Why do we blog? How do we blog? Part 2

Now that the semester is close to over, my opinion on blogging has changed quite a bit. In the begining I had no idea what blogging even was. So on my first "Why we blog, How we blog", it is obvious that I didnt quite understand what I was writing about. Blogging can be a great way to outsource your idea's. It can become an activity for someone to vent and get out all of their ideas and feelings without talking someones ear off. You can get things off of your chest, easier and much faster. And the best part is if someone really does care what your talking about, they'll read it! Instead of sitting with you at lunch bobbing their head with boardum thinking your a head ache and a half, and wishing you would just stop talking!



Even though the purpose of blogging for this class was'nt to vent, or get things off of our chest's, but that it was for Homework. I would occasionally look around at other people pages, and see what people outside of the class room talked about. There was one guys page who was talking about a concert he had gotten feedback from, and said who performed well and who didn't. He was basically having a clown fest on his page. The things he was saying cracked me up, and it opened my eyes to what potential blogging has.



A few ways I feel that could enhance the English 105-25 blogging expierience, would be to not have so many blog entrys in one week. Sometimes they can amount to a blog a night, and I personally feel like that can become quite tedious, and wear some students out. I agree with what Brittany said in the beginning of class, to be able to read and talk about it the next day. That brings 2 different expieriences to the students. I know that most of the time we do both, but sometimes one or the other would be nice.



Would I ever consider making a blogging page for personal use? I would have to give it a big maybe. I could see myself making an anoymous user name when i'm about 40 or so, and am super annoyed with my co- workers. On another note, I hate when people always say do what you love when you get a job. Because your gonna be doin it the rest of your life. But to me it's almost like even if your doing what you love, theres still going to be a time when there is something or someone you dont like. Your co-workers, employees, pencil sharpener... who knows! But there will most likely always be somethings annoying. Unless your super optomistic and nothing ever bother's you. I guess for Nick it would be the projector screen,or his computer. HAHAHA! Too funny, good times, ey nick!?

Ok back on topic, Blogging to me is great. I really enjoy it, and I like the idea of it. I am Pro on blogs, but not pro on blogging homework. Going back to talking about what we read in the class the cool thing about it, is that sometimes, maybe under the teachers descression we can have a debate over the topic. Or do a fun activity in the classroom. That would both motivate the students to read and at the same time, help them to better understand and enjoy the topic. Just an idea!

Discrimination mean's what?

In the reading, "Discrimination is a Virtue" the author tells what the real text book defenition of, "Discrimination" is. The definition he gives is,"it means the ability to percieve the truth, to use good judgement and to profit accordingly." He says that people usually relate it to racism. This said, I feel like what he says is true, because there is a lot of descrimination used in the wrong way when people say things like, they wouldnt vote for Clinton because she is a woman. And it goes the same way with Obama, people dont hear the good things he preaches first. They automatically target his race.

This is a very negetive attribute for the people of the U.S. to obtain. But it is the bitter truth as well as the reality of the U.S. and a large part of it. The term, "judging a book by its cover" says it all.

Prospectus

1. I feel like the author didnt start the paper out with a very good thesis.

2. I also think he/she had a lot of questions, and it almost seemed like he/she had too many questions.

3.The subject might get a bit dull towards the end. I think the author gives a lot of info in short paragraphs and could really get a lot more detailed if he/she tryed.

Visually Enhanced

This picture is the prefect visual to describe outscourcing. The first thing we see is how the bigger man is holding office supplies which obvioualy means he is taking the smaller men's work away from them. We see how the man with all the office supplies is much larger than the rest of the men; this could represent outscourcing as a real problem for Americans. It also shows how the smaller men are in a state of panic using a string to try and hold back the bigger man form crossing the ocean. The picture makes this situation out to be pretty much hopeless and out of the smaller mens control; the bigger man will obviously make it across the ocean no matter how hard they pull.

If Black Isnt a Language, then Tell Me, What Is? James Baldwin

In the beginning of this reading something stuck out to me that Baldwin said. It was when he said, "If they cannot articulate it then they are submerged." He says this talking about people who do not keep up with their own language and are inconsistant when learning the new "lingo". This stuck out so much to me, because I feel like that has happened to me before. I have been in school and kids have approached me asking me questions, and they were saying words I didnt understand. Although after being at that school for a few weeks I quickly picked up on these terms.

When Baldwin talks about the Frenchman living in Paris that brings up another memory in my mind. It reminds me of people in the United States. People here have different American languages in my opinion. I say that because I have witnessed this as well. When ever I visit my dad in Florida and he takes me around to meet all of his friends and introduce me to some local teenagers, I always have such a hard time understanding them. My dad says its Ebonics that they are speaking. Which is now actually considered a language. Its difficult to understand for me, because I feel like they speak increadibly fast, and well I dont cant comprehend the things they say, because I dont know what their saying.

The Fourth paragragh in, I notice that when Baldwin talks about "Putting your business on the street", in england he says you have confessed a list of different things, but names your parents twice. I think that he really draws the reader in with this statement and while making the reader aware and (at the same time scared to speak another language in the wrong part of England) he brings out the reality, that in almost any case a child wants to protect their parents.

In the end i'm not sure that I completely understand his argument. But there were many things that I did agree with in this reading. One main part was that black children should not conform to the white mans language because there is an alternative. And i think what his message is, is that it is ok to be different, and create new things, and it is allowed. After all, we do live in America!

Zinsser's "The Right to Fail"

In this reading Zinsser talks about success and how almost everyones interpretation of it is different. To me success lies within the beholder. My idea of success might be graduating from college, whereas a classmate of mine may be to not only graduate, but recieve a diploma in sports medicine and become the best Athletic Trainer in the country. Though our ideas of success might appear different, they really are'nt. Success to me in that situation, was to graduate. Success to my peer was much more perticular. If we both achieve our goals, than therefor we are both succesfull in our own eyes. To be honest, I dont have my life planned out for once i graduate college. I hope that I will eventually comes across something that I am passionate about and know I can hopefully be succesful in.

Back to the word successfull and what that all means. When I use successfull in that context, I like to think it means I do well, am respected, powerful, and wealthy. Those are the key things that come to mind while thinking of success.

A true way I try to challenge myself on a succesfull meter everyday is when basketball practice comes around, and I push myself to be the best post player that day. I feel like if I can push myself to be the best everyday, it will eventually be so that I am the best post player. There are days when I dont feel like I have accomplished that goal, or I dont feel like I had given it my best efforts. The best part about striving to be the best right now is that, i'm a freshman, so even when I am not the best it is ok. I do know though when I reach a higher status I will need to perform and the snap of a finger. Which I do have to admitt is freightening. At the same time I feel like it only benefits me for the future. And therefor I enjoy it.

"MIddle Schoolers Get the Pill"

In the article Middle Schoolers Get the Pill it argues a very valid counterargument which intails that middle schoolers are too young to be recieveing birth control pills, and patches. A main point of the author was that the school was handing them out with out even consulting their parents first.

The counter argument to that was that the children do not just simply recieve the pills, but are then put through very rigorous counceling and very much encouraged to tell their parents. It also states that they are in large poverty stricken areas and recieve a lot of newly arrived immagraints. The fact that there is a lot of poverty where these kids are infers that their parents are probabley not home too often to monitor the childrens action, or spend time with the children and make them aware of abstinence.

In my opiniong the area that was overlooked was their involvement with the parents. I would be highly upset if the school knew my child was pregnant and chose not to notify me immidiately. I feel like I would be understanding and very caring to my child, and I pray I would be the first one they told. Either way, it is my child, and then therefor my responsibility. Only how can I be responsible for something I do am not aware of? There is no where in the schools job description where it is just to know a child is pregnant and CHOSE not to alarm the parents immidiatly. I feel like they need to notify me as soon as they are aware and disreguard anything else. Im sure that is most likely how the majority of parents feel.

RA Reflection

In my rhetorical analysis paper on Arab Image, I did as good as I had hoped to on it. I realize this is not an easy class, so for me to recieve what I did I was very proud of myself. A couple of things that worked on my paper was using the books quotes while helping get my point across, and using specific detail and points that helped to get the athors point across as well. These two things really helped to strengthen the paper in my opinion and they will definetly be something that I try to go back to in the future while writing.

When I say using the book for it quotes to help my point, I dont mean that I wrote my paper in first person. What I mean when I say this is that by using the authors context It helped me to express in my writing what my goal of doing this specific topic was. My goal in a nut shell, was to inform the readers out there not to ignorantly discriminate an entirety of another race, because of one major instance. . I feel like I did well on informing my readers about valid arguments and what reasons there were that made the discrimination and racism so ignorant. When someone tells another person not to do something. Unless in some cases it is their parent, elder, or just someone they look up to, then they have the tendency of just brushing it off, and doing as they please. But when you inform another person as to why they shouldnt do something for whatever reason and you put a certain sense of clairity and reasoning on it, then they might be more anept to remember what you say. If you are lucky enough to get your point across then they might even possibley even change their ways.

A couple of parts of my paper I really need to work on for next time is my organization skills, as well as my language use and mechanics. These are the two things I did not do as well in. I think my language use was off because a few of the words I chose did'nt fit very well into the sentecne, or my interpretation of the meaning was off. That is ok though, becaue it taught me now to better understand the true concept and meaning of some of those words that i may not have understood befor. As for my organization, I know I could have improved on this if I would have just spent extra time looking at my paper and trying to put peices of it in other places that would have made more sense. Or maybe even taking a couple of parts out. I also feel like it might not have help the readers attention very well at some points. But like I mentioned earlier, it betters me for next time.

Plato And Freir

When Plato and Freir express their ponts and views about ignorance and education, they do it in very different ways that are equally very affective. When plato writes his ideas in “llegory of the Cave” it is about a man who has lived in a cave his entire life and that is all that he knows how to comprehend. He has spent almost all of his education reading the writings on the wall. When Frier write in “The Banking Concept of Education” it is more about his views in an analasys setting and focuses on the learning between the teacher and the student. It also questions how much is actually getting through. In both writings the author make different points, but both create the same idea when they question what knowledge really is and the reality of what we know.

These authors have very powerful writing tacting and form their opinions very well. Plato has such strong imagery in his, i feel as though im watching what he's writing. He uses this to get the readers imagination moving and also in a sense help the reader to better understand and comprehend what he says. Frier though, does not use these same tactics. He is more about giving facts and factuals details in his synthasis that can also help him, because it makes his points more believable, and also gets the reader thinking.

Both authors have a smart sense of writing that is obvious to the readers, they both make very good points on why humans should question all knowledge. If it is not proven to be a fact, than who is to say its true. Both authors enhance ones mind and get them going on questioning everything. What is the actual difference between truth and fact? Why believe what a credible source says based on his word? Why believe our government? Especially when they have been proven to falsify facts they have told us before. Do people really want the truth? Or do they just want to feel content, and secure?

Synthesis

In the documentary Roger and Me Michael Moore trys to demonstrate a lot of loss and misfortune in the town of Flint, Michigan. He does this by showing what it is like when the people of Flint lose wat the town would call a prize posession. The town could see it that way because it was one of their main money making sources.

In the online journal it reads that the United States encountered a large misfortune as well dealing with money issue, only this time it affected millions more people. The author of this journal explained the losses, but also the recovery and made it sound a bit more optomistic to the reader.

Their perspectives put together lead the reader to believe that all it takes is one drastic change in a lifestyle or in the case location, for things to become surreal and abnormal. When putting these together the reader can start to grasp the idea and the theory that almost any place with out the right recources and money has a great chance of falling under. In both pieces it does mention the people and the administration of them both striving to mediate the situation, because it is all they know to do.

Weak U.S. Recovery

In the journal titled Weak U.S. Recovery, it begins by talking about the Cold War and how when the troops arrived back home there was a dramatic loss of jobs and money. The defence and reasoning was put on spending for the Cold War. Because of this, unemployment had increased to 7.8 percent and had then recieved the reputation of "jobless recover". A passage from the journals says, "The news, however, was not all bad. By mid-1993 almost two million new jobs had been added to the U.S. economy, and by August unemployment had fallen to 6.7%." Although the workers were offered many more jobs there were still flaws in the system. With the millions of jobs being offered, there were millions of dissipointed U.S. citizens. "Fewer laid-off workers were being called back to their old jobs because those jobs had disappeared for good. In addition, the kinds of positions workers had to choose from were in many ways less attractive than those offered in the past." For someone to come across a well paid job, was simply said as difficult. Because of the troubles the U.S. was suffering the Clinton administration had proposed a few new ideas to help fill the pot holes that the war had pounded into the U.S. Economy. One way was with the national apprentice program that the administration had made. This program helped train the United states youth with a variety of skills such as, computer programming. Activities like this were promising to the U.S.' future because it was told to be making one of its first huge break throughs for its time.

This article reminded me of 'Roger and Me' because in both pieces there was an unexpected flaw in the system that winded up putting enormous dampers on large amounts of people in a very quick amount of time. In the documentary Roger and Me, the town of Flint encounters an unexpected but very crucial loss of jobs formed by a closing of their General Motors Factory closing, and in the article Weak U.S. Recovery the entire United States felt the same type of unemployment wrath, but this time created by the war. In both instances their was a main event from a specific dependance that the area focused and depended on. Meaning, the town of Flint relied on GM Factories as one of its major money suppliers and just as much of a money loser. That same concepts goes along with the United states and the war.



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Roger and Me

In the documentary Roger and Me, By Michael Moore, the General Motor's factories closed and layed off thousands of Flint Residents. The city of Flint then built a multi-million dollar mall with an indoor ferris wheel, in which they also added a Luxury Hyatt hotel that was meant to pull in more tourists. They thought that adding these attractions would help the city of Flint's cashflow. The Flint residents made very large commitments to help their hometown, by trying to think up all kinds of ideas and events to make themselves and their town money.

When over 30,000 auto workers lost their jobs it put a large damper on the community because that not only minimizes the towns wages, but minimizes its economy as a whole.Just one example of this would be like when a lot of people in a major community go under it sucks the town down with them, because its not only jobs going under and the workers finances, but it then starts affecting things like the schooling around that area and when the schooling gets worse the childrens learning environment starts to take a plunge as well. This can then affect the childrens interest in school and can sometimes lead them to be more prone to violence and other illegal activities.

The main reason Flint is in such a bad condition all goes back to the GM factory. When a city like flint takes such a huge hit by all the job losses it did it is hard to recooperate and fix the damage that has been done. Like stated in the first paragraph they have done a lot of different things to try and rebuild Flint and make it into a better place. Sadly, but true for a city to work and be successful it needs money for fuel. This day in age that same statement applies to almost everything.

Passing Before Life's Very Eyes

The very first part of pathos I noticed in Wolfgangs comic was visual with the guy throwing up in the casket. It reached my emotions because I felt like that was so crazy that someone would be so disrespectful as to throw up not only at a dead mans funeral, but in his casket! The next part of visual pathos I saw was when the man was going back through his life in alternate forms and seeing things like his child first learning how to walk, and then when he was playing catch with his son. Those are some very heart felt moments in a persons life.

In the next section there was a good part that shows more of a linguistic side of pathos. That is when he is flying with himself as a child going through memory lane and his younger self and he explains how people view heaven and he says, "Some folks choose the "Light at the end of the tunnel/dead relatives" package, others ride and albino tiget into the sky with Elvis. We've opted for good ol' "Life for before your very eyes! Memory lane special!" And after I read that I was like "wow" thinking death would be the same for everyone, but the author makes it out like you actually have a choice.

Then towards the end of the comic there was a part where he speaks about death and after he dies, saying 'everyone turns merely into worm food.' Then he starts to say "But i've been good my whole life.. where is my pay off?" And his younger self lets him know that, "living a life of dignity is its own reward." Overall he shows the reader a unique view about life after death by using open minded visuals and descriptive language in his pathos.

The Southland

The Southland was written by Henry miller. The Southland is rich in history and culture. The south is a great place to visit and live. But since the south suffered a great loss in the civil war it had to be rebuilt and is now a "new south" with all the old charm. The pathos that Miller uses is the devistation that the south suffered during the civil war. With Ethos Miller mentions how he is from the south and sees the old battle feils and monuments daily. And as for Logos Miller uses the facts from the war and even before to help his audience understand the southern atittude.

Web Site Analasis

The website i chose to analise was cnn.com/crime. I did the crime section of it because I was particularly interested in what was going on nation wide with the crime these days. The organization is done fairly well, but I feel like it was a bit short and spread out. The audience primarily focused on adults. To my knowledge not too many kids log onto cnn.com in the morning befor they catch the bus. So I would say it is mostly meant for young and old adults. The purpose of the site is to inform the nation and communities with in it of the crimes that are going on not only nation wide, but sometimes even in someones city. The tone is rather dimeaning towards the person they are speaking of in the context. Today it speaks of an officer who was on duty and went to run errends while having a criminal in custody and while he was gone there was a hanging. Now the officer is charged with 41 counts of fraud and related offences. In the context there were a lot of logos and ethos used because the writer wants the community to see why the officer was accused and go along with the law in this case. The site is very easy to use and as soon as you load the site it has a list of different areas you can click on to see various areas of the site. It is easy to use and very easy to read to get a basic understanding of the site.

Analizing A Blog

I looked through a few profiles from the class and i decided to analize Mitzi C's profile. I chose her's because to me it stood out and had a more proffecional feel to it. When she does her blogging it is apparent that she takes time in what she does because most of them are pretty lengthy. Also while writing her blogs they seem like they are set up neatly and some have paragraphing in them. I know as far as myself when i post my blogs i just post one large paragraph and dont really set up my ideas very well. At least that is how it seems when i compare mine to Mitzi's. As far as Mitzi's color schemes, they all fit well on her page and none of the colors clash. She pretty much only has green, and black and white. I suppose she wants people to get the impression that she is a fairly serious person and takes her work seriously. I assume that she always puts a lot of time and effort into her work. As for her personality that may be different than the blogs that she posts. Her blogs also make me think that she is a very tidy person and likes to keep her things together and in order. All in all, she's done well on her page and I enjoyed analizing it.

Responce to Tans Essay

In the essay I read the author is Amy Tan. To me I think the audience is to a lot of different peole. A few different groups I would think stand out the most would be students from this day in age, foriegners, and multi-lingual speakers. I choose these three different groups imparticular, because they relate the most to what she says. I would say her purpose to writting the essay is to inform a variety of people that to make another person (no matter what genre) understand you, just be precise in what you are trying to say and speak with etiquite. People generally are never taught slang in school, at least not by their teachers. So to make a large amount of people understand you, go with you know, and were taught. Like my basketball coaches say, "Don't do it your way, because your shit doesnt work." I guess you can take that saying into almost anything in life. So my advice to everyone is to stick with what you know!

Why We Blog, How We Blog

I would say the easiest mode of communication would be through the internet or just electronically. Electronics are the basic modes of communication now-a-days anyway. The time it takes to send an email is drastically different than the time it takes to mail a letter. The web is instant and that's why i prefer it over anything else. Karl Kapp and Lisa Neal are the authors of the Blogging to Learn and Learning to Blog. They are trying to help people better understand what blogging is and how to use it. They are very helpful in what they say because they not only go through what each part of the blog is meant for and how to use it, but they also explain blogging as a whole and why we have it. I find their site very helpful and useful at the same time. I'm sure I will refer back to it plenty.

Test Post

This is only a test.