The article I read was “Will Boys Be Boys?” by Ann Hulbert. This article gave people a better understanding about what’s happening in our kid’s schools. According to what I read, boys in school are being left behind and their needs are not being met. People are mistaking boy’s hyper active tendencies are having ADD, when really they just need a more hands on learning style. The reason why it’s important to cater to boys learning style is because they are being left behind, fewer boys are graduating high and less are going to collage. The reading is conveying a message that something needs to be done before it gets any worse.
The naysayer in the text is Ann Hulbert, she is pointing fingers at schools for letting this happen, she feels like they are not doing enough to help their learning styles. Ann makes a statement that shows her compassion towards the subject, “Viewing school issues primarily through a gender lens has a way of encouraging a search for one-size-fits-all prescription for each sex.” when what we need is really the opposite. I think that schools are really looking for the cheapest and easiest way to make every one successful and the schools have no consideration of gender what so ever. Hulbert feels strong a placing the blame on our school systems.
An objective that certainly came up when reading this article is how do we know that girls are getting specialized treatment in schools. As far as we know schools don’t have gender effect the way that they teach. Most of them would probably teach the same way no matter what gender. Every teacher has different learning styles, just depending on the teacher. One could be very visual, the other could be very hands on, and the last one could be oral, It would depend on the teacher’s personality and how they teach the subject that they are on.
I think that if you had to show the opposite side of the view it would just be about kids in general and not about gender. If you take a look at our schools there are so many kids in one class and not enough teachers. How can one teacher possibly be able to catier to every childs needs, different kids have different learning styles and it’s hard to fill all of them.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Blog 5 Fantasies in black and white
Blog 5
Bethany Johnson
The main topic of the article “Fantasies in Black and White”, is the statistics and polls taken about how black and white Americans believe that black men and women who cant succeed in life is from their own doing. So in this article one of the naysayers would be the experiment from University of Wisconsin sociologist Devah Pager, his experiment was that white men with criminal records and black men without criminal records apply for the same job and the white men with the criminal records got the jobs, even though the black men were less of a liability for the company. Another naysayer in the article is an experiment by the WSJ, which demonstrated that people whose résumés sported Anglo names were 50 percent more likely to receive interviews than were those with black-sounding ones.
An objection a reader might make in this article is that black people are not always at blame for their own unsuccessfulness, because of reasons such as where they came from and just like the points in the articles made by the naysayers, it can be just their skin color that is their downfall. It is true that in society people do still look down on black people because of their race and this article definitely has two points of view.
Blog 5
In the article "Does Facebook replace Face time or enhance it?" Lisa Selin Davis makes the argument that Facebook does enhance face time. In her article she does not use any naysayers but could have done so and been very effective. For instance if I were to use a naysayer in her article it would be along the lines of:
Some people may respond to my argument with the question of "How can something that is designed to reduce the need for physical interaction actually enhance it?" To that question I respond that while it is true that Facebook is designed to save time and the need for physical interaction, that in itself does not detract from the enhancements Facebook provides when we do have those physical interactions. Facebook allows us the ability to catch up on our friends and family without them being present.
By using a naysayer I have acknowledged the opposition of my position and answered it with in my text. This is a very effective strategy and exposes your position to the real world instead of pretending you are arguing in a vacuum. This strategy also acknowledges your reader as an independent, critical thinker.
Jay Estrela
Some people may respond to my argument with the question of "How can something that is designed to reduce the need for physical interaction actually enhance it?" To that question I respond that while it is true that Facebook is designed to save time and the need for physical interaction, that in itself does not detract from the enhancements Facebook provides when we do have those physical interactions. Facebook allows us the ability to catch up on our friends and family without them being present.
By using a naysayer I have acknowledged the opposition of my position and answered it with in my text. This is a very effective strategy and exposes your position to the real world instead of pretending you are arguing in a vacuum. This strategy also acknowledges your reader as an independent, critical thinker.
Jay Estrela
The Social Signifigance of Barack Obama
Before the Presidential election, Joe Feagin predicted that Barack Obama would not win the election. Feagin believes that white people would never vote for a black person. Feagin thinks that all white people are racist. In his article, Feagin does not have any oppositional points of view. An opposing view is that maybe people that did not vote for the President, do not prefer his political stance. Now it has been almost a year after the election and Barack Obama was elected. Barack Obama could not have been elected unless white people voted for him. This is proof that Joe Feagin was wrong and is a complete moron.
Blog 5 – Is this really the Gilded Age?
In the article “The Rockefellers and Class Warfare” the author Beverly Gage argues that with the rich getting ever so much richer and the poor staying just as poor today, that because of such inequality, we are entering into a new incarnation of what historians refer to as the Gilded Age. She makes a very good argument but leaves it to the reader to challenge her opinions by not offering a naysayer. Including a weak argument against her thesis could in fact strengthen her position.
While the author offers many examples on how the two time periods are very similar, she fails to mention any examples of economic differences between them. One might bring up the fact that today the economic inequality of the early 1900’s is irrelevant to today because the majority of our nation’s workforce falls into the “middle class” classification, one that was almost inexistent during the first “Gilded Age”. In her text she compares “us” to the poor class of the past. But she failed to tell the reader who “us” is today. By connecting “us” to the poor class of the past and the middle class of today, it would be a much clearer argument when she says “that the mega-rich have been growing ever-mega-richer while the rest of us have whiled away our time worrying about health-care deductibles and 3 percent raises”.
While the author offers many examples on how the two time periods are very similar, she fails to mention any examples of economic differences between them. One might bring up the fact that today the economic inequality of the early 1900’s is irrelevant to today because the majority of our nation’s workforce falls into the “middle class” classification, one that was almost inexistent during the first “Gilded Age”. In her text she compares “us” to the poor class of the past. But she failed to tell the reader who “us” is today. By connecting “us” to the poor class of the past and the middle class of today, it would be a much clearer argument when she says “that the mega-rich have been growing ever-mega-richer while the rest of us have whiled away our time worrying about health-care deductibles and 3 percent raises”.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Blog 5: Can We Ever Say a Woman Can't Choose?
Abortion is one of the most controversial subjects in America which is surrounded by legal and ethical issues. The article, “Can We Ever Say a Woman Can’t Choose?” wrote by Frances Kissling argues whether a women should or should not be allowed to choose the abortion. Kissling planted the naysayer very well that could influence the readers and make them think hard about the abortion. Although, she is a pro-choicer, she was able to state pro-lifers’ views fabulously. However, she admits “Still, I realize that expressing pro-life values, when you’re pro-choice, is much more complicated.”
Furthermore, she has raised some objections that may have been inspired by the skeptics in her article. For example, she argues about O’Reilly opening salvo “Do you feel late-term fetuses deserve any protection at all?” and her response is yes. Later, she is able to answer to this objection persuasively when she states “We are pro-life to the extent that we do not want to abuse or harm living things (such as fetuses) if we can avoid it. That at least is our ideal – which we then regularly violate with war, torture, the death penalty, and . . .”
Overall, she makes some valuable points which I agree with them. For instance, she disputes about late-term abortion “When a fetus reaches the point where it could survive outside the uterus, is healthy, and the woman is healthy, and she has had five months to make up her mind, we should say no to abortion.” However, some of her objections such as teenage pregnancy, or ignorance of body because of shame are more convincing than the argument she is advising.
Consequently, Kissling’s article provides most of the possible objections she has anticipated to convince the readers about her point of view as a pro-choicer. Although, she states that she is against the late-abortion, at the end of the text, she confesses she can never force a woman to continue a pregnancy. These controversial statements make her article more challenging, honest and attractive, and this is the reason I chose it as my argument respond paper.
Furthermore, she has raised some objections that may have been inspired by the skeptics in her article. For example, she argues about O’Reilly opening salvo “Do you feel late-term fetuses deserve any protection at all?” and her response is yes. Later, she is able to answer to this objection persuasively when she states “We are pro-life to the extent that we do not want to abuse or harm living things (such as fetuses) if we can avoid it. That at least is our ideal – which we then regularly violate with war, torture, the death penalty, and . . .”
Overall, she makes some valuable points which I agree with them. For instance, she disputes about late-term abortion “When a fetus reaches the point where it could survive outside the uterus, is healthy, and the woman is healthy, and she has had five months to make up her mind, we should say no to abortion.” However, some of her objections such as teenage pregnancy, or ignorance of body because of shame are more convincing than the argument she is advising.
Consequently, Kissling’s article provides most of the possible objections she has anticipated to convince the readers about her point of view as a pro-choicer. Although, she states that she is against the late-abortion, at the end of the text, she confesses she can never force a woman to continue a pregnancy. These controversial statements make her article more challenging, honest and attractive, and this is the reason I chose it as my argument respond paper.
Blog 5
"The Case Against Sotomayor" by Editor Jeffrey Rosen writes about Sotomayor's strengths and weaknesses in arguing if she is intelligent enough to be a Supreme Court justice. Rosen is skeptical about Sotomayor for a Supreme Court Justice which he claims is due to lack of evidence of her intelligence. He reveals his skepticism starting with a brief background of her upbringing such as she was raised in the South Bronx by her single mother, since her father died when Sotomayor was eight, just after she was diagnosed with diabetes. He states she will be the sixth Catholic justice, if she is, truly Catholic.
He only writes one paragraph about her strengths which are the opinions of her former colleagues. His interview with them described Sotomayor as a fair, friendly person who uses her upbringing in the court room with fair intentions. However, the main argument in this article is whether she is intelligent enough to be a Supreme Court justice. Rosen does not mention enough of her educational or professional background that would suggest to the reader that she is not intelligent enough.
Moreover, Sotomayor's shortcomings are presented by opinions from other judge's clerks that did not work directly for her. The argument made against Sotomayor regarding her intelligence as a Supreme Court justice is not strongly supported in order to make an honest, educational opinion of her. Some readers may question if Rosen has researched Sotomayor and her political background enough due to the lack of evidence of both the case against or for her.
Savannah Moore
He only writes one paragraph about her strengths which are the opinions of her former colleagues. His interview with them described Sotomayor as a fair, friendly person who uses her upbringing in the court room with fair intentions. However, the main argument in this article is whether she is intelligent enough to be a Supreme Court justice. Rosen does not mention enough of her educational or professional background that would suggest to the reader that she is not intelligent enough.
Moreover, Sotomayor's shortcomings are presented by opinions from other judge's clerks that did not work directly for her. The argument made against Sotomayor regarding her intelligence as a Supreme Court justice is not strongly supported in order to make an honest, educational opinion of her. Some readers may question if Rosen has researched Sotomayor and her political background enough due to the lack of evidence of both the case against or for her.
Savannah Moore
Blog 5: Naysayer or not?
The article "Race Based Rooting" argues that sports such as the Olympics allows individuals to secretly root for an athlete based on race. Yet taking a better look at the article , Kamiya, who claims that this type "racism" is benign, never brings in opposing views. Did he not find any opposing views? It would be hard not to. Kamiya writes on a topic which is in a gray area, and very difficult to address. He probably didn't want to get in very many details and fervent discussions on the topic- but just show that each and every race and country have different qualities pertaining to them, and this can influence the rooting of fans.
On the other hand, he probably felt that adding a naysayer would weaken and destroy his claim... Why? Reviewing his article, I find that Kamiya did not have many quotes from authority to back up and support his claim. Therefore he probably feared that opposing views might destroy his whole thesis.
An inclusion of a quote or more from those who disagree would have made his article more credible, it would have shown why he holds a different view, because Kamiya could have developed his defense and thesis, by pinpointing weaknesses or logical fallacies in the claims of his opposers and thus strengthening his own.
Yet Kamiya did make sure to mention several objections from readers. The main objections he addressed were that racism is practiced by whites mainly, and that you can never do race based rooting and not be racist. Kamiya almost jokingly pleaded his audience to give him a chance to speak his mind though he may sound like a racist. This technique makes readers loosen up a bit and put down their guard only enough to read to the end and see what Kamiya wants to say.
An example of a rational objection against Kamiya's thesis would be: "How can you prove that race based rooting is benign?"
On the other hand, he probably felt that adding a naysayer would weaken and destroy his claim... Why? Reviewing his article, I find that Kamiya did not have many quotes from authority to back up and support his claim. Therefore he probably feared that opposing views might destroy his whole thesis.
An inclusion of a quote or more from those who disagree would have made his article more credible, it would have shown why he holds a different view, because Kamiya could have developed his defense and thesis, by pinpointing weaknesses or logical fallacies in the claims of his opposers and thus strengthening his own.
Yet Kamiya did make sure to mention several objections from readers. The main objections he addressed were that racism is practiced by whites mainly, and that you can never do race based rooting and not be racist. Kamiya almost jokingly pleaded his audience to give him a chance to speak his mind though he may sound like a racist. This technique makes readers loosen up a bit and put down their guard only enough to read to the end and see what Kamiya wants to say.
An example of a rational objection against Kamiya's thesis would be: "How can you prove that race based rooting is benign?"
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
President Obama Has Not Betrayed the Gay Community
I am writing paper number two on the article President Obama Has Not Betrayed the Gay Community, written by Chris Geidner. Basically this article was written to show Geidner's point of view to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community that yes President Obama has made many mistakes, but that he’s also made some progress, however small it may be it is still progress.
In this article Chris Geidner is defending President Obama’s actions against people like gay activist blogger John Aravosis. Chris Geidner puts a naysayer in his article to show that he understands why the LGBT community may feel that President Obama has fallen short of his promises to give the LGBT community equality. Geidner uses this paragraph to his advantage, he puts examples of negative media spread around by people such as Aravosis and then discusses why these things are either “old news” or false.
(for some reason I can't get it to indent properly, this is a excerpt from the article President Obama Has Not Betrayed the Gay Community)
“Then, this past Friday, I awoke to word at AmericaBlog, the Website of gay activist blogger John Aravosis, that "Obama defends DOMA in federal court" and "invokes incest and marrying children." I was appalled. Aravosis also wrote in another post that the DOJ was "lying" when it said that Justice "generally ... defend[s] the law on the books in court." Then I looked at the brief. I agreed with Aravosis that the brief went too far in some of the language it used in its defense of the statute. But, looking at the law and past cases, I disagreed that the Obama administration had a real choice about whether it would defend DOMA in court and that DOJ's brief "compared us" to incest and pedophilia. And, because some in the community have kept pushing those stories -- despite contrary opinions from Laurence Tribe, Nan Hunter, Robert Raben and others -- I've spent the past week attempting to dispute those claims..”
Geidner further discusses how the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is an issue from President Clinton’s years and that the LGBT community is making a big deal out of old news. Geidner is trying to push peoples minds to the future, to see the good that has been done thus far and to not dwell in the past.
I believe that using a naysayer shows credibility to the article as it allows the readers access to both sides of the story. The readers can see the facts and come up with their own conclusion. I believe that Geidner did a good job convincing the reader that the LGBT community needs to support President Obama rather than be negative about his shortcomings. There is always the possibility that after reading this article people will still believe President Obama has not lived up to what he has promised by putting more emphasis on his wrongs than his rights, I believe that Geidner is also trying to show his readers that in a short amount of time there has still been forward progress.
In this article Chris Geidner is defending President Obama’s actions against people like gay activist blogger John Aravosis. Chris Geidner puts a naysayer in his article to show that he understands why the LGBT community may feel that President Obama has fallen short of his promises to give the LGBT community equality. Geidner uses this paragraph to his advantage, he puts examples of negative media spread around by people such as Aravosis and then discusses why these things are either “old news” or false.
(for some reason I can't get it to indent properly, this is a excerpt from the article President Obama Has Not Betrayed the Gay Community)
“Then, this past Friday, I awoke to word at AmericaBlog, the Website of gay activist blogger John Aravosis, that "Obama defends DOMA in federal court" and "invokes incest and marrying children." I was appalled. Aravosis also wrote in another post that the DOJ was "lying" when it said that Justice "generally ... defend[s] the law on the books in court." Then I looked at the brief. I agreed with Aravosis that the brief went too far in some of the language it used in its defense of the statute. But, looking at the law and past cases, I disagreed that the Obama administration had a real choice about whether it would defend DOMA in court and that DOJ's brief "compared us" to incest and pedophilia. And, because some in the community have kept pushing those stories -- despite contrary opinions from Laurence Tribe, Nan Hunter, Robert Raben and others -- I've spent the past week attempting to dispute those claims..”
Geidner further discusses how the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is an issue from President Clinton’s years and that the LGBT community is making a big deal out of old news. Geidner is trying to push peoples minds to the future, to see the good that has been done thus far and to not dwell in the past.
I believe that using a naysayer shows credibility to the article as it allows the readers access to both sides of the story. The readers can see the facts and come up with their own conclusion. I believe that Geidner did a good job convincing the reader that the LGBT community needs to support President Obama rather than be negative about his shortcomings. There is always the possibility that after reading this article people will still believe President Obama has not lived up to what he has promised by putting more emphasis on his wrongs than his rights, I believe that Geidner is also trying to show his readers that in a short amount of time there has still been forward progress.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Rebel Without A Car?
This article came from an editorial in The Los Angeles Times and presented the arguement that young adults from the Y Generation have been less eager towards getting a car than past generations. Although Generation Y consists mostly of a brand-conscious group, it seems as if cars don't apply to the category. The article states that social networking and the declining economy are large factors to the disinterest in cars.
This article also references to James Dean in his film Rebel Without A Cause and how the cool car, cool guy sense has lost its appeal. Although the author makes a good arguement, the media has been using the car appeal more than ever. With popular car movies such as Transformers II and Fast and the Furious, audiences are anything but bored of cars.
As a member of Generation Y, I disagree with the author's claims. Despite the fact that having and maintaing a car isn't cheap, I couldn't imagine not having my car. Not only is it a form of transportation, it's a form of freedom for young adults whom are still living at home while studying for thier careers.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/uptospeed/2009/10/james-dean-.html
This article also references to James Dean in his film Rebel Without A Cause and how the cool car, cool guy sense has lost its appeal. Although the author makes a good arguement, the media has been using the car appeal more than ever. With popular car movies such as Transformers II and Fast and the Furious, audiences are anything but bored of cars.
As a member of Generation Y, I disagree with the author's claims. Despite the fact that having and maintaing a car isn't cheap, I couldn't imagine not having my car. Not only is it a form of transportation, it's a form of freedom for young adults whom are still living at home while studying for thier careers.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/uptospeed/2009/10/james-dean-.html
Blog 4
And The Nobel Peace Prize Goes To….. Obama?
This weekend you may have heard about the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to President Barack Obama for the honor of… well that can be debated and you can get different answers depending on who you ask. You see President Obama was given the award for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” but many critics are saying that this is quite a stretch of a statement for a very young presidency and the little amount of time that Obama has been in office. The author gives the example that “Mr. Obama seemed wrapped in gratitude for his willingness to listen and negotiate, as well as for his positions on climate change and nuclear disarmament.” However Obama’s opponents disagree and point out that little if not anything has been done on the front of nuclear disarmament citing Iran’s ambitions to become a nuclear superpower and the revelation of secret uranium enrichment facilities recently discovered. Some of his critics even go as far as stating that he was given the award for just not being former President George Bush and others for being the first black president in the United States. Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in an official statement, “The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?’ “
The President’s supporters would argue that he has been sidetracked with the Economy and the fact that our financial system has not failed is an accomplishment in itself. France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy stated the award marked “America’s return to the hearts of the world’s peoples,” while Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said it was an “incentive to the president and to us all” to do more for peace. The President said that he was extremely surprised and had only learned of the honor after being awoken at 6:00 in the morning by staffers who conveyed the news. President Obama now joins the ranks with other sitting American presidents to be given the award such as Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, for negotiating an end to a war between Russia and Japan, Woodrow Wilson in 1919, for the Treaty of Versailles, Jimmy Carter for his efforts on peace and development as well as Al Gore for his role in spreading awareness of Global Warming and climate change.
The author establishes Social Significance by outlining that the President has been given one of the most predigest awards of our society and is accompanied by previous winners such as “world leaders like Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who won for helping end the cold war, and Nelson Mandela, who sought an end to apartheid.” He also brings relevancy to the article by writing a compelling argument as to it being up to the reader to decide the ultimate conclusion based on their personal views.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/world/10nobel.html
This weekend you may have heard about the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to President Barack Obama for the honor of… well that can be debated and you can get different answers depending on who you ask. You see President Obama was given the award for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” but many critics are saying that this is quite a stretch of a statement for a very young presidency and the little amount of time that Obama has been in office. The author gives the example that “Mr. Obama seemed wrapped in gratitude for his willingness to listen and negotiate, as well as for his positions on climate change and nuclear disarmament.” However Obama’s opponents disagree and point out that little if not anything has been done on the front of nuclear disarmament citing Iran’s ambitions to become a nuclear superpower and the revelation of secret uranium enrichment facilities recently discovered. Some of his critics even go as far as stating that he was given the award for just not being former President George Bush and others for being the first black president in the United States. Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in an official statement, “The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?’ “
The President’s supporters would argue that he has been sidetracked with the Economy and the fact that our financial system has not failed is an accomplishment in itself. France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy stated the award marked “America’s return to the hearts of the world’s peoples,” while Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said it was an “incentive to the president and to us all” to do more for peace. The President said that he was extremely surprised and had only learned of the honor after being awoken at 6:00 in the morning by staffers who conveyed the news. President Obama now joins the ranks with other sitting American presidents to be given the award such as Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, for negotiating an end to a war between Russia and Japan, Woodrow Wilson in 1919, for the Treaty of Versailles, Jimmy Carter for his efforts on peace and development as well as Al Gore for his role in spreading awareness of Global Warming and climate change.
The author establishes Social Significance by outlining that the President has been given one of the most predigest awards of our society and is accompanied by previous winners such as “world leaders like Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who won for helping end the cold war, and Nelson Mandela, who sought an end to apartheid.” He also brings relevancy to the article by writing a compelling argument as to it being up to the reader to decide the ultimate conclusion based on their personal views.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/world/10nobel.html
Blog 4..."When are we going to get over it?"
The argument that I am going to summerize is an articles by Andrew M. Manis, an associate professor of history at Macon State College in Georgia. He titled his article "When are we going to get over it?" In it he talked about racism. He blamed the problem of racism mainly on the white race, claiming that they are focus too much on skin color instead of equality. He used the assassination of John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King to show how close minded "conservative whites" are. He questioned "How long before we starting "living out the true meaning" of our creeds, both civil and religious, that all men and women are created equal and that "red and yellow, black and white" all are precious in God's sight?"
Professor Manis establishes social significance because racism is somewhat a problem in some of our societies. But although his claims might be true, I have to say that he is being bias in stating that whites are the main cause of racism. he also establishes social significance by referencing President Obama stating that ... "First, everyday that Barack Obama lives in the White House that Black Slaves Built I’m going to pray that God (and the Secret Service) will protect him and his family from us white people. Second, I’m going to report to the FBI any white person I overhear saying, in seriousness or in jest, anything of a threatening nature about President Obama. Third, I’m going to pray to live long enough to see America surprise the world once again, when white people can “in spirit and in truth” sing of our damnable color prejudice, “We HAVE overcome.”"
http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/01/19/when-are-we-going-to-get-over-it/
Professor Manis establishes social significance because racism is somewhat a problem in some of our societies. But although his claims might be true, I have to say that he is being bias in stating that whites are the main cause of racism. he also establishes social significance by referencing President Obama stating that ... "First, everyday that Barack Obama lives in the White House that Black Slaves Built I’m going to pray that God (and the Secret Service) will protect him and his family from us white people. Second, I’m going to report to the FBI any white person I overhear saying, in seriousness or in jest, anything of a threatening nature about President Obama. Third, I’m going to pray to live long enough to see America surprise the world once again, when white people can “in spirit and in truth” sing of our damnable color prejudice, “We HAVE overcome.”"
http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/01/19/when-are-we-going-to-get-over-it/
Blog 4
The argument that I am analyzing was a report on CBS 8 on the recent study on the existence of water on the moon. The piece was rather short at roughly 5 minutes on air. The reporter gave a brief explanation on the study and what was involved. The main points that the reported focused on were the costs associated with the study. The reporter put major focus on the dollar amount being spent on the study. 600 million dollars... The argument that the reporter is making is that the exploration was too expensive when the government is in a finical crisis.
The way that the reporter established social significance was by relating the cost to the economic situation that we all were facing. Since the current economic situation affects everyone it allows the cost of the exploration to be related to everyone.
Who cares? Everyone who has an interest in the way the government spends the taxpayers money. The report addressed a much larger issue then just the Moon study. The article addressed the way the government is spending millions of our tax dollars on studies when there are other much more pressing issues at hand.
So what? What matters here is the big picture of government spending. During a financial crisis the government should not be spending hundreds of millions on a space study when there are better more relevant things to be spending money on. The way the government spends money affects everyone.
Jay Estrela
The way that the reporter established social significance was by relating the cost to the economic situation that we all were facing. Since the current economic situation affects everyone it allows the cost of the exploration to be related to everyone.
Who cares? Everyone who has an interest in the way the government spends the taxpayers money. The report addressed a much larger issue then just the Moon study. The article addressed the way the government is spending millions of our tax dollars on studies when there are other much more pressing issues at hand.
So what? What matters here is the big picture of government spending. During a financial crisis the government should not be spending hundreds of millions on a space study when there are better more relevant things to be spending money on. The way the government spends money affects everyone.
Jay Estrela
Blog #4 H1N1 vaccine
What side effects should be expected from the H1N1 vaccine? According to an article in the NC Times entitled, “Intense Tracking for Swine Flu Shot’s Side Effects”, the side effects from the “Swine Flu” vaccine are not fully known. The new vaccine for the H1N1 virus came out this month and has been abundantly administered to many Americans in which it was highly recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research has shown very mild side effects, from the vaccine thus far, which includes a small, sore, red spot from the shot itself. The main question is whether this new, shortly researched, vaccine causes harmful side effects such as heart attacks, miscarriages, anaphylaxis or Guillain-Barre syndrome-a rare, possibly fatal, paralysis believed to be caused from vaccinations from flu shots? The government will be closely watching the number of these cases to see if there is a rise that may be contributed from the H1N1 vaccine.
So, who cares? Whoever considers getting this vaccine or has had the vaccine should monitor closely and report any abnormal side effects or change in their health. The risk involved in flu vaccinations, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, happens between 1 and 2 out of every 100,000 people. With rapid and mass administration of this new vaccine there are bound to be a rise in cases versus the annual administration from the usual flu vaccine. Dr. Daniel Salmon from the Department of Health and Human Services stated, “Every day, bad things happen to people. When you vaccinate a lot of people in a short period of time, some of those things are going to happen to some people by chance alone.”
So what? Ultimately, what is at stake here is the H1N1 vaccine has not had adequate time in research to determine what are the long term affects from this vaccine. Is it worth getting the vaccine risking the small chance of possible fatal side effects? “Scientists never could prove whether the vaccine really caused the extra risk. The CDC maintains that if the regular winter flu vaccine is related, the risk is no more than a single case per million vaccinated.”
Savannah Moore
http://www.nctimes.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/article
What side effects should be expected from the H1N1 vaccine? According to an article in the NC Times entitled, “Intense Tracking for Swine Flu Shot’s Side Effects”, the side effects from the “Swine Flu” vaccine are not fully known. The new vaccine for the H1N1 virus came out this month and has been abundantly administered to many Americans in which it was highly recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research has shown very mild side effects, from the vaccine thus far, which includes a small, sore, red spot from the shot itself. The main question is whether this new, shortly researched, vaccine causes harmful side effects such as heart attacks, miscarriages, anaphylaxis or Guillain-Barre syndrome-a rare, possibly fatal, paralysis believed to be caused from vaccinations from flu shots? The government will be closely watching the number of these cases to see if there is a rise that may be contributed from the H1N1 vaccine.
So, who cares? Whoever considers getting this vaccine or has had the vaccine should monitor closely and report any abnormal side effects or change in their health. The risk involved in flu vaccinations, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, happens between 1 and 2 out of every 100,000 people. With rapid and mass administration of this new vaccine there are bound to be a rise in cases versus the annual administration from the usual flu vaccine. Dr. Daniel Salmon from the Department of Health and Human Services stated, “Every day, bad things happen to people. When you vaccinate a lot of people in a short period of time, some of those things are going to happen to some people by chance alone.”
So what? Ultimately, what is at stake here is the H1N1 vaccine has not had adequate time in research to determine what are the long term affects from this vaccine. Is it worth getting the vaccine risking the small chance of possible fatal side effects? “Scientists never could prove whether the vaccine really caused the extra risk. The CDC maintains that if the regular winter flu vaccine is related, the risk is no more than a single case per million vaccinated.”
Savannah Moore
http://www.nctimes.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/article
"Eight Healthy Reasons To Drink Beer"
In an article in Forbes magazine by Allison Van Dusen, the healthy effects of beer drinking were discussed. The article gave eight reasons why drinking moderately was healthy for adults. For example, men that have a few beers a week have a 30 percent less chance of having a heart attack and may help prevent Type 2 diabetes. ""People should realize that a little bit of alcohol on a regular basis decreases the risks of aging," says Ellison, who specializes in researching, among other things, the relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and chronic diseases". However, moderation is key. Researchers warn that over consumption will have negative affects on health.
The author establishes social significance in these two quoted paragraphs,
The author establishes social significance in these two quoted paragraphs,
"Interest in the health effects of beer has been growing over the past eight to 10 years in tandem with a rise in the popularity of craft beers--usually defined as products of brewers who make fewer than 2 million barrels a year, says Nancy Tringali Piho, a spokeswoman for the National Beer Wholesalers Association.
Unlike many mass-produced beers, craft beers tend to be brewed with a particular focus on flavor, appearance and aroma. Their appeal has attracted an upscale audience that's curious about the beverage and how it compares with wine health-wise".
Here's a link to the article: http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/14/beer-drink-health-forbeslife-cx_avd_0317health.html
Friday, October 9, 2009
Blog 4: One More Reason to Get Enough Sleep.
Have you ever thought getting enough sleep has a significant positive influence in your life? For example, if you can sleep well, you usually wake up energetic and happy, so you will be able to handle your daily problems easier. However, sleep loss usually leads to be more sensitive about the difficulties and struggling with the ordinary troubles. According to the article “One more reason to get enough sleep” researched by the faculty of Harvard medical school, short-term sleepless can cause reduced awareness, daytime drowsiness, bad temper, and trouble concentrating. Furthermore, long-term sleep loss can lead to severe effects including depression, hypertension, health problems, and stroke. Recently some new research is suggesting that lack of enough sleep can even results to obesity. Consequently, getting enough sleep is essential to attain and retain an appropriate weight as well as exercise and healthy diet.
In this article, some related researches and results are stated to define the connection between the sleep and weight. “In one, researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical Center recruited 924 women and men, ages 18--91, from local medical practices and interviewed them about sleep habits, health problems, and sleep disorders. Weight and height measurements were taken and subjects were classified by body mass index, or BMI.”
As a result, this article claims that insufficient sleep influences body weight by distracting some metabolic functions as well as some hormones which leads to increase the appetite. As Stanford and Wisconsin University hypothesis verified that
“Ghrelin (GRAY-lin), an appetite-stimulating hormone, might be involved as well. . . In people who slept less than eight hours per day, body mass index rose in direct proportion to decreases in sleep time. Further, people who slept less had elevated ghrelin and reduced leptin, a combination that can result in hunger. ”
These findings have significant consequences in individual’s life because according to this article, most people in the United States sleep seven hours per night which is one hour less than health experts recommended. So if you sleep seven hours per night or less, you may want to reconsider and change your schedule to get enough sleep. This will benefit you to stay healthier as well as avoiding depression, obesity and other health problems which will be caused by sleep deprivation. However, the connection between sleeplessness and obesity is still under investigation.
Link to the article:
http://galenet.galegroup.com.prox.miracosta.edu/servlet/HWRC/hits?docNum=A169327725&tcit=1_1_0_1_0_1&index=BA&locID=ocea63505&rlt=1&origSearch=true&t=RK&s=1&r=d&items=0&secondary=false&o=&n=10&l=d&sgPhrase=false&searchTerm=2NTA&c=3&bucket=ref&SU=Depression+effects
In this article, some related researches and results are stated to define the connection between the sleep and weight. “In one, researchers at Eastern Virginia Medical Center recruited 924 women and men, ages 18--91, from local medical practices and interviewed them about sleep habits, health problems, and sleep disorders. Weight and height measurements were taken and subjects were classified by body mass index, or BMI.”
As a result, this article claims that insufficient sleep influences body weight by distracting some metabolic functions as well as some hormones which leads to increase the appetite. As Stanford and Wisconsin University hypothesis verified that
“Ghrelin (GRAY-lin), an appetite-stimulating hormone, might be involved as well. . . In people who slept less than eight hours per day, body mass index rose in direct proportion to decreases in sleep time. Further, people who slept less had elevated ghrelin and reduced leptin, a combination that can result in hunger. ”
These findings have significant consequences in individual’s life because according to this article, most people in the United States sleep seven hours per night which is one hour less than health experts recommended. So if you sleep seven hours per night or less, you may want to reconsider and change your schedule to get enough sleep. This will benefit you to stay healthier as well as avoiding depression, obesity and other health problems which will be caused by sleep deprivation. However, the connection between sleeplessness and obesity is still under investigation.
Link to the article:
http://galenet.galegroup.com.prox.miracosta.edu/servlet/HWRC/hits?docNum=A169327725&tcit=1_1_0_1_0_1&index=BA&locID=ocea63505&rlt=1&origSearch=true&t=RK&s=1&r=d&items=0&secondary=false&o=&n=10&l=d&sgPhrase=false&searchTerm=2NTA&c=3&bucket=ref&SU=Depression+effects
Article: US Researchers Find Garlic Beneficial For Your Health
Go garlic! Those who suffer from high blood pressure might be encouraged by the findings of a research on that "dreadfully smelly" herb/vegetable: garlic. In the article: US Researchers Find Garlic Beneficial For Your Health, author John Wolper presents the findings of the study. He explains that according to the research, garlic has a chemical compound named allicin which allows red blood cells to release hydrogen sulfide in the body, thus relaxing blood vessels and allowing oxygen to reach the brain and other organs in the body, and reducing blood pressure.
Wolper establishes social significance several times throughout his article. He addresses the "Who Cares?" question with strong supporting arguments in his first paragraph, letting readers know that not just any scientists consider garlic important: "A US study conducted by a team of biologists from the University of Alabama in Birmingham shows that garlic causes red blood cells to release hydrogen sulfide in the body that relaxes blood vessels."
He does the same thing in the last paragraph by letting readers know (as an afterthought) that this study isn't a scam to make consumers buy more garlic: The research and its conclusions were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Wolper also answers the "So What?" question by reminding the audience: "It is known that hypertension – high blood pressure – is a major risk factor for heart disease." Therefore the study he presents is worth reading if hypertension or heart disease is of concern to many people, and possibly of concern to the audience as well.
He mentions that the health benefits of garlic were "known for centuries" but that this research is relevant to today's society because it may be used against such problems as heart disease and cancer: The beneficial properties of garlic are known for centuries, but this research may lead to a standardized garlic diet that may have healing results for cardiovascular diseases and even cancer.
Link to article: http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_US_Researchers_Find_Garlic_Beneficial_For_Your_Health_09668.html
Wolper establishes social significance several times throughout his article. He addresses the "Who Cares?" question with strong supporting arguments in his first paragraph, letting readers know that not just any scientists consider garlic important: "A US study conducted by a team of biologists from the University of Alabama in Birmingham shows that garlic causes red blood cells to release hydrogen sulfide in the body that relaxes blood vessels."
He does the same thing in the last paragraph by letting readers know (as an afterthought) that this study isn't a scam to make consumers buy more garlic: The research and its conclusions were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Wolper also answers the "So What?" question by reminding the audience: "It is known that hypertension – high blood pressure – is a major risk factor for heart disease." Therefore the study he presents is worth reading if hypertension or heart disease is of concern to many people, and possibly of concern to the audience as well.
He mentions that the health benefits of garlic were "known for centuries" but that this research is relevant to today's society because it may be used against such problems as heart disease and cancer: The beneficial properties of garlic are known for centuries, but this research may lead to a standardized garlic diet that may have healing results for cardiovascular diseases and even cancer.
Link to article: http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_US_Researchers_Find_Garlic_Beneficial_For_Your_Health_09668.html
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Exercise can extend survival even in 'oldest old'
This article, Exercise can extend survival even in ‘oldest old’ by Lindsey Tanner, relays the results of a study performed in Jerusalem from 1990 to 2008. The purpose of the study was to show that people in their mid to late 80’s benefit from being active, exercising four hours or more a week, versus being inactive, exercising less than four hours a week, improves the lives of this population and of others not only by extending their lifespan but by also improving their health and day to day activities in general.
Lindsey Tanner includes many relevant statements and results of this study to show the targeted population that in fact, exercising is a better way to improve their lives. According to Tanner’s article, “Active octogenarians also reported less depression and loneliness and a greater ability to perform daily tasks.” This statement is confirmed by Laura Thorp, a researcher at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center who said, "Even those who are not exercisers or athletes can start and still see substantial benefits." This statement is also important because it shows that even if the targeted population hasn’t been active at any point before in their life, being active now can give positive results.
To further show who cares, Tanner inserts, “Similar benefits have been shown in people in their 60s and 70s” into her article. This is an important statement as it extends the results not only to people in their mid to late 80’s but people in their 60’s and 70’s. The target population is a very large one, not only is it for a person already in this age group, but it’s for people about to get into the age group as well. Tanner shows relevance to these people because if this generation wants to live a healthier longer lifestyle they will become more active. Another target audience is the loved ones of these age groups, who maybe have influence over this older population’s lifestyle.
People of today are always searching for the latest and greatest way to improve the lifestyles of all populations. Lindsey Tanner does a great job arguing for her position in this article. She addresses the who cares? And the so what? questions that every good argumentative writing should have. She gives many different points of view from experts that in fact the information obtained in the research study is relevant and useful to give the ‘oldest old’ population a better and healthier life.
All quoted excerpts:
Tanner, Lindsey. "Exercise can extend survival even in 'oldest old'" Yahoo News. Exercise can extend survival even in 'oldest old' Web.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/ap_on_he_me/us_med_octogenarian_exercise
Lindsey Tanner includes many relevant statements and results of this study to show the targeted population that in fact, exercising is a better way to improve their lives. According to Tanner’s article, “Active octogenarians also reported less depression and loneliness and a greater ability to perform daily tasks.” This statement is confirmed by Laura Thorp, a researcher at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center who said, "Even those who are not exercisers or athletes can start and still see substantial benefits." This statement is also important because it shows that even if the targeted population hasn’t been active at any point before in their life, being active now can give positive results.
To further show who cares, Tanner inserts, “Similar benefits have been shown in people in their 60s and 70s” into her article. This is an important statement as it extends the results not only to people in their mid to late 80’s but people in their 60’s and 70’s. The target population is a very large one, not only is it for a person already in this age group, but it’s for people about to get into the age group as well. Tanner shows relevance to these people because if this generation wants to live a healthier longer lifestyle they will become more active. Another target audience is the loved ones of these age groups, who maybe have influence over this older population’s lifestyle.
People of today are always searching for the latest and greatest way to improve the lifestyles of all populations. Lindsey Tanner does a great job arguing for her position in this article. She addresses the who cares? And the so what? questions that every good argumentative writing should have. She gives many different points of view from experts that in fact the information obtained in the research study is relevant and useful to give the ‘oldest old’ population a better and healthier life.
All quoted excerpts:
Tanner, Lindsey. "Exercise can extend survival even in 'oldest old'" Yahoo News. Exercise can extend survival even in 'oldest old' Web.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/ap_on_he_me/us_med_octogenarian_exercise
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