are strict especially in Indian households; this restricts one’s freedom to a certain level but if living away from home you have the restriction that you set for yourself. This also makes the person more independent to self made instead of at home one will always be dependent on family. It is very important to learn to live independently so that you could learn how to manage a household by yourself. This helps improve organization skills, makes one more responsible, and learn new things which is always beneficial.

Living away from home makes any one become more social. When one lives away from they are forced to communicate with people they live with but if the same person was living at home they psychological would feel that it is not necessary from them to communicate as much. This way of thinking would prevent them from making new friends and networking with others. It is very important to open yourself to others to achieve greater success. Also it helps one learn many different things as well improve communication skills. For example my best friends from college had decided to commute while I had decided to live on campus; my shyness reduced drastically and I met some really good people while they had just kept to themselves. My friends had lost the opportunity to get to know other people who could have added something positive to their life.

Living at home and living away from will never be exactly the same, it is important to experience both styles of living. Both styles will help change the person in various ways. Living away from home could help person gain more qualities that may help them in their future. Making the environment at the home away from home would make the transition of moving away a lot easier and less stressful.