So throughout this process of writing my third paper for english, I have experienced the biggest case of writers block. I mean I know what I wanted to say but every time I went to write it down...nothing. Nothing made sense. I wrote as things came to mind which led to some of my ideas to not make sense or not "flow." See I probably did it just now. It makes sense to me but I'm sure it doesnt to other people.
I can't figure out why this happens to me. I know I have potential to be a great writer but it just doesn't click sometimes. It's like I've been given a halfway decent talent to write and can't ever seem to unleash it full force 100% awesomness. It is so frustrating to me. I hate to write but I love it at the same time. Maybe I just don't like writing in such a formal fashion. If I could just write how I wanted to it would be so much easier. I've been sick of this robotic writing style teachers implanted in me since the 5th grade.
This post probably seems random...but I wrote blogs all semester that weren't personal so I figured one of the last blogs I would write would be a little personal when it comes to my writing abilities.
Oh and by the way....I decided to totally direct my paper strictly towards eyewitness misidentification. I just felt like I was trying to cover too much info having the other things in my paper.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Outline for third paper
The Mistake that Costs Lives
I. Introduction
I. Introduction
- Attention grabber- statistic (still looking for a nationwide average of innocent people who faced prison time)
- Mention essay from book "The Death Penalty is a Step Back" and main point I am expanding on- "the wrongfully accused"
- Three areas to talk about- Eyewitness Misidentification, Impoper Forensic Science, Government Misconduct
II. Eyewitness Misidentification
- Eyewitness misidentifications contributed to over 75% of the more than 220 wrongful convictions in the United States overturned by post-conviction DNA evidence.
- Social science researchers prove eyewitness identification as unreliable
- Types of eyewitness/victim identification of perpetrator- standard lineup, array of photos
III. Improper Forensic Science
- Some forensic techniques are improperly conducted in an investigation
- These techniques include-hair microscopy, bite mark comparisons, firearm tool mark analysis and shoe print comparisons
IV. Government Misconduct
- Corruption within the system- fraud or misconduct by prosecutors or police departments
- Things they can do that is considered to be "misconduct"- ex. deliberate suggestiveness in identification procedures, mishandling, mistreatment or destruction of evidence, etc.
V. Conclusion
This is a just a start. I might make some changes so yea.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Response to a Nonfiction Essay
So after thinking long and hard I think I know what topic I will discuss for the 'response to a nonfiction essay' paper.
I decided that I will respond to the essay we read titled "The Death Penalty Is a Step Back" by Coretta Scott King. I want to write a paper discussing one of her main points she addresses that deals with "mistakenly convicted people being put to death in the name of American criminal justice" aka the wrongfully accused.
Because I'm using King's essay does not neccessarily mean that I agree with her about being against the death penalty all together. I do however believe that someone should not be put under a death sentence unless scientifically proven guilty of the serious crime. In other words, I don't think someone should be accused and sentenced based only on an eyewitness identification process.
For example, in 1991 Tony Ford was wrongfully identified and sentenced to death for the murder of Armando Murillo. Here's the story: "On December 18, 1991, two people broke in to the home of Myra Concepcion Murillo in El Paso, Texas. Saying they needed to see “the man of the house,” and demanding to know where “the money” was, the two men became angry when their demands were met with confusion. Within moments, one of the men shot and killed Ms. Murillo’s eighteen-year-old son, Armando, then shot Ms. Murillo and her two daughters. Ms. Murillo and her daughters survived."
Apparently one of the surviving daughters was asked to look at an array of photos and identify the man who shot Armando. She chose the photo of Tony Ford. Tony and his lawyers tried to get the court to let them hire a professional to prove how unreliable the eyewitness identification was in this case but they were denied. Tony was sentenced to death. After an eyewitness identification post-trial examination done by the professional Ford's lawyers tried to get approved to help the case it turns out that Tony Ford looked very similar to the later known actual shooter named Victor Belton.
It is simply not enough to just "take someones word for it" when it comes to the death penalty. The justice system today should know that with such a punishment as death it shouldnt be given to a person based only on an eyewitness looking at an array of photos or a group of people standing in a row and picking which one looks like the familiar suspect. There should be scientific evidence that proves who is guilty as well. In most cases if the court would have taken time to dig deep and provide a thorough investigation there would be less innocent people being put to death.
I decided that I will respond to the essay we read titled "The Death Penalty Is a Step Back" by Coretta Scott King. I want to write a paper discussing one of her main points she addresses that deals with "mistakenly convicted people being put to death in the name of American criminal justice" aka the wrongfully accused.
Because I'm using King's essay does not neccessarily mean that I agree with her about being against the death penalty all together. I do however believe that someone should not be put under a death sentence unless scientifically proven guilty of the serious crime. In other words, I don't think someone should be accused and sentenced based only on an eyewitness identification process.
For example, in 1991 Tony Ford was wrongfully identified and sentenced to death for the murder of Armando Murillo. Here's the story: "On December 18, 1991, two people broke in to the home of Myra Concepcion Murillo in El Paso, Texas. Saying they needed to see “the man of the house,” and demanding to know where “the money” was, the two men became angry when their demands were met with confusion. Within moments, one of the men shot and killed Ms. Murillo’s eighteen-year-old son, Armando, then shot Ms. Murillo and her two daughters. Ms. Murillo and her daughters survived."
Apparently one of the surviving daughters was asked to look at an array of photos and identify the man who shot Armando. She chose the photo of Tony Ford. Tony and his lawyers tried to get the court to let them hire a professional to prove how unreliable the eyewitness identification was in this case but they were denied. Tony was sentenced to death. After an eyewitness identification post-trial examination done by the professional Ford's lawyers tried to get approved to help the case it turns out that Tony Ford looked very similar to the later known actual shooter named Victor Belton.
It is simply not enough to just "take someones word for it" when it comes to the death penalty. The justice system today should know that with such a punishment as death it shouldnt be given to a person based only on an eyewitness looking at an array of photos or a group of people standing in a row and picking which one looks like the familiar suspect. There should be scientific evidence that proves who is guilty as well. In most cases if the court would have taken time to dig deep and provide a thorough investigation there would be less innocent people being put to death.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Losing sight of what's important
So I was just randomly surfing the net for any interesting news stories to write about (it's what I do when I don't know what to blog about) when one article's title caught my attention.
It read as "Paying in Full As the Ticket Into Colleges". I was curious to see what this was about. As I read I felt more and more opposition building up. Then it was inevitable...I want to give my opinion on the article.
Basically the article is saying that starting this year some colleges will be considering more "financially stable" aka richer kids who do not require financial aid more than ever before. So lets hear an example of this. Timmy is an intellectually profound student but is part of a middle/low class family with limited income. He works two jobs but will still need a reasonable amount of financial aid to go to college. Bobby is an okay student whose parents went to the same high school and are big donators to the athletics etc. He has always had things given to him and he has never had to work a day in his life. Due to his parents popularity and donations he just so happens to make good grades, but not as good as Timmy's. They both apply to the same college. Who deserves to get accepted? Timmy. Who will more than likely get accepted? Bobby. Do you see what I'm getting at?
What it boils down to is this...it isn't right to base an acceptance into a college on the root of all evil..money. What hope will that give to youth? If the trend catches on and all colleges start choosing mostly, maybe only, wealthy students into their institution kids who are less fortunate will have no motivation to stay in school. There would no longer be equal opportunity. It wouldn't matter if you were a genious...if your parents didn't have the moolah you were SOL. Does anyone else see this as unconstitutional? or better yet unethical? I mean come on.
Oh this was my favorite part of the article.."Colleges say they are not backing away from their desire to serve less affluent students; if anything, they say, taking more students who can afford to pay full price or close to it allows them to better afford those who cannot." You won't have any "less affluent" students if you don't accept them. What are you planning to do? Just have a generation of only rich kids go to college and then expect the others to start applying later? Geez.
Anyways just read the article and decide what you think. I think this would be a killer topic for a debate.
It read as "Paying in Full As the Ticket Into Colleges". I was curious to see what this was about. As I read I felt more and more opposition building up. Then it was inevitable...I want to give my opinion on the article.
Basically the article is saying that starting this year some colleges will be considering more "financially stable" aka richer kids who do not require financial aid more than ever before. So lets hear an example of this. Timmy is an intellectually profound student but is part of a middle/low class family with limited income. He works two jobs but will still need a reasonable amount of financial aid to go to college. Bobby is an okay student whose parents went to the same high school and are big donators to the athletics etc. He has always had things given to him and he has never had to work a day in his life. Due to his parents popularity and donations he just so happens to make good grades, but not as good as Timmy's. They both apply to the same college. Who deserves to get accepted? Timmy. Who will more than likely get accepted? Bobby. Do you see what I'm getting at?
What it boils down to is this...it isn't right to base an acceptance into a college on the root of all evil..money. What hope will that give to youth? If the trend catches on and all colleges start choosing mostly, maybe only, wealthy students into their institution kids who are less fortunate will have no motivation to stay in school. There would no longer be equal opportunity. It wouldn't matter if you were a genious...if your parents didn't have the moolah you were SOL. Does anyone else see this as unconstitutional? or better yet unethical? I mean come on.
Oh this was my favorite part of the article.."Colleges say they are not backing away from their desire to serve less affluent students; if anything, they say, taking more students who can afford to pay full price or close to it allows them to better afford those who cannot." You won't have any "less affluent" students if you don't accept them. What are you planning to do? Just have a generation of only rich kids go to college and then expect the others to start applying later? Geez.
Anyways just read the article and decide what you think. I think this would be a killer topic for a debate.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
*Lightbulb*...Pop Rocks!
I have to do write and give an informative speech for my COM 110 class. I have thought so hard these past couple of days of what topic I should choose for my speech. I thought about global warming but I'm kind of tired of hearing about global warming and I'm sure my classmates would feel the same way. I was going to do the process of making an animation film but I honestly don't think I could explain that whole process in only 6 minutes. So many ideas crossed my mind but nothing was clicking. I didn't want to do something too terribly serious because a lot of people are doing serious topics. I wanted to so something fun and interesting to research.
It was only until just now that I think I finally came up with the topic I am going to do. I had a random craving and started looking in my room for something to satisfy it. I found a pack of pop rocks and they did the trick. Then it dawned on me...Pop Rocks! I think I should give my speech on the history, production process, and urban legends of pop rocks. Idk it sounds fun to me.
So to get me started I thought about brainstorming with some info on here.
History: Pop rocks were founded in 1956 by William A. Mitchell (General Foods research scientist). They weren't put on the shelves to sell until 1975. They sold for $0.15 a pack.
"Tiny air pockets of carbonation (CO2) are released when melted in your mouth and has a mild 'crackling' sensation and 'popping' noise. The original flavors were Orange, Cherry and Grape."
Urban legends: The main urban legend is that if you eat pop rocks and then drink soda you will explode. This is false. This makes me laugh because I remember hearing about that legend and even though I knew it sounded crazy I was always too scared to eat pop rocks and drink a soda..haha.
There was an urban legend that Mikey (you know the little kid for the Life cereal commercial) ate a pack of pop rocks and then drank a can of soda right behind them. Supposedly this sparked a dangerous chemical reaction and caused Mikey to explode. Obviously this legend is false.
Another interesting myth/real issue has to do with some kind of meth that looks and smells like strawberry pop rocks. You can read it about it here.
Why it pops: The ingredients (sugar, lactose [milk sugar] corn syrup and flavoring) are processed with Carbon Dioxcide. "The ingredients are heated together and boiled. The hot sugar mixture is mixed with carbon dioxide gas at about 600 PSI. The carbon dioxide gas forms tiny, 600 PSI bubbles in the candy."
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
UNCW Football?
So to be honest, it was hard for me to choose a side to the argument of whether or not UNCW should have a football team/program. It was hard because I don't play football so I don't really feel that I have a say or passion behind the decision. But for argument sake I suppose I will say that no I don't think UNCW should have an official football team. I do however think that an intramural team would be ok.
I did some research and it turns out that one of the main things that holds UNCW back from starting a football program is money. In order to get financial support the school would have to double or even triple the student athletic fee ($389 to like $800). Yikes. Some students said they would be willing to pay, but for most that is a big difference and too much.
Another issue that was brought up was the fact that UNCW already has 19 sports and the athletic department says that money is tight enough already. In 2007 during a football debate/forum (this was the only evidence I found) a student pointed out "I wanted to talk to students about supporting UNCW athletics now. How can we expect to fill a football stadium when we can't fill Trask during basketball season? We need to support the sports we already have established." I think he had a good point.
Now whether you agree with me or not..I'm going to give my opinion. First, honestly since UNCW has never had a football team we have not had the ability to gain any kind of reputation of being a good school for football. In other words why would a star football player want to come play for a team that no one even knows exist? There are plenty of other colleges that are known for their football program. Second, we do have one of the relatively popular college sports (basketball) and we all see how well that is going. We suck! Would football be any better? I can't really say much more because I am no expert when it comes to sports. The only other thing I will say is that I think the university should first just try to have an intramural football team and then see how good the players are. There is no need to build a stadium for an intramural team or anything. You just need a football and a coned zone on the intramural field. If people really want to play then they will. It would be up to players to get their uniform and pads.
I don't know...I guess overall if people want it bad enough they will "hand over the checks" according to the chancellor.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Newborn baby found in "rubbish bin?"
How about "No Giving Birth in Toilet"?
What is wrong with people in the world today? You will be asking this same question if you watch this news story from CNN.com.
Apparently, a woman had a baby...on a plane...in the toilet...and abandoned the newborn in the "rubbish bin". Ok so first of all, I agree with one of the passengers that were on the plane when they mentioned the fact that it is hard to believe that no one noticed that she was having the baby. I mean I personally witnessed my mom give birth to my little sister and she was not quiet about it. There is no way that that woman gave birth that quietly. Second of all, how could anyone in their right mind purposely leave a baby in a trash can??? Geeeeeeeez
The kicker of the story is that the woman, who gave birth and was trying to abandon the baby, while getting off the plane had to report to authorities to report a missing passport. The authorities noticed that she was pale and her clothes were stained in blood. This woman is not very smart at all. If you are trying to abandon the baby why would you draw attention to yourself like that? Wait hold on...the woman shouldn't be abandoning the baby in the first place.
I guess it never ceases to amaze me what crazy stuff goes on in the world today. Before you know it abandoning babies in trash cans will be considered more politically correct than abortion.
Anyways, I am going to get back to editing my paper for english. So far so good...for the most part. I guess I can only do what I think is right and hope for the best.
Apparently, a woman had a baby...on a plane...in the toilet...and abandoned the newborn in the "rubbish bin". Ok so first of all, I agree with one of the passengers that were on the plane when they mentioned the fact that it is hard to believe that no one noticed that she was having the baby. I mean I personally witnessed my mom give birth to my little sister and she was not quiet about it. There is no way that that woman gave birth that quietly. Second of all, how could anyone in their right mind purposely leave a baby in a trash can??? Geeeeeeeez
The kicker of the story is that the woman, who gave birth and was trying to abandon the baby, while getting off the plane had to report to authorities to report a missing passport. The authorities noticed that she was pale and her clothes were stained in blood. This woman is not very smart at all. If you are trying to abandon the baby why would you draw attention to yourself like that? Wait hold on...the woman shouldn't be abandoning the baby in the first place.
I guess it never ceases to amaze me what crazy stuff goes on in the world today. Before you know it abandoning babies in trash cans will be considered more politically correct than abortion.
Anyways, I am going to get back to editing my paper for english. So far so good...for the most part. I guess I can only do what I think is right and hope for the best.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Jeff Dunham
So I didn't really know what to write about for this blog...until I just happened to pay attention to something that is on my desk in my dorm. I have an Achmed doll that talks. For those of you that have been deprived and don't know who Achmed is...he is one of the famous characters created by ventriloquist Jeff Dunham. Jeff Dunham is my favorite comedian so I think I could dedicate a blog to him.
It all started about three years ago when my older sister had mentioned to me about some dude that made dolls talk and was hilarious. I was a little skeptical at first, but I love humor so I gave him a shot and watched his first special. It was love at first laugh. From his character Walter, a grumpy old guy who isn't afraid to tell you how he feels, to Achmed, a dead terrorist who had lived his life as a suicide bomber, there wasn't one moment when I was at least smiling. I'm going to talk about the top 4 characters Jeff has created, but there are a few more.
The first character Jeff normally starts his shows with is Walter. Walter is an old retired man who seems to be grumpy constantly. What makes Walter hilarious is the fact that you get the sense of "hey he reminds me of so and so" and then from there you can't help but laugh. Walter has so many funny jokes that I can't name just one. Just watch the special or at least search him on youtube and I guarantee you will laugh.
Another popular character of Jeff Dunham is Bubba J. Bubba J is a complete redneck who has a drinking problem. I mean who doesn't know at least one redneck in their life? You know the neighbor who has a big ole truck with hunting stickers all over it and never mows his or her lawn...yea it seems stereotypical but it's still hilarious.
Achmed has probably become the most popular character of Jeff Dunham. He is a skeletal version of a terrorist who used to be a suicide bomber. He died due to a "premature detonation" while practicing bombing techniques. The phrase most people recognize from him is "I KEEL YOU!" I don't even feel the need to go on because you just need to watch the specials lol.
Finally, Jeff's character Peanut is a purple, energetic, crazy looking islander that could make you laugh simply by his appearance. He is considered to the sidekick of Jeff being that he was the first puppet created by Jeff.
Basically I'm not saying that Jeff Dunham is the funniest man alive..I am simply saying that he is an incredible comedian and if you haven't seen any of specials you should consider watching at least one.
Basically I'm not saying that Jeff Dunham is the funniest man alive..I am simply saying that he is an incredible comedian and if you haven't seen any of specials you should consider watching at least one.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Outline..yeeeeeeaaaa
Outline for 2nd Paper
I. Introduction
- Things being compared- Article- "Is Global Warming Killing the Polar Bears?" and Commercial- Noah Wyle for WWF Polar Bear Ad
- Media types- Newspaper/article vs. TV commercial
- Basic, similar message of the two- global warming has endangered the polar bear species
- Which I found more effective- the commercial
- Three aspects to talk about: Appeal, Credentials, and Purpose
II. Body
- Appeal
- Visual appeal of commercial vs. written article
- Effect of picture, music, and tone of voice from the commercial
- Persuasive speech, depressing music, sad tone of the commercial
- Article- more descriptive and informative than commercial
- Still have overall general, similar message
2. Credentials
- Sponsor of commercial- World Wildlife Foundation vs. Source of information from the article- Jim Carlton and U.S. Minerals Management Service
- Using a celebrity to represent the foundation for the commercial
- Which is more recognizable?- WWF
- Which is more reliable?- WWF
3. Purpose
- Although the two sources convey the same message, do they both have the same purpose?
- Purpose of the commercial- persuade you to donate to the World Wildlife Fund to help the polar bears
- Purpose of the article- simply to inform you
- Ultimately the difference between articles and commercials- most commercials are advertisements that try to get you to do something but not the case with most informative newspaper articles
III. Conclusion
- Basically restate the point of the paper (basic info in intro)
- Make sure to say which I found more effective- commercial
- Restate three main aspects I compared/contrasted
- Bring it all together and close it
Thursday, February 26, 2009
WALL-E..Animated, Entertaining, and Trashy!
So I must admit that I am pretty excited that we are watching the movie Wall-E in Eng tomorrow. As lame as it may sound it's one of my favorite animated movies that has come out recently. It's safe to say that I'm not alone in that aspect considering this movie just won best animated film of the year at the Oscars.
I like the movie mainly because while it was entertaining to children it also held a deeper message to the rest of us. I mean the concept behind the purpose of the movie seriously sounds like what someone in America would come up with to solve the overload of trash on this planet. Simply send people on a vacation in space while the robots clean up our mess. However the creator of the movie, Andrew Stanton, states that the purpose of the movie was only to be a love story and if anyone got any different message than that was on their own.
I mean most of the film plays on imagination but some of the movie could seem realistic. Could our planet look like that in the future? Who knows but it definitely makes me think twice about how much I throw away/recycle.
Ok with all the serious real life relations aside...I think the movie is adorable. Who knew that even a robot could fall in love. Eeeeeeva! haha
I think the detail is phenomenal. Definite props goes out to the animators, artists, writers, voices, etc. Also in addition to detail, it is amazing how great the film is even when there is no talking for at least half of it.
One of the biggest eye-openers of the movie is the fact that unlike most humans, this little robot sees most trash as treasure and finds means for its use. At one point he even finds a diamond ring in a case...he tosses away the ring and is fascinated with case. haha
I was about to end this blog until I just remembered I can't end it until I say what I think is the funniest part of the movie. How hilarious is it when Wall-E gets on the big cruise ship and everyone is sooooooo huge! haha..and no the funny part is not the fact that they are fat because I have no room to talk about that...but the reason why they are fat. It is so true that if technology was advanced enough people would be that lazy. I mean think about all the technology that has already come out that makes people a little more lazy each day....elevators, escalators, cars, machinery, etc. I don't know that's just my opinion.
I like the movie mainly because while it was entertaining to children it also held a deeper message to the rest of us. I mean the concept behind the purpose of the movie seriously sounds like what someone in America would come up with to solve the overload of trash on this planet. Simply send people on a vacation in space while the robots clean up our mess. However the creator of the movie, Andrew Stanton, states that the purpose of the movie was only to be a love story and if anyone got any different message than that was on their own.
I mean most of the film plays on imagination but some of the movie could seem realistic. Could our planet look like that in the future? Who knows but it definitely makes me think twice about how much I throw away/recycle.
Ok with all the serious real life relations aside...I think the movie is adorable. Who knew that even a robot could fall in love. Eeeeeeva! haha
I think the detail is phenomenal. Definite props goes out to the animators, artists, writers, voices, etc. Also in addition to detail, it is amazing how great the film is even when there is no talking for at least half of it.
One of the biggest eye-openers of the movie is the fact that unlike most humans, this little robot sees most trash as treasure and finds means for its use. At one point he even finds a diamond ring in a case...he tosses away the ring and is fascinated with case. haha
I was about to end this blog until I just remembered I can't end it until I say what I think is the funniest part of the movie. How hilarious is it when Wall-E gets on the big cruise ship and everyone is sooooooo huge! haha..and no the funny part is not the fact that they are fat because I have no room to talk about that...but the reason why they are fat. It is so true that if technology was advanced enough people would be that lazy. I mean think about all the technology that has already come out that makes people a little more lazy each day....elevators, escalators, cars, machinery, etc. I don't know that's just my opinion.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Topic for Paper 2...and then some...
For the next paper I decided to choose a newspaper article (found online) about the effects of global warming on polar bears and compare it to the commercial on TV sponsored by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) talking about the extinction of the polar bears based on climate change.
The article is titled Is "Global Warming Killing the Polar Bears?" By Jim Carlton (Staff reporter of the Wall Street Journal). I chose this article because it was from a pretty reliable source being that the Wall Street Journal is a pretty popular newspaper. I also chose it because one of the things I will bring up in my paper is the question of who will people pay more attention to and find their information more reliable when it comes to talking about environment and polar bears? The random reporter from the Wall Street Journal or the guy stating facts based on the World Wildlife Fund people who pretty much worship animals and dedicate their lives to the preservation of species?
I guess there also the whole idea that the commercial is more appealing than just reading the article due the whole visual thing. In other words, the depressing mood setting music and visuals of the polar bears in despair could easily attract someone faster than an article could in most cases. I mean come on I was practically in tears when the guy was talking about the momma bear not being able to feed the baby bear..and then they just jump in the water not knowing their fate. So yea the commercial worked its magic on me..I am even considering donating to that fund of theirs...and BINGO thats what they want you to do!
The article on the other hand isn't really trying to get you to do anything. The writer is actually just stating information based on the U.S. Minerals Managment Service and other sources. He isn't trying to convince everyone to stop global warming...he is honestly just giving information about the situation as a whole.
The fact that a celebrity is speaking in the commercial may boost people's want or interest to pay attention. I mean BAM it's right there at the beginning of the commercial when the dude starts talking...it says "Noah Wyle- actor and WWF supporter"...I mean they even listed the actor part before the fact that he is a WWF supporter. The article isn't written by a celebrity...or some super famous reporter (I mean I've never heard of Jim Carlton)..so would that make a difference in who reads the article or not? Well I don't think so simply because there are people who like to read the newspaper despite the popularity of the reporter or writer...however for the typical person it might make a difference.
The article goes more in depth when it comes to info about the polar bears etc.
However, the commercial covers the basics in about a minute of appealing visual and persuasive, sympathetic speech compared to a page of words with no pictures. (I guess it all depends on what you like more..to read or watch a commercial)
Anyways..I think I have gotten a pretty good idea of where I am going to go with my paper...so that's exciting lol.
The article is titled Is "Global Warming Killing the Polar Bears?" By Jim Carlton (Staff reporter of the Wall Street Journal). I chose this article because it was from a pretty reliable source being that the Wall Street Journal is a pretty popular newspaper. I also chose it because one of the things I will bring up in my paper is the question of who will people pay more attention to and find their information more reliable when it comes to talking about environment and polar bears? The random reporter from the Wall Street Journal or the guy stating facts based on the World Wildlife Fund people who pretty much worship animals and dedicate their lives to the preservation of species?
I guess there also the whole idea that the commercial is more appealing than just reading the article due the whole visual thing. In other words, the depressing mood setting music and visuals of the polar bears in despair could easily attract someone faster than an article could in most cases. I mean come on I was practically in tears when the guy was talking about the momma bear not being able to feed the baby bear..and then they just jump in the water not knowing their fate. So yea the commercial worked its magic on me..I am even considering donating to that fund of theirs...and BINGO thats what they want you to do!
The article on the other hand isn't really trying to get you to do anything. The writer is actually just stating information based on the U.S. Minerals Managment Service and other sources. He isn't trying to convince everyone to stop global warming...he is honestly just giving information about the situation as a whole.
The fact that a celebrity is speaking in the commercial may boost people's want or interest to pay attention. I mean BAM it's right there at the beginning of the commercial when the dude starts talking...it says "Noah Wyle- actor and WWF supporter"...I mean they even listed the actor part before the fact that he is a WWF supporter. The article isn't written by a celebrity...or some super famous reporter (I mean I've never heard of Jim Carlton)..so would that make a difference in who reads the article or not? Well I don't think so simply because there are people who like to read the newspaper despite the popularity of the reporter or writer...however for the typical person it might make a difference.
The article goes more in depth when it comes to info about the polar bears etc.
However, the commercial covers the basics in about a minute of appealing visual and persuasive, sympathetic speech compared to a page of words with no pictures. (I guess it all depends on what you like more..to read or watch a commercial)
Anyways..I think I have gotten a pretty good idea of where I am going to go with my paper...so that's exciting lol.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
So Many Commercials....
I decided to post the link for the advertisement we are supposed to find for class on monday on here. I chose the commercial for Hulu. For those of you who don't catch what it is while watching the ad, Hulu is a website that offers commercial-supported streaming video of TV shows and movies from NBC, FOX and many other networks and studios.The commercial is kind of lame but I guess after a while it grows on you...after I saw it for like a third time I chuckled a little.
When I first saw it I really didn't expect that whole alien eating our brains kinda thing. But I think that is what makes it funny.
Sorry so short....but I don't know what else to say about it haha
When I first saw it I really didn't expect that whole alien eating our brains kinda thing. But I think that is what makes it funny.
Sorry so short....but I don't know what else to say about it haha
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
For my TV blog I am going to blog while watching the show Top Chef on Bravo. I really like this show because I enjoy cooking...not as fancy as they do though lol.
10:00 pm-flashbacks from previous episode...Fabio, Stefan, Carla, Hosea
The show has been moved from New York to New Orleans.
10:04 pm-introduce guest judge Emeril.
10:05 pm-intro quick fire
Three chefs from earlier in the season that were voted off are competing for a spot in the finals: Jeff, Leah, and Jamie.
The challenge is to create a dish by using crawfish.
10:08 pm-start quick fire
10:10 pm-time is up
Jeff made-crawfish and grits
Leah made-crawfish soup
Jamie made-corn cake with crawfish cream sauce
10:12 pm-announce winner
Winner is:
10:13 commercial break
Make me a supermodel commercial-new season starts March 4th on Bravo
Glad odor shield trash bags commercial
Lame Hulu commercial with Alec Baldwin
GE commercial
Toyota Venza car commercial
Jenny Craig commercial
The Art Institute commercial
Holy cow I give up on naming the commercials..there are so many
10:16-And the winner is
JEFF-He will be competing in the next challenge..but to make it to the finale he has to win the next challenge
10:17- Emeril invites chefs to dinner at his restaurant tonight
10:20- Announce Elimination challenge
Create two dishes and one cocktail including creole flavors for 100 people at the Masquerade Ball Mardi Gras style
Prepping and cooking for 5 hours and 1 hour to set up.
If Jeff wins the challenge then two chefs will be elimenated. Additional prize-new 2009 Toyota Venza
10:23-commercial break
Millionaire Matchmaker-tomorrow on Bravo
Match.com commercial
Brita commercial
Olive Garden commercial
Prego sauce commercial
Ask.com commercial
Sargento cheese snacks commercial
New movie trailor for "Knowing"
Quaker oats commercial
10:26-Chefs talking it out the night before the challenge
10:27- MORE COMMERCIALS?! wtf?
Toyota Venza commercial
Geico commercial
Wal-mart commercial
Turbo Tax commercial
Listerine commercial
Infomercial-Samurai peeler....lame
Real Houswives reunion on Bravo on Tuesday
Make Me a supermodel commercial again
10:30- Chefs head to Emeril's kitchen which is where they get to prep for this challenge
Prep time
Chef Plans: (I just listed one dish because I didn't catch the other dishes)
Carla-Oyster stew
Stefan-Duck and rabbit gumbo
Jeff-fried oyster with sausage
Fabio-sausage and rabbit maque choux
Hosea-duck and chicken gumbo
10:34- One of the head judges (Tom) comes to check on progress
He is concerned about some of the dishes.
10:36- Everybody is scrambling to finish their prep before the time is up
10:37-Each chef is given a bartender to serve a chosen drink by the chef to go along with their meal
10:38- Introduce guest judges. Guests will be coming in 15 minutes.
10:40-Commercial break
Dr. Pepper commercial
Cute but kind of creepy GE commercial
Yet again the dumb Hulu commercial with Alec Baldwin
Glad odor shield trash bags commercial
Millionaire matchmaker
10:45- Final meals served to guests and judges
Mostly positive feedback so far
10:48- Judges are eating the meals one by one and critiqueing them further
10:50- Party/ball is ending
10:51- Chefs say how they feel about the night and how it went
10:52- Previews for "Coming up"
Commercial Break
Millionaire Matchmaker
Match.com commercial
V8 soups by cambells commercial
Movie Trailor for "The Reader"
Monistat commercial..haha nice
Ask.com commercial
Brita water commercial
Season Finale of Top Chef: New York next wednesday
Bravo 2nd annual A-List awards
10:55-Judges' Table
All chefs asked to come face the judges
They describe why they chose the dishes they did and if they were happy with it
10:57- Judges give positive and negative comments to chefs
11:00- Judges send chefs to back so they can discuss decisions
Jeff is in top 3 favorites
They like Carla's dish
Hosea did a great job
Fabio and Stefan are in the bottom
11:05- Annoying commercial break
End- The Judges come to a decision
The chef who won the challenge is: CARLA
Since Carla won then Jeff is automatically out
The chef who is going home is: FABIO (I can't believe they sent him home)
Then they show previews for the finale next week.
Sorry if it seems all over the place..but it was hard to keep up with everything that was going on.
10:00 pm-flashbacks from previous episode...Fabio, Stefan, Carla, Hosea
The show has been moved from New York to New Orleans.
10:04 pm-introduce guest judge Emeril.
10:05 pm-intro quick fire
Three chefs from earlier in the season that were voted off are competing for a spot in the finals: Jeff, Leah, and Jamie.
The challenge is to create a dish by using crawfish.
10:08 pm-start quick fire
10:10 pm-time is up
Jeff made-crawfish and grits
Leah made-crawfish soup
Jamie made-corn cake with crawfish cream sauce
10:12 pm-announce winner
Winner is:
10:13 commercial break
Make me a supermodel commercial-new season starts March 4th on Bravo
Glad odor shield trash bags commercial
Lame Hulu commercial with Alec Baldwin
GE commercial
Toyota Venza car commercial
Jenny Craig commercial
The Art Institute commercial
Holy cow I give up on naming the commercials..there are so many
10:16-And the winner is
JEFF-He will be competing in the next challenge..but to make it to the finale he has to win the next challenge
10:17- Emeril invites chefs to dinner at his restaurant tonight
10:20- Announce Elimination challenge
Create two dishes and one cocktail including creole flavors for 100 people at the Masquerade Ball Mardi Gras style
Prepping and cooking for 5 hours and 1 hour to set up.
If Jeff wins the challenge then two chefs will be elimenated. Additional prize-new 2009 Toyota Venza
10:23-commercial break
Millionaire Matchmaker-tomorrow on Bravo
Match.com commercial
Brita commercial
Olive Garden commercial
Prego sauce commercial
Ask.com commercial
Sargento cheese snacks commercial
New movie trailor for "Knowing"
Quaker oats commercial
10:26-Chefs talking it out the night before the challenge
10:27- MORE COMMERCIALS?! wtf?
Toyota Venza commercial
Geico commercial
Wal-mart commercial
Turbo Tax commercial
Listerine commercial
Infomercial-Samurai peeler....lame
Real Houswives reunion on Bravo on Tuesday
Make Me a supermodel commercial again
10:30- Chefs head to Emeril's kitchen which is where they get to prep for this challenge
Prep time
Chef Plans: (I just listed one dish because I didn't catch the other dishes)
Carla-Oyster stew
Stefan-Duck and rabbit gumbo
Jeff-fried oyster with sausage
Fabio-sausage and rabbit maque choux
Hosea-duck and chicken gumbo
10:34- One of the head judges (Tom) comes to check on progress
He is concerned about some of the dishes.
10:36- Everybody is scrambling to finish their prep before the time is up
10:37-Each chef is given a bartender to serve a chosen drink by the chef to go along with their meal
10:38- Introduce guest judges. Guests will be coming in 15 minutes.
10:40-Commercial break
Dr. Pepper commercial
Cute but kind of creepy GE commercial
Yet again the dumb Hulu commercial with Alec Baldwin
Glad odor shield trash bags commercial
Millionaire matchmaker
10:45- Final meals served to guests and judges
Mostly positive feedback so far
10:48- Judges are eating the meals one by one and critiqueing them further
10:50- Party/ball is ending
10:51- Chefs say how they feel about the night and how it went
10:52- Previews for "Coming up"
Commercial Break
Millionaire Matchmaker
Match.com commercial
V8 soups by cambells commercial
Movie Trailor for "The Reader"
Monistat commercial..haha nice
Ask.com commercial
Brita water commercial
Season Finale of Top Chef: New York next wednesday
Bravo 2nd annual A-List awards
10:55-Judges' Table
All chefs asked to come face the judges
They describe why they chose the dishes they did and if they were happy with it
10:57- Judges give positive and negative comments to chefs
11:00- Judges send chefs to back so they can discuss decisions
Jeff is in top 3 favorites
They like Carla's dish
Hosea did a great job
Fabio and Stefan are in the bottom
11:05- Annoying commercial break
End- The Judges come to a decision
The chef who won the challenge is: CARLA
Since Carla won then Jeff is automatically out
The chef who is going home is: FABIO (I can't believe they sent him home)
Then they show previews for the finale next week.
Sorry if it seems all over the place..but it was hard to keep up with everything that was going on.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
One of my favorite songs
I say it's one of my favorite songs because I honestly don't just have one all time favorite song.
As lame as it is one of my favorite songs is the one hit wonder "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell featuring Michael Jackson. I like it because it's catchy, hilarious, and I like Michael Jackson's voice in the chorus (back when he was still African American).
After reading the lyrics I really didn't know if there was a hidden meaning in the song or if the lyrics were just plain as day.
Either this guy is paranoid and just singing about the creepy feeling someone gets when they feel like someone is constantly watching them or like when you feel like someone is sneaking up behind you.
Or
There is a hidden meaning due to the fact that Rockwell is in fact African American and he feels like he can't live a normal life like everyone else. He feels that his race makes him feel like people are constantly watching him.
I don't know. I personally think he is just singing about the paranoia of feeling like people are watching you all the time. It's too silly of a song to have a hidden meaning...or is it?
As lame as it is one of my favorite songs is the one hit wonder "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell featuring Michael Jackson. I like it because it's catchy, hilarious, and I like Michael Jackson's voice in the chorus (back when he was still African American).
After reading the lyrics I really didn't know if there was a hidden meaning in the song or if the lyrics were just plain as day.
Either this guy is paranoid and just singing about the creepy feeling someone gets when they feel like someone is constantly watching them or like when you feel like someone is sneaking up behind you.
Or
There is a hidden meaning due to the fact that Rockwell is in fact African American and he feels like he can't live a normal life like everyone else. He feels that his race makes him feel like people are constantly watching him.
I don't know. I personally think he is just singing about the paranoia of feeling like people are watching you all the time. It's too silly of a song to have a hidden meaning...or is it?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Silly Pointless News
The other day I was surfing the internet and I found something that was quite hilarious. On Yahoo.com's home page, they listed "Most Emailed Odd News". I couldn't resist so I clicked on some of the links to read the random reports.
There was one article stating "Ore. man loses earlobe in fight over parking spot." hahaha. Apparently two roomates went at it after one guy parked in a parking spot that the other guy normally parked in. How silly. The brawl ended when one man bit off the other's earlobe. Geez we've got another Mike Tyson on our hands.
Another article read "Man hoping to get fired allegedly trashes eatery". So a man totally trashed (throwing brownies and cookies on the floor,threw pots and pans around, then went into a storage area and threw boxes of hot sauce on the floor) a Qdoba restaurant that he worked for. The man said that "he was trying to get fired and couldn't collect unemployment if he simply quit." This guy got to do something I am sure we have all wanted to do at some point at our job.
This next one made me want to barf. The title of the article was "Woman's record-length fingernails broken in crash.". It's not the title that makes you want to barf, it's the picture of this woman's fingernails and how long they are. She held the Guinness Book of World Records for her long fingernails until she lost them in a car crash. She was fine, but the nails will forever remain in our hearts. hahaha yea right! Those things were 28 feet long! Yikes!
Anyways if you click on any of the article titles you can find more odd headlines linked on those pages. I honestly got a kick out of them. It's kind of nice to read about silly stuff in the news every once in a while.
There was one article stating "Ore. man loses earlobe in fight over parking spot." hahaha. Apparently two roomates went at it after one guy parked in a parking spot that the other guy normally parked in. How silly. The brawl ended when one man bit off the other's earlobe. Geez we've got another Mike Tyson on our hands.
Another article read "Man hoping to get fired allegedly trashes eatery". So a man totally trashed (throwing brownies and cookies on the floor,threw pots and pans around, then went into a storage area and threw boxes of hot sauce on the floor) a Qdoba restaurant that he worked for. The man said that "he was trying to get fired and couldn't collect unemployment if he simply quit." This guy got to do something I am sure we have all wanted to do at some point at our job.
This next one made me want to barf. The title of the article was "Woman's record-length fingernails broken in crash.". It's not the title that makes you want to barf, it's the picture of this woman's fingernails and how long they are. She held the Guinness Book of World Records for her long fingernails until she lost them in a car crash. She was fine, but the nails will forever remain in our hearts. hahaha yea right! Those things were 28 feet long! Yikes!
Anyways if you click on any of the article titles you can find more odd headlines linked on those pages. I honestly got a kick out of them. It's kind of nice to read about silly stuff in the news every once in a while.
Flight 3407
On Thursday night, a plane coming from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo Niagara International Airport went down in flames about 6 miles from Buffalo, New York. How did this happen? What went wrong? Were there any survivors? Wizard of Oz effect?
Steve Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board stated, "Preliminary information recovered from the flight's cockpit voice and data recorders indicated that the plane underwent 'severe' pitching and rolling motions after the landing gear was lowered and wing flaps were set for the approach. The crew discussed significant ice buildup, ice on the windshield and leading edge of the wings.The crew attempted to raise the gear and [reset] flaps shortly before the recordings ended."
So you are telling me that there were icy conditions and planes were still flying? You couldn't pay me to get on a plane if there are icy conditions outside....especially where I am scheduled to land.
Sadly, there were no survivors from the crash. All 49 people aboard were killed upon impact. This number included 44 passengers, 4 crew members, and 1 off duty pilot. In addition to the people on board of the plane, there was a man by the name Doug Wielinski on the ground killed as well. My prayers go out to all of the families suffering their losses.
Now I am sure you are wondering why I put the "Wizard of Oz Effect?" up at the top. Well did you read, see, or hear where the plane crashed? RIGHT ON TOP OF A HOUSE! So instead of a house falling on top of the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz, a plane crashed into a house consisting of two people. Ok maybe it's a wierd comparison but whatever. A woman, her daughter, and her daughter's husband were in the home that the plane crashed into at 10:20 pm on that Thursday. The woman and her daughter escaped, but the daughter's husband (Doug Wielinski) was killed.
To get a more detailed report, I linked the news report in here and you can pretty much look it up anywhere in the news. I chose to write about it because I think it is really wierd how there have been a lot of airplane accidents lately. News report after news report about things going wrong with planes. I tell you what, air travel is beginning to not be my first choice for long distance travel.
Steve Chealander of the National Transportation Safety Board stated, "Preliminary information recovered from the flight's cockpit voice and data recorders indicated that the plane underwent 'severe' pitching and rolling motions after the landing gear was lowered and wing flaps were set for the approach. The crew discussed significant ice buildup, ice on the windshield and leading edge of the wings.The crew attempted to raise the gear and [reset] flaps shortly before the recordings ended."
So you are telling me that there were icy conditions and planes were still flying? You couldn't pay me to get on a plane if there are icy conditions outside....especially where I am scheduled to land.
Sadly, there were no survivors from the crash. All 49 people aboard were killed upon impact. This number included 44 passengers, 4 crew members, and 1 off duty pilot. In addition to the people on board of the plane, there was a man by the name Doug Wielinski on the ground killed as well. My prayers go out to all of the families suffering their losses.
Now I am sure you are wondering why I put the "Wizard of Oz Effect?" up at the top. Well did you read, see, or hear where the plane crashed? RIGHT ON TOP OF A HOUSE! So instead of a house falling on top of the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz, a plane crashed into a house consisting of two people. Ok maybe it's a wierd comparison but whatever. A woman, her daughter, and her daughter's husband were in the home that the plane crashed into at 10:20 pm on that Thursday. The woman and her daughter escaped, but the daughter's husband (Doug Wielinski) was killed.
To get a more detailed report, I linked the news report in here and you can pretty much look it up anywhere in the news. I chose to write about it because I think it is really wierd how there have been a lot of airplane accidents lately. News report after news report about things going wrong with planes. I tell you what, air travel is beginning to not be my first choice for long distance travel.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
WWF- "Who We Are-Environmental Conservation"
To begin with, I chose the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). To be honest, I chose to research this one because I saw some random dude walking on campus today with the familar panda mascot and "WWF" written in big letters. I had seen this shirt before when I went to the zoo in Asheboro a couple of years ago.
Anyways, the first thing that caught my eye on the website (besides the cool pictures) was the fact that on the top of the page it states "WWF HAS 2,000 ACTIVE PROJECTS IN MORE THAN 100 COUNTRIES." Well that right there sends a pretty straightfoward idea so far and made me want to know more. They offer tabs you can click on such as "Who We Are", "What We Do", "Places", "Species", "Science", "Climate", and "Act Now". Just looking at it now I am just blown away at how informative the website is. Under "Act Now" you can see to the side in bigger print "5 Ways to Make a Difference-Become a Member, Adopt an Animal, Stay informed, Take Action, or Good Stuff". There are a lot of places to click on things to find out more detail. The pictures are awesome and appealing.
I can clearly understand the message and goal of this organization after reading the "Who We Are" and "What We Do". It even has additional tabs on the left hand side that offer "Vision", "History", "Financial Info", "Annual Report", etc. The ultimate mission of WWF is the conservation of nature but more specifically as follows:
- protecting natural areas and wild populations of plants and animals, including endangered species
- promoting sustainable approaches to the use of renewable natural resources
- promoting more efficient use of resources and energy and the maximum reduction of pollution
"We are committed to reversing the degradation of our planet's natural environment and to building a future in which human needs are met in harmony with nature. We recognize the critical relevance of human numbers, poverty and consumption patterns to meeting these goals."
-WWF
The vision for this organization is so simple but has so much meaning behind it: "to save a planet; a world of life."
The messages and goals are clearly provided, the vision is strong, and the website gives you a lot of background and facts to assure you that any money donated goes to a good cause and not just someone's pocket. In addition to looking at the site, I watched a few videos sponsored by the WWF. I liked the one about climate change in the arctic. My favorite animal is the polar bear so it kind of made me sad to watch the videos about their numbers in population dwindling.All in all I kinda enjoyed this assignment.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A Little Wordy...
The assignment we have been given for this blog is to think about the words you use the most in daily conversation and write (well type) them down. I've been making little notes of words I've used since yesterday so I think I have a pretty good idea of the main ones I use.
The top words I use by themselves are "totally", "awesome", "like", "what?" (I drag this one out like whaaaaaat?), "well...", "dude", "chick", "homegirl", "homeboy", "geez" (not sure if that one is even a word), "ridiculous", "crazy", "ah yea", "nah", "alrighty then", "hokay", "awkward", "lame", and "yesssss". Top phrases I use are "no way", "are you serious", "oh my god", "you have got to be kidding me", "true that", "I have no idea", "I mean...", and "that's ridiculous".
I also tend to quote movies constantly in everyday conversation. Actually most of the inside jokes I have with my friends come from movie quotes. I probably quote characters played by Will Ferrell the most. Then Jim Carrey probably comes next. I mean I'm sure I'm not the only one who quotes movies....well I guess I'm hoping I'm not the only one who has said "I'll be back" with the Arnold terminator accent or "Houston, we have a problem". hahaha ok so maybe I'm just lame.
The top words I use by themselves are "totally", "awesome", "like", "what?" (I drag this one out like whaaaaaat?), "well...", "dude", "chick", "homegirl", "homeboy", "geez" (not sure if that one is even a word), "ridiculous", "crazy", "ah yea", "nah", "alrighty then", "hokay", "awkward", "lame", and "yesssss". Top phrases I use are "no way", "are you serious", "oh my god", "you have got to be kidding me", "true that", "I have no idea", "I mean...", and "that's ridiculous".
I also tend to quote movies constantly in everyday conversation. Actually most of the inside jokes I have with my friends come from movie quotes. I probably quote characters played by Will Ferrell the most. Then Jim Carrey probably comes next. I mean I'm sure I'm not the only one who quotes movies....well I guess I'm hoping I'm not the only one who has said "I'll be back" with the Arnold terminator accent or "Houston, we have a problem". hahaha ok so maybe I'm just lame.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
It Turns We Aren't the Only Ones...
I was browsing the web today and a certain news headline caught my eye. It wasn't a headline for the U.S. but for France. The article was "French Crowds March for Job Security, pay rises." I also watched the video newscast and realized that France witnessed a huge protest in Paris. It was so big that they are calling it a "Black Thursday." A lot of businesses refused to open and people closed off many parts of the city and people walked the streets chanting. Businesses that closed included bus stations, metro, airports, hospitals, schools, government offices, and post offices. Holy cow! It turns out the U.S. isn't the only country experiencing economic crisis. Many people were concerned about their job security, and the French government's response to their economic crisis. They see that the government is turning to banks to bail them out but not helping the average French citizen. This sounds awfully familar hmmm...I guess it just amazed me because I was so consumed by everyone talking about how bad our economic crisis here in the U.S. I didn't realize that it was a problem for places in Europe also. I was always under the impression that Europe was more organized and leveled out when it came to government and they always criticized our government.
Then I also thought for a moment...could you imagine if our country protested like they did? I'm not saying that we should, but more so that it's nice that we are handling our crisis in a more civilized way so far. But then again the news story said that the protest did send a jumpstart message to President Sarkozy and he plans to "get right on it." Was the protest neccessary for him to see the problems of his people? Not a good sign.
Then I also thought for a moment...could you imagine if our country protested like they did? I'm not saying that we should, but more so that it's nice that we are handling our crisis in a more civilized way so far. But then again the news story said that the protest did send a jumpstart message to President Sarkozy and he plans to "get right on it." Was the protest neccessary for him to see the problems of his people? Not a good sign.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
"Rainy Mountain" Assignment
I chose to answer questions one and five under "Rhetoric" on p. 818-819 for "The Way to Rainy Mountain."
Question 1: What is the method of development in the first paragraph? How does the introduction, with its focus on Rainy Mountain, serve as a vehicle for the central meanings in the essay?
The method of development in the first paragraph was to get you fixed on the setting Momaday was describing. Obviously if he was taking time to be so descriptive when talking about Rainy Mountain in the first paragraph you can tell it has great significance to him. The focus on Rainy Mountain in the first paragraph serves as a vehicle for the central meanings in the essay by letting you know there is significance to this place and you must keep reading to find out why. After reading you discover this is where his cultural heritage took place. His grandmother contributed to keeping the Kiowa tribe together (Momaday's ancestry). The location, his grandmother, and the Kiowa ancestry all come together and relate at Rainy Mountain.
Question 5: How do the land, the Kiowas, and Momaday's grandmother serve as reinforcing frames in the essay?
The land was home to the Kiowas, Momaday's grandmother was a Kiowa and as long as she was alive it seemed the tribe was still filled with life. It was unfortunate that she passed, but in reality she finally will become one with the land she originated from and respected so dearly. The author reinforces the idea that he regrets not carrying tradition like his grandmother did and set out on his own pilgrimage using his grandmother's life to help better understand his ancestry. I mean he knows his ancestry, but he wanted to search more in depth. He writes in a pattern that relates his grandmother, the Kiowa, and land all in the same essay.
Question 1: What is the method of development in the first paragraph? How does the introduction, with its focus on Rainy Mountain, serve as a vehicle for the central meanings in the essay?
The method of development in the first paragraph was to get you fixed on the setting Momaday was describing. Obviously if he was taking time to be so descriptive when talking about Rainy Mountain in the first paragraph you can tell it has great significance to him. The focus on Rainy Mountain in the first paragraph serves as a vehicle for the central meanings in the essay by letting you know there is significance to this place and you must keep reading to find out why. After reading you discover this is where his cultural heritage took place. His grandmother contributed to keeping the Kiowa tribe together (Momaday's ancestry). The location, his grandmother, and the Kiowa ancestry all come together and relate at Rainy Mountain.
Question 5: How do the land, the Kiowas, and Momaday's grandmother serve as reinforcing frames in the essay?
The land was home to the Kiowas, Momaday's grandmother was a Kiowa and as long as she was alive it seemed the tribe was still filled with life. It was unfortunate that she passed, but in reality she finally will become one with the land she originated from and respected so dearly. The author reinforces the idea that he regrets not carrying tradition like his grandmother did and set out on his own pilgrimage using his grandmother's life to help better understand his ancestry. I mean he knows his ancestry, but he wanted to search more in depth. He writes in a pattern that relates his grandmother, the Kiowa, and land all in the same essay.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Assigned Blog...History-Still Here? or Being Destroyed?
Writing an Argument: Argue for or against the proposition that the American system of values encourages people to despoil, destroy, or neglect historical sites and structures.
Imagine that it is 100 years from now.....you open an American history book and first half of the book are full of blank pages. What used to be the Ghettysburg battlefield resting place in Virginia is now a neighborhood full of houses. What used to be the Fort Macon battle fort is now non-existent due to expansion of the beach open to the public. Old museums across the country bulldozed and replaced with Wal-marts or restaurants. Obviously I am against the propostion that the American system of values encourages people to despoil, destroy, or neglect historical sites and structures. Someone who is for it might argue "Well most people don't even know this such and such place exists and it's old so there is no point in it still standing." I would simply reply with an answer like well you probably want to tear it down because you can't turn it into a mass money-maker tourist attraction to feed the greedy government. Most people have become blind to the true meaning of history. I know I may not be like most people, but I find most historical sites and structures to be fascinating and enlightening. They are reminders of how we became what we are today. They symbolize gread minds, sacrifices, victories, and maybe even defeat but still have value to our society.
Imagine that it is 100 years from now.....you open an American history book and first half of the book are full of blank pages. What used to be the Ghettysburg battlefield resting place in Virginia is now a neighborhood full of houses. What used to be the Fort Macon battle fort is now non-existent due to expansion of the beach open to the public. Old museums across the country bulldozed and replaced with Wal-marts or restaurants. Obviously I am against the propostion that the American system of values encourages people to despoil, destroy, or neglect historical sites and structures. Someone who is for it might argue "Well most people don't even know this such and such place exists and it's old so there is no point in it still standing." I would simply reply with an answer like well you probably want to tear it down because you can't turn it into a mass money-maker tourist attraction to feed the greedy government. Most people have become blind to the true meaning of history. I know I may not be like most people, but I find most historical sites and structures to be fascinating and enlightening. They are reminders of how we became what we are today. They symbolize gread minds, sacrifices, victories, and maybe even defeat but still have value to our society.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Obama..."it's time for change"
So tomorrow is the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. I don't really agree that it will be a day to remember...but more so a "presidential term" to remember. It won't be a memorable term because of Obama's racial status (which everyone seems to think that that is the only reason why he is making history) but because of the change we all hope he will bring to this country. I really hope everyone out there, whether you are republican, democrat, etc. can overlook the fact that he does not fit the stereotype of past presidents and support his idea for change. I mean the economic state we are in is terrible and I personally think that a little change might do some good. How else can we stop our country from slipping into another depression? How else can we make our country a better place to live? I know most people (especially older people) are afraid of change and don't adapt well to it but give it a chance. Give Obama a chance. It amazes me to hear some of the nasty things people say about him and they haven't given the man one day in office.
This is just my opinion so don't freak out and hate me for it. We all know how much better we feel about doing something if we have others that believe in us...all I'm asking is to return the favor and believe in change.
This is just my opinion so don't freak out and hate me for it. We all know how much better we feel about doing something if we have others that believe in us...all I'm asking is to return the favor and believe in change.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A Little Trip Down Memory Lane...
So for some odd reason I was thinking today about what was the most shocking thing that happened in 2008. Other than the whole presidential blooblah one paticular thing popped in my head. But of course I can't just tell you because that wouldn't be fun. Instead I'm going to start from the beginning and explain the whole thing...just bare with me trust me it's interesting...
When I was in high school I always had this one paticular dude in like all of my classes. His name was Jerry Carter. He was quiet, shy and usually kept to himself. He was ironically in like all of my classes, even theater (of all classes). It wasn't until my sophomore year that I decided to get to know him and actually talk to him because he didn't seem to have many friends. He was harmless and actually pretty funny once I got to know him better. So from then on we took theater together and what not and were on a pretty good friend/aquaintance level up until we graduated. Well it just so happens that even after graduation I bump into this guy at the big festival our little town has and we touch basis with one another and he hugs me and we say our goodbyes.........now here comes the good part.....
A couple of months later, in september or october, I was for some odd reason watching the local news for once and the top story came on. The story was about 18 year-old Jerry Carter Jr. of Archdale NC being arrested for two counts of child molestation and possible rape. HOLY SHIT! I could not believe this. It was one of those things that supports the idea that people have about guys like him are the ones who normally do stuff like that...the quiet and seemingly harmless ones. Lets just say if Mr. Carter and I ever meet again, it would not be a hug he would be getting from me.
This is a true story lol
When I was in high school I always had this one paticular dude in like all of my classes. His name was Jerry Carter. He was quiet, shy and usually kept to himself. He was ironically in like all of my classes, even theater (of all classes). It wasn't until my sophomore year that I decided to get to know him and actually talk to him because he didn't seem to have many friends. He was harmless and actually pretty funny once I got to know him better. So from then on we took theater together and what not and were on a pretty good friend/aquaintance level up until we graduated. Well it just so happens that even after graduation I bump into this guy at the big festival our little town has and we touch basis with one another and he hugs me and we say our goodbyes.........now here comes the good part.....
A couple of months later, in september or october, I was for some odd reason watching the local news for once and the top story came on. The story was about 18 year-old Jerry Carter Jr. of Archdale NC being arrested for two counts of child molestation and possible rape. HOLY SHIT! I could not believe this. It was one of those things that supports the idea that people have about guys like him are the ones who normally do stuff like that...the quiet and seemingly harmless ones. Lets just say if Mr. Carter and I ever meet again, it would not be a hug he would be getting from me.
This is a true story lol
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
English 101
Out of all the classes I have so far this semester I think I enjoy this one the most. I'm not quite sure why. I don't know if it's because I feel confident in that class or because it's so early in the morning that I just don't know any better lol. I like this whole blogging idea. It's a new experience for me mainly because I don't normally spend a lot of time on the computer. Which brings me to my next point..I'm not sure how to put in a link in my blogs so if anyone could tell me how to do that it would be great. I know how to put stuff like this-->http://365daysoftrash.blogspot.com/ but yea thats it.
I really like reading about the milblogging article that we read for class. I honestly didn't know that blogging was such a big thing with the Iraqi War. I am totally for it though. I think people need to know the truth about what is really going on over there without the media sugarcoating it. It's also a more effecient way to know that your loved ones are ok over there. What really blew me away was how every person the author talked about as a milblogger was highly educated. I mean that one guy he mentioned was like a genius but completely dropped his studies to pick up a gun and go fight for our freedom. It's not that I think that most military people are uneducated or anything it just surprised me because of how everyone pushes the idea of getting a good education and a high paying job. It actually makes me admire him. It shows that he chose to do something that he was passionate about even if it wasn't the ideal lifestyle versus the mold he was going to fit.
Anyways, I like class so far and am interested in what we read next.
I really like reading about the milblogging article that we read for class. I honestly didn't know that blogging was such a big thing with the Iraqi War. I am totally for it though. I think people need to know the truth about what is really going on over there without the media sugarcoating it. It's also a more effecient way to know that your loved ones are ok over there. What really blew me away was how every person the author talked about as a milblogger was highly educated. I mean that one guy he mentioned was like a genius but completely dropped his studies to pick up a gun and go fight for our freedom. It's not that I think that most military people are uneducated or anything it just surprised me because of how everyone pushes the idea of getting a good education and a high paying job. It actually makes me admire him. It shows that he chose to do something that he was passionate about even if it wasn't the ideal lifestyle versus the mold he was going to fit.
Anyways, I like class so far and am interested in what we read next.
The Grizzly Man
Ok so the other blog I researched I debated whether or not it was technically a blog but whatever. I couldn't decide if it were a true blog because it was on myspace and because I knew that the person the myspace belonged to is in fact dead lol. The guy was known as the "Grizzly Man." I'm sure most of you guys have heard of him....or maybe not. He was this seemingly crazy hippie dude who was convinced that his calling was to save the bears. He wasn't always this "crazy"...well in a way. Early in his life he was an alcoholic and drug addict. He continued these habbits until he decided that it wasn't what he wanted out of life. He cleaned up and left rehab to go on a mission in Alaska to live with the bears. Once again..random. I suppose he thought the bears were accepting of him and did not judge him for his past. Understandable, although I'm not sure I would go to that extreme. Once he started living with the bears he realized that the bears were in danger more than ever from poaching. He wanted to raise awareness and create a bigger "save zone" for the bears by extending the national park that prohibited hunting. I read the blogs that were on the myspace and he was blogging his day to day experience being one with the bears. I have also seen the documentary of his experience and it turns out that he is killed by one the very bears he was "living" with. I guess it just goes to show that maybe there is a reason why humans aren't normally successful with making friends with something that can overpower them or in this case eat them. All in all I thought it was kinda cool that he found a better passion in life and died doing what he learned to love.
365 Days of Trash Reaction
Could you honestly imagine not throwing away any trash for a whole year? Ok well how about not only not throwing away trash for a year but trying to find ways to recycle it all? Well you may not be able to imagine it but a two time emmy award winning cameraman named Dave Chameides brought it life. How random is that? A camerman came up with such an idea and actually carried it out. That is almost equivalent to Ghandi originally being lets say a basket weaver who just woke up one day and decided "hey I think I am going to starve myself for the sake of world peace." This is how Dave originally came up with the idea: "The idea for this project came about six months ago as I was throwing something away in the garbage. It occurred to me that I was doing nothing more than that. I was making it go away, not dealing with it, not accounting for it, simply removing it from my sight. When you think of it in simple terms like that, it’s really quite insane. I came to the realization that if we were all accountable for our waste, if we couldn’t simply make it disappear, we’d have to deal with some pretty ugly truths about the way we live. And in so doing, it would cause us to start making better decisions about what we buy, where we buy, and what’s left over when we are done with that purchase." That's pretty deep. It makes me feel awful because I don't really think too much when I throw stuff away. I mean don't get me wrong I do recycle, but I never realized that perhaps there was so much more that someone could do to stop trashing the planet. Who knows maybe this cameraman has really got something and it will catch on to the masses.....or not. Either way I just recently learned in psychology that even if you do something that can't help everyone, whatever you do do it's a start and it can better yourself. Obviously Dave's trash alone being recycled and kept to a minimum couldn't save the planet right away, but at least he's doing his part.
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