Tuesday, December 8, 2009

It's here... It's here!!!

Final Exam for COM121
1. (for all but the students that passed the midterm) Read the David Sedaris article. Write a 5 paragraph essay about why he could never be a good teacher OR how he has to change to be a good teacher.
2. (for all students that didn't A OUT of class) Choose one of the following topics to write a 7-paragraph persuasive essay on.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/12/major-nidal-hassan-fort-hood-muslim-opinions-columnists-melik-kaylan.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/09/AR2009110903618.html?hpid=topnews
1. Should Nidal Hassan get the death penalty or life in prison for his murder spree at Fort Hood?
2. Should Nidal Hassan be charged with crimes of terrorism or extreme pre-meditated murder?
3. Should Nidal Hassan have had 13 or 14 charges of murder placed against him?
4. Should American intelligence agencies continue to follow Bush-era intelligence gathering procedures AND / OR profile against potential violent Islamic jihadists in an effort to keep terrorism from happening?
5. Support or attack the right to freedom of speech when it comes to stopping people from promoting dangerous / terroristic ideas.
6. One of the biggest issues concerning Hassan was his fear that Muslims would see the situations in Afghanistan and Iraq as a war on Muslims. Support or defend the idea that Americans (especially Americans in the military) should place the needs of their nation (in our case, America – despite wherever they may have been originally from) above those of anything else that they are or do.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,579705,00.html?test=latestnews
7. Is H1N1 a serious pandemic or an overhyped media creation?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,579747,00.html?test=latestnews
8. 4 Washington police officers were murdered in cold blood by a lifetime felon who had been on parole (Mike Huckabee made this happen) after multiple felonies (due to the felon’s youthful nature during his offenses). In light of this, should America toughen criminal laws against violent youth offenders who all too often go on to become career criminals?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8402138.stm
9. What should the U.S. do regarding the war situation in Afghanistan?
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2454034/tiger_woods_scandal_grabs_more_attention.html
10. Is the situation involving Climate-gate a sign that the media and political minded scientists are willing to do anything to suppress the falseness of global warming, OR is it conservatives and businesses looking to do whatever they can to keep from getting blamed for the seriousness of global warming?
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/12/tiger_barrack_and_the_law_of_t.html
11. Regarding Tiger Woods’ wife Elin, attack or defend the idea that she should stand by her man (for love and / or for money)?
12. Regarding Tiger Woods himself, he was a sports star that transcended athletics, humanity, and race. In the end, he keeps getting charged with more and more women who he slept with and paid off to keep quiet while all the while being marketed as a wholesome hero for all time. Persuade America on how they should see their entertainers. You can also do this with Michael Jackson or any other entertainer.
13. Regarding the above, persuade Tiger to be a better MAN than he is.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1259010974910&pagename=JPArticle/ShowFull
14. Many people have accused Obama of doing nothing since he has been in office. Persuade these people that he has succeeded in doing many things for America or that this opinion is partisan politics or agree with it.
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbianactivism/p/BarackObama.htm
15. Many people have accused Obama of being wishy washy regarding his beliefs on things (in this case, gay marriage). Persuade these people that he is consistent on these things or that this opinion is partisan politics or agree with it.
http://www.thebailoutgame.us/
16. Persuade the government not to give more bailouts, to redistribute the money that they do have better, or to give another bailout of any sector of the United States based on how well or poorly you can assume that they have already done.
http://www.darfurisdying.com/
17. Persuade the government to get involved in helping to end the genocide in Darfur.
http://newsone.com/nation/reid-compares-opposing-health-care-reform-to-opposing-emancipation-civil-rights/
18. Attack or defend Harry Reid for equating those who aren’t fighting for GOVERNMENT LED health care reform as being the equals of those who didn’t fight to end slavery fast enough.
19. Persuade the American public to accept GOVERNMENT LED health care reform or for the government to keep their hands off of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcE2ufqtzyk
20. Based on the Tom Friedman video we watched in class, persuade your fellow college students that by not taking their education seriously, they are condemning America to be a nation of mediocrity that will quickly be replaced by people from other countries who will do their jobs cheaper and better. This is the only way you may argue this position.

Friday, November 20, 2009

LITTLE BIG WAR assignment

COM121 - we will read the following article for homework for Wednesday the 22nd.
Little Big War.

You can take 1 note card worth of notes.

Concentrate on the 4 sides of the argument (the Tokala, the Badlands National Park Superintendant, the other Native Americans, and the scientists that study the Badlands).

This is a true story. Currently, since whatever happened (I have no idea - can't get a response from the Badlands for info), this is the new management plan discussions for the park. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THIS - ONLY LITTLE BIG WAR.

This is another 40 point assignment that you will need to do.

You need to have this assignment with to get credit.
It can not be handed in late.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

What a difference 14 years makes.

On November 17, 1995 (at 1040am), I was getting out of the Air Force. What were you doing with your life?

The point is not to say that the Air Force was or is the answer (or isn't for that matter), but it's just interesting to think that the lives we are living become so rapidly different so quickly and all the things that we think are so important one day change.

For that matter, the things we work to become continue to define us in the now and one day we wake up and we're completely different people.

I'm just saying.

Monday, November 16, 2009

GRIZZLY BEAR assignment

For Monday the 20th, COM121 students will debate whether the grizzly bear should or should not be taken off of the endangered species list. While this is an older assignment than the decision, there are reasons that this should or should not have been done AND that the decision could be reversed.

Bring your knowledge of wildlife to the class along with a notecard full of knowledge on the topic. We'll be doing a 40-point assignment in class!

You need to have this assignment with to get credit.
It can not be handed in late.

Friday, November 13, 2009

SAMPLE PERSUASIVE ESSAY for content as it does not include citations!!

THIS IS NOT ONLY A SAMPLE APA PERSUASIVE ESSAY, BUT YOU MAY ALSO USE IT FOR THE FINAL IF YOU CHOOSE TO ARGUE MY POINTS ON WHY SLASHER MOVIES SERVE NO PURPOSE AND SHOULD NOT BE MADE.

Visual entertainment has become the medium that it is today by its ability to express various ideas and images for the masses. However, in recent times, movies have pushed this art form in certain directions that have left behind the entertainment value while instead opting for shock value. Nowhere is this truer than in the genre of “slasher movies,” which have been pushed into a direction that serves to only foster an addiction to gore and an amoral expression of love for villains. Thus, it is clear that if the movie industry cannot police itself, then people need to stand up and give it a reason to stop making these unscrupulous movies.
A perfect example to explain the negativity of this phenomenon is Natural Born Killers, the Quentin Tarantino written film that he later disowned after Oliver Stone’s unauthorized changes. In this movie, a television crew follows Mickey and Mallory, a pair of serial killers, through their killings and into the world of just how much America loves the ultra-violent killers that fill its tabloids. Throughout the film, carnage ensues through the destruction of all that should be good and people even beg to be killed by their idol killers while the audience is inundated with a message of depravity packaged in a rock and roll soundtrack. At the end, the killers are still on the loose, justice hasn’t been served, and bodies are piled up with more deaths sure to follow since the “heroes” have escaped. Though this is not true slasher horror, it still allows the observer to look at the industry by using a film that offers offers a clear insight into how modern culture could embrace this love of violence in the way that it does.
While Natural Born Killers was finally released in 1994 after much negative press and discussion of whether it should be released at all, it acts as the end transition of 15 years of celluloid films that begins with Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street. If the progression of 15 years takes popular culture there, then it is easy to extrapolate where the 15 year anniversary of that movie will take pop culture. However, while there is an ultra and excessive violence in them, the problem with these movies and those that follow them as a whole lie not in the violence, but rather in the walk-away message. To understand this, it needs to be said that violence is not something to be hidden, but it is a part of society that most rational people would seek to avoid. At the most extreme moments, a sane and well-adjusted person will grasp that violence is necessary. The extremely pious St. Augustine even wrote of a theory for just wars. However, in these times, people are not always so religious, but our culture can still be moral. For example, if a country has to go to war against an enemy that it can side against, then violence seems necessary. Thus, in the national psyche, it’s easier to go to war against a Hitler or a Bin Laden than a Saddam Hussein, which in and of itself leads to questions of the moral nature of war and violence. In addition and in clear showing of the gray areas of violence, how much force should be used against criminals by their potential victims is debated in the right to carry and utilize concealed weapons. Even after society catches and convicts felons, in some circles, it still debates the death penalty against them as some savage use of an “eye for an eye” as hypocrisy in that it’s legalizing a government killing someone as punishment for killing or excessively hurting someone else. All the while, this society takes the moral high ground in these issues while it revels like a pig in the celluloid murk as it delights in the brutality of Saw, Scream, and Hostel.
In this necessity for violence, society does need to evaluate and leave itself to think about what violence means. As previously stated, the actual image of violence itself is not the issue. The questions that movies such as A History of Violence presents do seek to express things with a deeper sociological purpose. Without the expressions of violence within, A History of Violence’s expression of violence as a human genetic trait is pointless. The same can be said for the deeper historical significance of Saving Private Ryan. If the reader isn’t emotionally crushed in the barrage of gunfire that bookends the movie in a blanket of grainy and drab colors that are viciously coated in smatterings of red, it is not the movie that it was set to be. The artistic image could not be complete as if done in the trademark way that cartoons such as GI Joe use to make sure that no missile, bullet, or bomb actually takes a human life. It would also not be the same if it followed the style that was used in the TV shows of the 50’s when fake gunfire went off and people fell or clutched themselves to show that they were injured. It is needed to express the grim finality of war’s actual nature. For this, there needs to be a showing that there are no magic words spoken before death. All that exists is the cold finality of the moment and the loss of a human life. There is no other way to show that war is hell. However, a viewer delighting in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, be it the original or the remake, gets no heroism, no characterization, and just an excessive dose of entrails and blood.
While literature has used the antihero in artistic and humorous ways to focus on people with traits that would be without heroism, movies have transformed the genre in a completely different way by giving the viewer the chance to root for the villain. There is no other purpose for watching Michael Meyers, Freddie Krueger, or Jason than to see them kill helpless teenagers and adults in more and more grotesque ways. As a result, a true bloodlust is created and the viewer is desensitized to this shock and awe. Constant studies into violence prove this. Thus, it is necessary to make sure that while a person knows that violence is real and has many facets, society needs to ensure that people see violence in the right capacities.
One way that society does this is labeling movies as art. A perfect example of this is the Oscar winning film Silence of the Lambs. There is a true mystery here, but somehow, it gets lost from its original intent when it presents evil in a way that romanticizes the villain. Following this, Thomas Harris, the author, wrote his next book Hannibal and got diverted completely into shock value, obviously intrigued by the book’s sale potential, by leaving Hannibal Lecter, his maniacally evil doctor gone to the darkside, to be joined romantically by the former stabilization force that was detective Clarice Starling. This repulsed Jodie Foster, the star of the original movie, so much that she balked on returning for the follow-up role. All the same, the movie commenced without her, and viewers were still allowed their chance to see a character that was once considered art to be twisted into a further metamorphosis of un-necessary gruesome scenes. Clearly, one person’s protest wasn’t enough since society still has a thirst for gore.
In that, society has become so enthralled by this quest for the next great butchering that stars such as Paris Hilton will sign up to be killed in House of Wax. When the filming is done, they even market the film with the tagline that the viewer can “see Paris die.” As more and more movies and movie spoofs come out, the genre is a great way for former child actresses such as Michelle Trachtenberg and Beverly Mitchell to completely reinvent themselves in “unwholesome” ways with such blood-drenched fare as Black Christmas and Saw 2. In this, a new trend of society seems to take place when viewers are further allowed to fulfill some twisted nature where they can see the stars of their childhood terrorized by products of the world’s nightmares.
For this, the concept of fear and a feeling of terror are also not what offend the thinking movie viewer. For this, Aristotle made provisions with his rules for tragedy when he stated, “'Those who employ spectacular means to create a sense not of the terrible, but only of the monstrous, are strangers to the purpose of Tragedy.” Directors who follow these words from Poetics can still envision scenes of shock and terror and do so without the excessive gore that characterizes these other objectionable movies. Nowhere is this done better than in The Sixth Sense when the young boy, Cole, is trapped in a closet with the ghosts that are coming to him in an effort to be relieved of the burdens of their death. Of course, the reader doesn’t know this at the time. Instead, he is fixated on the plight of Cole. While the viewer helplessly watches on as hammering sounds pulsate from beyond the walls. Cole’s mother eventually gets to the protagonist, but not quickly enough to save him from his fright, and for this, the viewer is equally shaken up. In this sense, M. Night Shyamalan perfects the art of what Aristotle and a true artistic director, as opposed to a shock and gore director, would want from his movies.
Nevertheless, the quest for the next big opening weekend money movie goes on and on, but one can’t help but wonder if it should. When the genre lampoons itself with Scream or the lyrics of Camper Van Beethoven’s “Axe Murderer Song” say it all with the lines “Why do axe murderers only attack when you're partially nude or you're taking a bath,” there is nothing left that needs to be said by a new movie with new younger stars to rush to the limelight.
In the face of a culture that is gasping its own last breath of originality, it would seem that there is no corner that hasn’t been covered. Even on some questionably artistic level, the concept of the indestructibility of evil has been done with No Country for Old Men. There is simply no stone left unturned other than to keep promoting shock value and the evisceration of naked co-eds to tantalize its depraved viewers.
As a result, there is no need for another senseless celluloid serial killer to come into existence. If modern society is surely as advanced and civilized as it claims to be with its campaigns for human rights for suspected terrorists, then it can honor itself by just saying no to these films. If this truly is a society that values life, then it will refuse to reward meaningless death with its cash.
Who knows; if society refuses this carnage at one level, then maybe it can just say no to additional senseless violence that is promoted by “gangsta” culture and video games like Grand Theft Auto and Bully. Maybe by just making this one change in popular culture, it will force people to focus on the being happy and attaining the good things in life instead of glorifying the ultimate villains that plague our world with their deviance and criminal nature.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Stuff to turn in with your essay on Monday

which is due when we get INTO class.

If your essay won't print, send it as a .doc or .docx.

No excuses. No other formats.

What you know.
What you want to know.
Notes. (a sufficient amount BY MY STANDARDS)
PRINTED OUT URLS.
A rough draft that is typed and similar (though different) to the real essay.
The real essay.
An outline that works.

If you're missing stuff, you're giving up points.

Don't give up points.

Do what you have to do in order to pass this class.

You're brilliant (if you want to be).

I know you can be successful. Do you?

Under 75% gets a redo for 75% max.

Late gets no redo.

A B is a good grade on this paper.

Do what you have to do in order to kick butt.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Statistics Remedial Assignment

Students MUST get the concept of incorporating statistics and quotes.
You need to see the Angel Online PowerPoints entitled Making Statistics Say Something and Making Statistics Say Something More Exciting. These will help you incorporate, express meaning, and avoid the tendency to give factual information of WHAT (instead of what you can infer from the statistics as a larger meaning of WHY). If you want to do well on this research paper, you WILL DO THIS ASSIGNMENT AND TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.

Really.

As a result, you will go here for 2 statistics (each 1 incorporated into ITS OWN paragraph that is typed). You will also take a quote and incorporate it into its own typed paragraph.

These can only be turned in during class on Monday morning.

21 things that I can infer from the statistics we took in class
in⋅fer
1. to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence: They inferred his displeasure from his cool tone of voice.
2. (of facts, circumstances, statements, etc.) to indicate or involve as a conclusion; lead to.
3. to guess; speculate; surmise.
4. to hint; imply; suggest.

deduce

1. to derive as a conclusion from something known or assumed; infer: From the evidence the detective deduced that the gardener had done it.

1. The fact that 49% of people use Myspace compared to Facebook’s 70% shows that this is a dominant social networking site for people aged 18-24 because of its less childish appearance.
2. Despite its trendy status in many advertising markets, only a small percentage of college students (16%) seem interested in adding a new social networking site to their web-based activities.
3. The small percentage of students that venture into alternative social networking sites implies that very few (16%) students seem interested in finding friends online who share their specific interests (instead they prefer generalized and superficial communication on the mega social networks).
4. The web is truly a handy tool for a large percentage of people (62%) to find long lost friends, but more investigation is needed to find out if people keep these friends after finding them.
5. By a 9 to 1 measure, students tend to watch more videos on www.youtube.com than anywhere else, and even then, very few students watch other sites as a “protest” against you tube. This might come from the fact that few students could name another video site.
6. The most popular activities on the web are getting directions (76%), listening to the radio (73%), watching you tube (70%), and banking (67%). It might be determined that the reason that more people don’t bank online is because they don’t have bank accounts.
7. Since only 22% of the students that were surveyed watch Hulu, this suggests that watching television on a small screen is just not something that students have the interest in or the time to do.
8. One can also add to this the 41% of students that get their Internet fix on their cell phones where this option of watching television is not available.
9. An alarming number of students (22%) know someone who has been harassed online. Perhaps, this comes from the anonymous nature of the medium to allow thug-like behavior to occur "without" fear of repercussion.
10. The fact that www.yahoo.com is the primary e-mail of 13 students suggests that people’s use of service providers is fleeting and changes very often. Thus, people want to stick with a permanent address.
11. Of those students addressed, over ¾ (78%) of them wanted to see if they could find themselves online. However, we can't tell if they are looking to see if they were done wrong or to see if someone remembers them in a positive way.
12. In an era of having a social networking site to place all one’s pictures, only 25% of respondents wanted to use a professional print service to place their pictures for others to see and buy. This suggests that if people want pictures, it’s not as a piece of paper, but rather as a digital artifact.
13. Nearly 7/10 people (68%) have taken at least 1 other class online. This states that teachers are embracing the digital world to share assignments and communication with students; thus, students are forced to keep up or fail classes.
14. As time goes by, more and more people (22%) know someone who was busted for downloading online. Nevertheless, this deters very few people from downloading illegally.
15. On Limewire alone, 41% of students have used this site. Of the other sites, of which there were 10, 32% of students download with these sites. In comparison, only 19% of students use pay sites. All the same, some students pay to download for some things and download illegally for others. This suggests that some bands are determined to be more worthy of one’s hard earned cash than other bands.
16. The fact that so few students play fantasy sports (under 15%) suggests a lack of time commitment to something that lasts so long. However, of those that do play, most play multiple sports.
17. As more people go online to get their movies through Blockbuster and Netflix (27%), this suggests that people want a greater selection of videos than the store offers and are willing to wait for DVDs if it means not having to worry about driving to get them.
18. That over half of the students (57%) go to Ebay suggests that stores aren’t the only places that hold bargains and most people would prefer to at least take the opportunity to find things cheaper. However, with only 27% of students being a Paypal member, this suggests that while some people are looking to be in business with their own merchandise, it’s not an overwhelming desire for students to have this option to sell back text books or other unwanted merchandise. Other students may just be windowshoppers on these sites.
19. A solid majority of 54% of students have relied on reviews when buying a product or service. In addition, 27% of students have written their own reviews of products for others to see. This shows that people have an opinion that they feel matters when it comes to product use.
20. That so many students are active in the Internet suggests that businesses need to look into making themselves more online than they already are.
21. That so many statistics on the questionnaires were left blank in spots suggests that many students weren’t willing to take this survey seriously and that they are more active than this survey suggests.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

BONUS

Which famous religious scholar determined through his reading of the Bible that the world was created on October 23rd, 4004BC, which just so happened to be a Sunday?

The exact time that the world was created according to him was 9am.

If you want the points, I need a name and a URL (That isn't wikipedia).

++++++

Ghost Adventurers are at the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum on October 30th. If you're into paranormal stuff, you should check them out. Sure, they're probably the lamest of the TV ghost shows, but I was there, and the place is not only interesting for its "paranormal" history, but also for its psychological history. Back in the day, there were a lot of things that could land a person in an institution that just wouldn't happen today.

Friday, October 16, 2009

The World is Flat TAKE HOME Assignment and Global Warming Assignment (Liberal and Conservative Bias in the Media)

List 20 websites you go on. List the URL and what is there. You need both to get the points (all or nothing).

The World is Flat Assignment
1. List all 10 of the flatteners. They’re either in your notes or on the Angel site in my PowerPoint.
2. In a full 1.5 page journal (bare minimum), tell me WITH FACTS from class, the video, or the PowerPoint what the World is Flat means to you and why “you Americans are not ready” and what you must do to get ready for the flat world. Numbers 3+4 aren't a part of this section.
3. Incorporate 1 of your quotes into a cohesive paragraph that makes sense and answers the why of what your quotation means. Tell me the greater why.
4. Incorporate 2 of your stats / facts into cohesive paragraphs that make sense of what these statistics means. Tell me the greater why.
5. Use your amazing Internet powers to go on http://www.amazon.com/ and get the information for the World is Flat 3.0 by Thomas Friedman to create an MLA Works Cited Page citation for this book.
6. Go on http://www.youtube.com/ and get the MIT shareware for the World is Flat lecture that we read and create an MLA Works Cited Page citation for this website.
7. Find any technology / computer / business magazine (a real one not an electronic one) and get the information for an MLA Works Cited Page citation for this magazine. Either xerox the pages or bring the magazine on Monday
8. Using my statistics from the online survey we took in class (THESE WILL BE ON ANGEL ONLINE BY THIS AFTERNOON AT THE LATEST AND YOU WILL ALSO HAVE THE ORIGINAL SURVEY UPLOADED THAT YOU CAN REFERENCE), tell me what 8 of those numbers mean regarding the “flat world.” THESE DON'T HAVE TO BE FULL PARAGRAPHS - JUST EXPLAINED OUT. If 10 people use AOL e-mail, this means nothing in and of itself. Is this the most popular service? Is it the least popular service? Why do you think this is?

ALL OF YOUR NOTES MUST BE TURNED IN WITH THIS FOR FULL CREDIT.
REALLY.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Midterm Rules

Read chapters 5+6 from Where Men Win Glory. Your midterm focuses on the greater meaning of punishment contained within. You'll know what I'm talking about when you read it. You may want to check out the book as well. It's excellent and as good as anything Jon Krakauer has done previously (Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, Under the Banner of Heaven).

There are 4 grades:
PASS (exceptional - no worries)
CLOSE to Pass (Pretty good as a whole - some things have to be worked out with your writing; it's good, but not good enough to get you out of part of the final).
CLOSE to Fail (In the words of the Germans, "nicht so gut." Quite simply, as the wind blows, you could pass or fail. I am very worried. Do what you have to do to get it together).
FAIL (Obvious - you have no reason to expect that you will pass this class. See me immediately).

If I don't say it in class enough, know that I am proud of you sticking it out when others take days off or don't do the work. Keep being great. Your enthusiasm makes me happy to teach you.

Really.

Friday, October 2, 2009

How to set up a final exam essay

“Simplify, simplify, simplify!” THOREAU
Pre-write
1. Clustering
2. Brainstorming
3. Freewriting
Outline – SET LIST!!
I, A, B, C, 1,2
Write

3-5 sentences.

For 5 years, America has been involved in a war that is unjust. As a result, over 4,000 Americans have been killed to support “Bush’s war against terror.” America needs to return home as soon as possible, which according to Obama’s estimates can be within 18 months while returning the rule of Iraq to Iraqis. This will not only end our occupation of this country, it will enable America to focus its tax dollars on domestic problems.

Whether it is just or unjust, America has become trapped in a situation in Iraq that forces this country to protect its domestic interests abroad. Thus, if we were to leave Iraq, we would be emboldening our enemy to hold out its attempts to destabilize this region until we leave. In addition, these terrorists would follow us home to kill us here. This culture of defeat would not only be problematic to our internal issues, but it would weaken our standing as the world’s leader in times of crisis.

John McCain and I agree on the issue of abortion since it is wrong to take a life. While I have issues with whether a woman who is raped or in danger of death should be forbidden to have an abortion, the idea of a throw away life society is morally repugnant to me. Thus, I agree with McCain and Palin when it comes to protecting the rights of the unborn.

Barack Obama recognizes the rights of the individual to be protected from a morally reckless government that would seek to prevent people from having an abortion based on someone else’s definition of what life is. Thus, it is very important to keep this personal and private medical decision out of legal chambers and within the private homes of those individuals who would be opting for this procedure. Thus, I agree with the fundamental right to privacy and personal choice that Barack Obama and the Democratic Party defend.

I am for Barack Obama’s stance on oil. This is because I do not feel that we should be getting cheap oil at the expense of our environment. As a result, I like where he stands, which is against drilling and nuclear power and standing for alternative energies such as wind power. If America looks to the future and gives tax credits to those programs that support a way out of Middle East oil dependency, we can also find ourselves creating new business and stimulating our economy.

I am in complete agreement with John McCain’s plan to drill for oil in the oceans off America. China is already doing this, and America is losing out on economical and job growth opportunities at the expense of what some people say is environmental damage. However, with the new clean methods of drilling, we could see ourselves move away from Middle East oil dependency while providing minimal harm to our natural resources.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Marcus Luttrell Assignment

Marcus Luttrell Assignment (this was to be in class, but it is now a take-home assignment since there's no point in watching you read an article that you have to summarize).
1. Read the WHOLE article. If I picked it out for you to read, there is a lesson to learn.
2. Then, assume that Luttrell has just spoken this whole article to you. Your job is to determine the following things: Thesis, 3 forecasats, and a conclusion.
3. Your job IS NOT to repeat the article to me. If I want to read it, I can read it.
4. Your job is to write a 5-paragraph essay (you don’t have to type it, but you can) that explains what Luttrell’s purpose was in writing this section of Lone Survivor (which is the best military book OF ALL TIME) according to why I wanted you to read this.
5. This is an extension of COM051’s article summaries, which are a good lead in to research, which starts Wednesday and finishes its introduction on Friday.
6. The last time that you can turn this in for any credit is Friday in class prior to me starting class.
7. By the way, if you can do this, then you can do the mid-term. If you can do the mid-term, you can do the final exam (if necessary).

SCHEDULE UNTIL ESSAY 2 (IF YOU HAVEN'T PRINTED IT OUT, WHICH YOU SHOULD HAVE).

September 28 – I will collect your essay IN CLASS (if it’s not here in class, then it’s late) and then I will warm up with Lone Survivor in class reading assignment. Finish with more grammar after I approve your topics. You can never have enough help with grammar. Really.
September 30 + October 2 – While you should have your book by day 1, if you don’t have it by today, you will be in a predicament as MLA is intensely explained in the Pocket Reference for Writers. Please carry your book with to class every day after this point. In class self and peer review of the essay. For Monday, you will need to have a typed first paragraph, 2 URLs, and a preliminary “rough” outline. Handwritten is the same as not done at all.
October 5+7 – First research paragraph check day. We will be putting these paragraphs on the board and they will be worth 25 points to go over. All students will be checked one of these days. Any student that doesn’t go Monday will go on Wednesday.
October 9 – We will do the creative / descriptive writing assignment today. As this is a pointed assignment, you need to be here to complete it. This is a personal file that I have created and is only available as an IN CLASS assignment.
October 12+14 – Thomas Friedman World is Flat video. Begin to discuss paraphrasing and making statistics say what we want them to. For homework, you need to list 20 URLs that you visit and tell me what is there. You will also have to go to www.rael.org and tell me what is there. This is worth 20 points. These are due at the next class. Look over Phishing and Internet Use handouts at home since I don’t have time to do them in class.
October 16 - Thomas Friedman World is Flat discussion day. We will be doing the quiz, the in-class group essay, and then the Power Point discussion. Everything will combine for a 50 point assignment. You must be here for this. You are given questions for the Global Warming assignment and told to have them done by Monday for in class discussion.
October 19+21 – Global Warming quiz, group project, and discussion on conservative and liberal bias in the media with additional discussion on subjective, objective, values neutral, and faith based writing.
October 23 - The David Sedaris article midterm. As long as you wouldn’t fail, you get the points for passing. While this is not the final determination of passing or failing this class, this is a solid indicator of where you stand. It is given today so that you know where you would be with regards to deciding to withdraw or stay in class. Please note that withdrawing may prevent an F, but it may affect your financial aid. Always see the good folks in Berks 107 before acting on something that could create a bill for you. Always see your teacher before deciding that you can’t do this class anymore. You may be surprised to find that your teacher sees a light at the end of the tunnel.
October 26 - I will be available for discussions regarding what your grade is so that you can decide whether to stay in class or to take a W. I will advise you honestly, but I won’t tell you what to do. Only you can do that. I will tell you what you can expect based on your progress up until this point. Since you have been working intently on your research, I will also be willing to meet up 1 on 1 to discuss this. Whether or not you choose to meet with me, you will be able to use this class to complete your Presidential Scavenger Hunt for Wednesday OR you can use it for research time.
October 28 – Go over all of the different ways that you researched on the Internet for the Presidential Scavenger Hunt and that you can research on the Internet to find answers to questions like the ones I made you hunt down. Trust me; being able to Google search is a great skill to have.
October 30 – Rehash of all that is MLA and research. Your essay is due in class on Monday. Students are told to have an APA persuasive topic for Monday.
November 1 - 12-8 Barnes and Nobles Day for all students. This is located at the Target plaza.
November 2 - All essays must be turned in on Monday to redo if you get less than a 75. If you do not turn in during our class on Monday (all excuses are equal), then you will not get a redo. If you do not turn this essay in by the following Monday, you cannot pass the class as the rules for my class specify doing all 3 essays at a minimum to pass the class. In class self and peer review of the essay. If you don’t have an essay, you will be marked late for class as we will be conducting the essay review ONLY with those that have an essay to hand in. Begin APA discussion. Also, we will approve topics for the persuasive essay.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Where things are in Angel

As I am going to upstate New York this weekend, I am currently in the process of re-organizing Angel online for you as I will be unavailable until Monday night.

What's Wrong With This Sentence PowerPoint (we'll do this Wednesday)
Values Neutral PowerPoint - The Meaning of Words
Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum picture (I mentioned that TAPS - ghost hunters - would be there October 30; I also referred to "hysteria" in connection with this).

Rather than have you search these out (they're in the APA persuasive essay section), the links I mentioned in class are here. Peruse them AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. They deal with free speech and hate speech as well as issues with wording in writing. I think you can figure out which 1 is which.

The Right Word is in the grammar section.
Issues in Your Paper (we did 22+23, you do the rest) is in The First Essay section.
If you have questions on any of these, YOU MUST ASK! DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK. I GET PAID TO ANSWER. YOU PAY TO LEARN.

http://www.snopes.com/

http://www.factcheck.org/

http://www.apastyle.org/race.html

http://www.apastyle.org/sexuality.html

http://www.apastyle.org/disabilities.html

http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/news/jimcrow/menu.htm

http://www.judicialwatch.org/documents/2008/KFYI.McGregorLetter.pdf

http://www.billoreilly.com/blog;jsessionid=D871409678262997591B6B1DDE52AE56?action=viewBlog&blogID=88083313171143568

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txw/press_releases/Compean-Ramos/Setting%20the%20Record%20Straight%204-25%202007.pdf

http://www.dinocrat.com/archives/2006/08/06/msm-paints-a-false-picture-of-the-israel-hezbollah-war/

http://www.iwchildren.org/

http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~nunberg/redskin.html

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/platform.asp

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200805/cosby

http://www.patriotguard.org/

www.godhatesfags.com/

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Final Exam Topics

Final Exam Questions.
If you passed the midterm, you must do one of the following as a 7 paragraph persuasive essay. If you had a score of close, you must do this as a 10 paragraph persuasive essay. You will have 2 days to do this.
You can use a note card for any of these topics. You may want to research various sites to gain enough information to write academically about any of these topics.
I will need prewriting, an outline, and an essay.
1. Many people read commercially popular magazines and believe that they too can hike into the remote places that are in them and not experience troubles DESPITE not having the ability to seriously hike or the understanding of the local terrain. This happened to Bryce Gillies at the Grand Canyon last week. Persuade your reader on what is the appropriate behavior for a hike of this kind.
2. In recent months, North Korea resumed its nuclear program, which included a 4th of July missile launch towards Hawaii (it didn’t quite get there). This has been going on for many years with stoppages in between when the US and the world paid them to not utilize nuclear weapons. Now, the US is faced with the same decision again as the North Koreans threaten massive retaliation against anyone that tries to stop them. As the world’s leader, what should Obama direct the US to do in this situation?
3. President Obama weighed in against the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police who arrested Henry Louis Gates, an African American professor at Harvard, when he was taken into custody after disorderly conduct that stemmed from him trying to “break into his own home.” The police who arrested Gates were alerted to the house by neighbors who saw 2 black men trying to enter the house. As a result, the police are being accused of racial profiling. Based on facts only, is this racial profiling, or is this the police doing their work to protect the homeowner? Persuade your reader of the dangers of racial profiling or tell your reader about the dangers of calling everything racial profiling. In addition, you can persuade Obama to stay out of affairs that he self-admittedly states that he knows nothing about. If you do that, it’s an essay all to itself.
4. Manuel Zelaya, the former leader of Honduras, was overthrown for corruption. Now, the socialist leaning leader is threatening to come back to the border of his home country in order to resume power. What should the United States do to support this situation?
5. Since the elections in Iran, there has been a lot of tension within the country. This is now escalating as the opposition is looking to mourn the victims of this crackdown with a memorial for slain activist Neda Sollani. Should the Iranian government allow this situation as a good will gesture or should they continue to ban it as a threat to the stability of their country?
6. Some parents (such as Christian Scientists) do not believe in the use of medicine to treat their ill children. In a recent case, a father decided to pray for the recovery of his 11-year old daughter instead of allowing her to get treatment. The daughter died, and he is facing charges that his actions killed her. In this, is it right for the state to weigh in against someone’s religious beliefs when they endanger a minor?
7. Iran, like North Korea, is seeking to create nuclear weapons, which it is feared that they would use on Israel, a country that they hate. Last month, it was reported by a Joe Biden mis-speech that the US would step back and allow Israel to protect itself (this was quickly “corrected” by the powers that be). As a result, Israel started to prepare for the strike on these nuclear facilities before they could become operational. Now, Iran has threatened to strike back at Israel’s nukes if they try to do anything to the Iranian facilities. What can be done to de-escalate this situation?
8. I told you that you could write a persuasive essay in defense of Octomom, but you can’t write one against her. If you want to do this, I am fine with telling me why she is being unfairly singled out for manipulating the welfare system with having 14 children that she can’t afford to take care of on her own.
9. In light of the Iranian Revolution (this final exam may as well be called what we are learning from Iran), which broadcasted everything live on the Internet as it was happening, what are the benefits or drawbacks of a 24/7 news service of anonymous comment from the people?
10. Should the use of Myspace and Facebook be held against potential employees and college students based on what they do legally in their own time? See the case of Stacy Snyder, the Myspace “drunken pirate.”
11. What should people be able to do if they are unfairly and anonymously “revenged” on the Internet with slanderous and unsubstantiated comments? As this is something that you all can and will face in your life, this is a good topic for you to ponder as you become leaders in the business world.
12. What should the U.S. do with the terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay? Think of this in light of wear to try them, wear to hold them, and how to prevent them from returning to the battlefield.
13. Barack Obama is currently touting a new health care system in America that would provide GOVERNMENT health care as a right to all Americans. Is this the right way to fix America’s health care system or is giving people the right to a better privatized system a better way to fix the system?
14. As they are a country with a large Muslim population and no reason to help America in their war on terror, should the United States leverage Pakistan to further support American in our quest to root out the remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda elements that are based in their country?
15. Just over 101 years ago, the Tunguska Event occurred. This was an explosion over Siberia that has been claimed to be an alien spaceship crashing. In honor of this event, do you believe in aliens? Why or why not?
16. In honor of the most famous writer still living in Berks County (Charles Adams), do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not. Also, you can read this article and determine if the principal of the school district acted accordingly in not allowing Charles Adams to do his ghost story thing.
17. Many magazines that specialize in tabloid sales have complained about the media loving tendency of Kate (of Jon and Kate Plus Eight) while constantly making money from her antics and her estranged husband’s affairs. OR After Michael Jackson’s death, a largely forgotten pop star in the midst of a potential comeback was elevated to the status of Elvis with the mix of his music career’s influence, his weird life, and his early death. Looking at these celebrities, make a case that people should care more about the real news events that I have listed above instead of celebrity news.
18. You can argue against my position on banning slasher movies. You can’t argue for it.
19. Defend the censorship of any OTHER cultural medium or defend freedom of speech as an ABSOLUTE value that cannot be censored in any case.
20. After watching Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, EITHER attack outsourcing as unfair and economy crippling or defend it as a cost-cutting necessity that will strengthen our economy.
21. Should Americans pay tax dollars to help rebuild Gulf Coast cities after hurricanes?
22. Based on our discussion of Global Warming, is it a real situation that needs to be addressed immediately to prevent catastrophe, or is it a politically influenced hoax designed to forward liberal ideas?

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

MLA Handout

Researching the MLA paper - SQ3R is your friend. Really.
SURVEY What do you know about the topic?
QUESTION What do you need to know about the topic to complete the paper?
RULE #2: “YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO BE LAZY”
Remember, this means that you are not writing a book. You are writing about a single defined aspect of this topic. This has nothing to do with procrastination or a half-hearted attempt at writing a paper. That stuff is anathema.
READ Now find your research material and create either 50 note cards or 8-10 pages of handwritten research.
WHAT ARE SOME GOOD WEBSITES TO USE?
Sites that end in .edu or .gov are as absolute and perfect as they come. If your site is a .org, that means it could be good (if you know the organization), but it might be not so good if it belongs to people who are just looking to push their bizarre nature onto other people (http://www.rael.org/)
Also, be careful that you don’t use sites that are commercial (for instance, sell steroids). There are many sites like this online. Stick with the above the boards stuff.
MLA DOCUMENTATION All research (except common knowledge) is cited. Your paper is cited in MLA. While APA is also a way to cite, it’s not what we’re doing here. Don’t ask me what CMS is. I’ve never used. You most likely won’t either.
You can get directions in your Blair Handbook, or you can also go here:
http://www.studyguide.org/MLAdocumentation.htm
http://citationmachine.net/
You are required to have at least 5 sources. Two of these sources must be from the Internet. One must be in print (magazine, book, etc.). After that, you can use whatever you want. You may use more than 5 sources. You will have 1-2 primary sources (Main sources of information) and the rest will be secondary sources (1 to a few pieces of information that back up the claims of your primary source).
BOOK ONE AUTHOR
Gorman, Elizabeth. Prairie Women. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986.
CLASS NOTES
Smith, John. "Beowulf: Archetypal Hero." English 102 Class. Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills, AL. March 28, 2003.
MAGAZINE
Cannon, Angie. "Just Saying No to Tests." U.S. News & World Report. Oct. 1999: 34.
INTERVIEW
Whitehurst, Daniel, former mayor of Fresno. Personal interview. 5 Mar. 2003.
THE LIBRARY HAS INFORMATION FOR HOW TO CITE GALE NET AND EBSCO HOST – I don’t require their use, but if you use them, know how.
WEBSITES
Last Name, First Name. Title. Date Created. Date Accessed. URL.
While there are a million little ways that you may cite websites, this way will work for the purpose of this class. NOTE: You will not always have a date created (if you don’t have day, month, and year, you also don’t have a date), and you won’t always have an author, but you will have the other 3. Improvise accordingly.
I DO WANT ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION TO BE CURRENT. FOR EXAMPLE, STEROIDS AND SPACE MATERIAL IS TIME SENSITIVE WITH NEW INFORMATION AND CHANGES REGARDING NEW DISCOVERIES.
RECITE This is where you take your notes. You can underline handouts or printouts. You can copy notes (whatever it takes to get to your required amount of stuff). Just find the info.
REVIEW Organize and outline. Reassess your thesis and go back to the library or computer to research some more. Make sure you understand what you are researching. Just because you have the material doesn’t mean that it makes sense. Ask me!!
OH YEAH Send all of your URLs so that I can check their validity.
IN PARAGRAPH CITATIONS You must cite everything. Every fact, every name, number, bit of information or external opinion about the topic has to come from somewhere (except common knowledge stuff). This is 1 of the reasons that we do topics that I choose. Ever since I had a student know everything about Jeff Gordon and think that he didn’t have to cite his facts, I realized that it’s best to have students research teacher-acceptable topics.
As a result, this paper is here to help you.
QUOTES It is very important to understand your information in your own words. Some information can only come across in sentences written a certain way (“John Daniel. Glass Jr. was born on August 26, 1971”). It’s not plagiarism to take this information and use it the only way it really can be written. Most information (99.9999999999999%) must be put into your own words. In some instances (Comp and Lit papers), it becomes necessary to take big hunks of sentences and use them word for word in a book or really long paper.
YOU WILL NOT DO THIS IN THIS PAPER. THE LONGEST QUOTE YOU MAY USE IS A SINGLE SENTENCE, AND YOU MUST INCORPORATE IT INTO THE PAPER. IN THIS, WHILE YOU ARE “TECHNICALLY CORRECT” IN BEING ALLOWED TO USE IT, YOU MAY NOT USE IT. YOU MUST PARAPHRASE IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS. IF YOU DO THIS, I WILL CONSIDER YOUR PAPER SHORT DUE TO HEAVILY BORROWING FROM THE WORKS OF OTHER PEOPLE AND I WILL DEDUCT SENTENCE SENSE POINTS AS WELL FOR YOU NOT UNDERSTANDING YOUR RESEARCH. NO EXCEPTIONS.
FOR EXAMPLE (the quote is in black): Steroids have created a variety of new injuries. While the athletes pay the price, there is a different person who is doing the collecting: Dr. James Andrews, wonder surgeon to sports injuries. Noted sports columnist A. Cynic summarized Andrews multi-million dollar business by stating, “Andrews owes his homes, cars, and vacations to the fact that sports stars aren’t smart enough to realize when they aren’t exercising, but are tearing muscle off of the bones.” (Cynic)
THE ABOVE IS GOOD (incorporated).
THE BELOW IS BAD (no flow and should have been paraphrased).
Sports injuries are bad. They affect many players and teams. This year, they affected the Yankees. Carl Pavano is a perfect example of a bad sports injury. “The Pavano news is bad. He had been throwing on the side, and got up on the mound on Sunday, but though the team kept saying he was getting better, he didn't seem so optimistic. He is going to see Dr. James Andrews in Alabama and may, in fact, need Tommy John surgery, which would finish him for this season and probably next season, too, possibly ending is career.” (Amore)
PRINT SOURCES
(Author’s last name Page # (IF AVAILABLE))
(If no Author or you use the author multiple times, then switch to first important word of the title underlined or in quotes appropriately Page #)
NOTE: there is no comma between these items and there is no word “page”, “p.,” “para” or “paragraph” either.
If the paraphrase includes where the source is from (“In his book Now I Can Die in Peace, Bill Simmons expresses how Boston….”), then you can just use the page number. INTERNET SOURCES
(Author’s last name (IF AVAILABLE))
(First important word of title underlined or quoted appropriately (OTHERWISE))
WHEN IN DOUBT, SEE ME!! DON’T ASSUME!!!!!
IF YOU ASSUME OR DEVIATE FROM THESE RULES, THEN YOUR BAD GRADE IS YOUR FAULT. I DON’T CARE IF WE ARE USING CHANGES SINCE THE BLAIR HANDBOOK CAME OUT; YOU PAID $65 FOR THIS BOOK, SO WE’RE USING ITS RULES. IF YOU ARE USING RULES FROM BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED, THEN IT IS ALSO ON YOU. I DON’T MAKE EXCEPTIONS FOR BEING GIVEN MISINFORMATION FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES.
E-MAIL ME FOR SAMPLE ESSAYS!!

Monday, June 29, 2009

THOMAS FRIEDMAN'S THE WORLD IS FLAT



We are watching the WORLD IS FLAT VIDEO in class (see above).

Obviously, through the power of hyperlinks, you can go back in and view it again or you can buy the book at Amazon Dot Com.

You will need to take notes on this as we will be doing a group assignment with writing a sample essay after you take a brief quiz. This is worth 50 points. You must be here for this.

The World is Flat handout needs to be read for the Wednesday class as well since we will be doing statistics and paraphrasing. Make notes for this on a note card. You will be able to use these notes (and any you have from the video) for the quiz.

Read Internet and Phishing handouts on your own. We don't have time to do them in here. If you have questions, you may e-mail me.

HOMEWORK for your final class of this week:

List 20 websites that you go to and tell me what is there.
For example, www.espn.com sports news.

Check out http://www.rael.org/ and tell me what is there for next class.

These are for a 20 point assignment.

Other things to consider:

The Power of the NYTimes to affect Wikipedia

Twitter and Facebook create fear from Iran

Thursday, June 11, 2009

3 changes + Plagiarism Definition From Astronomer Michael Brown

1 - Father's Day is June 21st. Barnes and Nobles Day will be 12-8 (a Saturday instead of a Sunday).

2 - In the 1675 points for the semester, I didn't include attendance. Thus, there are 1775 points and the class is out of 1700.

3 - You can do journals on news events. News can include sports, but if Britney Spears is getting featured on TMZ for being herself, this isn't news. However, if she gets arrested, that's different.

From Michael Brown's personal website - the standards of scientific ethics are also clear: any information used from another source must be acknowledged and cited. One is not allowed to go to a library, find out about a discovery in a book, and then claim that discovery as your own with no mention of having read it in a book. One is not even allowed to first make a discovery and then go to the library and realize that someone else independently made the same discovery and then not acknowledge what you learned in the library. Such actions would be considered scientifically dishonesty.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Jack Kerouac's Belief and Technique of Modern Prose

Jack Kerouac was a Beat Generation writer from the 50's and 60's. He wrote in what is called stream of conscious technique. William Faulkner, the great Lost Generation writer, wrote like this as well. For those people looking to write journals and wanting to improve their technique, following some of these rules could be a good thing. That said, not all of them apply and perhaps Kerouac could have listened to his own rules (esp. #3) better and then his life wouldn't have turned out as it did, but that notwithstanding, being able to get inside oneself and express life is what writing is all about. I provide this for inspiration or entertainment value.

BELIEF AND TECHNIQUE FOR MODERN PROSE
LIST OF ESSENTIALS (by JACK KEROUAC)
1. Scribble secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages, for yr own joy
2. Submissive to everything, open, listening
3. Try never get drunk outside yr own home
4. Be in love with yr life
5. Something that you feel will find its own form
6. Be crazy dumbsaint of the mind
7. Blow as deep as you want to blow
8. Write what you want bottomless from the bottom of the mind
9. The unspeakable visions of the individual
10. No time for poetry but exactly what is
11. Visionary tics shivering in the chest
12. In traced fixation dreaming upon object before you
13. Remove literary, grammatical and syntactical inhibition
14. Like Proust be an old teahead of time
15. Telling the true story of the world in interior monologue
16. The jewel center of interest is the eye within the eye
17. Write in recollection and amazement for yourself
18. Work from pithy middle eye out, swimming in language sea
19. Accept loss forever
20. Believe in the holy contour of life
21. Struggle to sketch the flow that already exists intact in mind
22. Dont think of words when you stop but to see picture better
23. Keep track of every day the date emblazoned in yr morning
24. No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge
25. Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it
26. Bookmovie is the movie in words, the visual American form
27. In praise of Character in the Bleak inhuman Loneliness
28. Composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better
29. You’re a Genius all the time
30. Writer-Director of Earthly movies Sponsored & Angeled in Heaven

Monday, May 25, 2009

RANDY PAUSCH ASSIGNMENT

You should read about it here, and then watch it as well.

If you write 2 full pages on Randy Pausch's positive attributes as a teacher and a motivational speaker, then I will give you credit for 3 journals.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

English Comp Final

1) This is not for COM050 - by division standards, I am not allowed to show them their final.
2) As this is a persuasive essay on a topic that most likely involves research, you may have 1 notecard for the final.
3) This is 7 paragraphs WITH pre-writing and outline.
4) You must pass it to pass the class
5) Intro / Your point 1 / Your point 2 / Your point 3 / Their point / Why wrong / Conclusion

6) While I provide a sample URL, you can use any resources on the topic.

7) More postings will be made for all class - see this site for further details

Mr. Glass Final Exam for English class

Choose 1 of the following topics to write a 7-paragraph persuasive essay on:

With regard to the Reading Eagle’s downsizing, was the decision that was made to eliminate position and to offer no severance fair in an economy that is already hurting and consistently eliminating their need for printed newspapers?
In light of dealership cuts from GM and the continued failure of certain parts of the American automobile industry, should the US government continue to fund businesses that are running at a low, but still representing a huge sector of the American economy?
For the early part of the Obama administration and the 2008 presidential campaign, Democrats have vowed to put an end to waterboarding, going so far as to openly look to prosecute those who condoned its use. Recently, Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader, has been implicated as knowing as early as 2003 that waterboarding was happening. In light of this situation, should the Democrats discontinue these prosecutions, prosecute Pelosi for allowing this to happen, or should they believe her denials of these accusations and prosecute only Bush administration members?
For the early part of the Obama administration and the 2008 presidential campaign, Democrats looked to distance themselves from what the Bush administration was doing at Guantanamo Bay with regards to military tribunals and holding prisoners of war. Recently, Obama has decided to open up the military tribunals again. Is this a good idea or a bad reversal of politics?
Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) have become commonplace in many sports, and so has the test for them. Recently, Jeremy Mayfield, a NASCAR driver, failed a test for a substance other than steroids. However, he was allowed to drive his racecar again the week afterwards. Is this policy fair or too lenient with regards to the drug and sports in general?
If a star player such as Manny Ramirez has been found to be using PEDs, should the team be allowed to violate his contract if he doesn’t come clean about the use of these drugs, or should the player be allowed to continue on after the sports organization imposed penalty?
The 2010 census is a highly-politicized issue as the Whitehouse will seek to personally control the counting of citizens. The Obama administration looks to ensure accurate counts of “hard to reach minorities” and undocumented / illegal immigrants. However, various issues have come up challenging the impartiality of a political party controlling population counts, which will in effect change the amounts and boundaries of elected officials. What is the best way to handle the 2010 census?
In light of the swine flu outbreak, public health officials have to decide how to handle and contain the sickness (and other sicknesses as well) so that it doesn’t spread to other citizens. With regard to this, some countries have closed their borders to citizens from where these outbreaks occur while other countries and businesses warn people against going to these countries. What is the best way to contain these outbreaks without seeming to isolate countries unfairly or can the isolation be justified as fair?
As commencement nears, many schools look to get major speakers for their ceremonies. The U.S. President is always at the top of the list, and this year, Notre Dame secured Obama to this coveted position. Nevertheless, his positions on abortion are contrary to everything that this religious group stands for. Should Notre Dame have withdrawn this offer to him, or is his speech in keeping with the spirit of listening to different voices and / or to hear a man of his prominence speak to the students?
In light of Miss California’s statement of opposition to gay marriage at the Miss America contest, is she (Carrie Prejean) being treated fairly by the media for her words?
OJ Mayo, an NBA star, was allegedly recruited to USC after the coach paid an associate of his $1000 to help get Mayo on the team. In light of this, is the collegiate policy of not paying athletes unfair to “minor league” sports stars or is this in keeping with the academic institution that a college is supposed to represent?
Anna Weitz, the President of Reading Area Community College, has contacted you because she is tired of having students grossly violate the smoking policy on campus. She does not want to end it, but she wants you to persuade students to enforce it and to create a fair system of punishments for those violating it. Do this.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

YOU ARE HERE - In class reaction

In class questions that were answered for You Are Here.
1. What is the meaning of life (your answer - not a book answer)?
2. What things from your life are too important to sell for any price?
3. Should we divulge everything personal regarding our histories to those people around us?
4. How does the reality TV generation affect who we are?
5. How does the flat world of communications affect who we are and what we are willing to reveal about ourselves?
6. What is "bestand" and how does Palahniuk express its meaning within the confines of his essay?

If you weren't in class, answer these for Thursday.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

SAMPLE HAPPY HOBBY / PLACE PAPER

Here is a sample essay for you to peruse.
The real paper would be double spaced.
The title would be centered.
Note how it explains rather than tells stories.
Note also how it proves its point, flows logically, transitions, uses solid grammar, and doesn't repeat itself or ramble about things that don't need to be there.
++++++++
Student
Teacher
English Composition
August 26, 1971
Traveling in the Great Outdoors for Photographic Glory
For many people, hobbies are about accumulating things, and in this, I am no different. Nevertheless, the things that I like to accumulate aren’t able to be brought back to my house and sat on a shelf in the same way that antiques and collectibles are. Instead, my hobby of going to unique and beautiful spots for the purpose of accumulating pictures is my way of “perfectly” collecting the images of canyon formations, cascading waterfalls, vast forests, and endless fields in a way that will ensure that they are forever immortalized for myself and others to see in that pristine state.
In my life, photography is not just the action of having a camera and taking a picture. Sure, different cameras have different abilities, and with these abilities, it might make it possible to capture the flight of a bird or to expose the details of a faraway bear as he looks back at me. Nevertheless, to me, photography is an expression of creativity and seeing things in my own unique way. My knowing how to see colors, shapes, and angles is what makes these pictures stand out. For this, knowing that I have to get out and take a myriad of different shots in different locales is not just practice, but it is also an excuse to continue to have more opportunities to do things that I love. Whether I go to the same place ten times or if I go to a new and exotic location, I am constantly trying to find ways to experiment and take that elusive picture that I can truly define as perfect. This isn’t repetitive practice; rather, it is an expression of my motivation to be the best photographer that I can be.
Outdoor photography is also exciting to me because it allows me to daydream of possible trips that I might one day take. Whether I am reading National Geographic Adventure or surfing the World Wide Web and partaking in the cyber grandeur of the Pacific Northwest, the Colorado Plateau, the New England forests, or the Rocky Mountains, I am constantly immersing myself in the perfection of other people’s photography. In this, I am not only fantasizing of places that I hope to see, but I am getting ready to mimic or improve upon the digital relics of journeys that I would like to follow in the footsteps of. In this, staring at the new issue of Backpacker Magazine isn’t that different than a small child going through the Christmas wish books.
When I get to these places that I spent months dreaming about, I find myself exhilarated in the presence of extreme natural beauty. I am also visually hyperaware of everything that could possibly be around the corner. All the while, my camera is on alert as I get ready to “hunt” for the subjects that will stand out as the treasures I return home with. Be it the surprising waterfall that appears out of nowhere or the enormous elk on the side of the road, I can bring out the magic of any moment. For this artistic success, I am truly in my element while I am capturing these instances.
Taking the pictures is only one part of this hobby. The other part is sharing the pictures when I return home. If I was to keep all of my photography to myself, it would be very selfish. Granted, there is a feeling inside of me that likes to be alone when I am in nature, but to know that I have inspired other people to see the same spectacular images that I did makes this hobby all the more special. On a much larger scale than just showing people who know me these images at my house, I can also share them with the world on my Internet site. This allows me to brag about what I have seen and done. That said, when I get compliments, I am a truly happy person.
In all of this, it is clear to see that photography is an outlook for a variety of my interests. Be they in the cathedrals of nature, the pages of a book or magazine, or even in the corners of cyberspace, these outlets for the expression of who I am make me truly happy as a person. As long as I can continue to venture into these places and bring a little big of the magic back, I will always know that I have a hobby that makes me truly happy.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

ESSAY WRITING OVERVIEW FOR INCLASS PEER REVIEW PREPAREDNESS!!

If you haven't brought a flash drive for the important files (MLA powerpoint and other stuff), you really want to do that for Tuesday.

Here is a site to learn how not to make common errors in the English language.

Further citations link from my website (only for paper 2+3).

Further MLA directions link from my website (only for paper 2).

What will we look for?

We're trying to figure out if you have a good paper or not.

Essentially, there are 4 things that I look for:
Transition / Flow
Grammar
Organization
Do you prove your point (thesis)?

If you don't have those things, you won't do well. You most likely won't pass the paper and will have to redo it.

Yes, there is a redo on this paper, but if you don't use spell and grammar check on Word, I will LITERALLY STOP correcting your essay. If I find any word that does not exist in the English language or if I find that there are OBVIOUS errors that should have been picked up by a grammatical check (but were not corrected), I MAY CHOOSE to stop correcting your paper. If this is the case, you will be on your own for suggestions when it comes to a redo paper.

Also, please note that I don't give help on papers that I've already corrected.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL with outside assistance. You have had plagiarism explained to you. I don't play games with plagiarism. Also, you have to write your final exam on your own. Students who were passing the class have failed the final because they could not meet its pass or fail requirements (as mandated by the division). This happens more often than not because students thought that they were getting ahead when in reality someone else was doing their work.

With that, please note that I give personal help to students so that they see what errors that they are making IN THE HOPES THAT THEY learn how to correct these things on an individual basis. Not everyone who comes for help gets A grades. Not everyone who comes for help passes this class. You don't get extra credit because you come. You get individualized help to assure that you can do what you have to do in order to succeed in college and in life. It's up to you to make this help work.

Most likely, if you come, we will start with reading your paper out loud so that you can hear if your paper makes sense. Just as most first paragraphs sounded awkward and flat when read in class, many papers sound equally jumbled when they are read out loud.

In the effort of time, you should note that I don't correct handwritten papers. This is because these papers can be very different in how they are typed out, and in my knowledge, it is best to look at a paper that is in its final stages as opposed to one that still has to be interpreted while it is typed out (however, you can come for direction in how to start out, but don't expect me to take over the writing of your paper). In the past, students who were still typing papers at Barnes and Nobles were not happy because they did not get their papers thoroughly corrected.

Clearly understand, I'm not here to hand you a grade. If you're not working for this, then you're really not doing your share of the work.

Thus, here are some corrections for you to see if you need to make them.

1. Is your paper typed in 12 point type, Times New Roman lettering, and is it double spaced from the top to the bottom? See the Blair Handbook for a sample essay (page 412).
2. While you DO NOT HAVE TO have a header, if you do, it must be in the header. If it is not, then you already have a formatting error. This is how you set up the first page. The first page is not a title page. I don't require that since it is optional and because too many trees have already died for this class.
3. Line 1 of the paper begins with your name. This is followed by my name, the class, and the date. These must be written in this order.
4. Double spacing begins after your name. If you leave those 4 things single spaced, you are not following the directions of the Blair Handbook in the MLA research section. If you don't know how to double space, please ask. This is not hitting enter at the end of each line as if you were using a typewriter.
5. The next line down is a title that is centered. It does not have to be the cleverest thing, but it has to be there. All the same, it should be something more exciting than "a hobby that makes me happy."
6. Remember the rules of the first paragraph. Your thesis is the last sentence. There are 2-3 sentences before it. There are no facts. The whole thing flows through.
7. Remember the rules of the last paragraph. This begins with the understood "It is clear to see that." You do not have to write this out, but technically, you can. There are 3-4 sentences within it. There are no facts or new ideas. There is no repetition. It is a generalized summary of everything that you have stated. The whole thing flows through to a conclusive ending.
8. There can be no use of the word "I." (except in paper 1). There can't be any use of the word you (in any paper). If you use the words we, our, and us, they must clearly refer to you and the people who are with you at this place. If they don't, you will lose points.
9. THAT SAID, this paper is an explanation of why this place makes you happy. It it not about a trip there in a story telling fashion. It does concern your opinion. It is not researched. It is how you see this place as wonderful and how you prove it.
10. There is NO Works Cited Page on this assignment as it is not researched. There are no quotes from other people, so you will only have 0 citations.
11. These papers are straight forward. I don't want to see any question marks or exclamation points.
12. If your paper is not 2.5 pages, you will lose length points and effort points. If your paper stops short, you can lose effort points as well. While you will only have to give 2.5 pages of reasons for why you feel this, you have to detail them thoroughly.
13. If you don't convince me that you are passionate about this topic, then you will not do as well as someone who does. Remember that the thesis of this paper is to tell me about a place that makes you happy in this paper. It doesn't matter if I agree that it's a great place. All that matters is that you write about why it is.
14. Your thesis promised me something. Did you deliver through with it or did you get lost along the way?
15. See Issues in Your Paper for other rules.
16. See The Right Word for other frequently messed up words.
17. Please e-mail me with questions you might have. All the same, don't e-mail your paper for proofreading. If you can't make it in person, I won't correct your paper so that you can just change errors and GET a grade. That's not learning - that's being spoonfed. I don't do that.
18. Please hand in all of the pre-writings with the essay. If you don't hand these in with the essay, then they don't come in. I don't make accomodations for people writing pre-writings as after the fact points (See below). Dresser Drawer Method, Outline, Notes, Typed Rough Draft.
19. This may sound like a lot, but you're here to learn to write the best essay possible. Knowing how to edit your paper will help you do this.

The Final Essay is graded based on the following categories to the corresponding percentages:

Length (10)
Format (10)
Effort (10)
Sentence Sense (30)
Transition Cohesion (20)
Grammar (20)
Pre-writing (50 points on top of the 200 you already had on top).

Monday, March 2, 2009

COMPLETE LIST of Links for COM050's In Class Project

Many of these have additional hyperlinks that should be accessed and read if you are going to do the 2nd and 3rd papers on these topics.

When you get to the later parts of the papers (the 2nd and 3rd essays), you can go here for a variety of articles to help you with SOME issues in SOME papers.

As you will find, most of this is the reactions of the US and the world to 9/11. It is based in objective fact and the emotions of those present - not conspiracy theory, which goes against the grain of writing an objective research paper (your ultimate goal in a 3 step process to prepare you for COM121). Nevertheless, at the end of this entry, I have a few articles that you can read for your own personal interest detailing the problems with conspiracy theory.

You need to write a FULL 1-PAGE JOURNAL on 1 of the articles beneath the +++++ for Thursday. You also need to print out the article. If you want to work ahead, you can do the same thing for BOTH of the articles directly below these words for next Tuesday (and 2 other articles as well). At this stage, these do not have to be typed. However, your articles will be printed out. You pay a technology fee to the school. You have access to computers to do this.

September 11th by the Numbers (NY MAG)

Casualties of the Wars (Afghanistan and Iraq)

+++++

Terrorized by the War on Terror (WASHINGTON POST)

Rudy Giuliani - Person of the Year (TIME)

Growing up Giuliani (NEWSWEEK)

Hutning Bin Laden (PBS)

Exposing the Truth of Abu Ghraib (CBS)

Liquidating Bombers (NEWSWEEK)

Believe Me It's Torture (VANITY FAIR)

FBI Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause (NY TIMES)

Taking Todd Beamer's Call from United 93 Changed My Life (CHRISTIANITY TODAY)

Al Qaeda Chief Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Confesses to Planning Sept. 11, Gitmo Transcript Shows (FOX NEWS)

Three arrested on terrorism charges after buying cell phones (ABC)

Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil (WALL STREET JOURNAL)

Marcus Luttrell on Michael Murphy (FOX - O' Reilly)

Additional choices:

Obama's 2002 Anti-War with Iraq Speech

Before September 11th - the History (TIME)

Lost at Tora Bora (NEW YORK TIMES)

Bush's 16 Words on Iraq and Uranium (FACT CHECK DOT ORG)

Cities Say No to the Patriot Act (WIRED)

The Truth About Jessica (Lynch) (THE GUARDIAN UK)

What Really Happened to Pat Tillman (CBS)

The Shoe Bomber's World (TIME)

Jurors Reject Death Penalty for Moussaoui (WASHINGTON POST)

Padilla Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison (NY TIMES)

Former (GITMO) Prison Guard Tells All (HARPERS)

Ex Detainees Returning to Fight (CNN)

Insurgent Leader Al-Zarqawi Killed in Iraq (WASHINGTON POST)

Hussein Executed With Fear in His Face (CNN)

Kristen Breitweiser's Response to Ann Coulter's (HUFFINGTON POST)

The Lies of Michael Moore (SLATE)

These 2 can only be read for your own interest - can't be done for credit!!
Tinfoil Nation (PAJAMASMEDIA - far right politics)

Stephen Shalom and Michael Albert of ZMAG (far left politics) on the lack of credibility in conspiracy theories as a whole with the 2nd half of the article dedicated to 9/11

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Why word choice matters (humor)

Church Notices
They're back!
Those wonderful Church bulletins!
Sentences (with all the BLOOPERS) actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

The Fasting& Prayer Conference includes meals.

The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.

Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the Congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the backdoor.

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new campaign slogan last Sunday: 'I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours.'

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

WEATHER ISSUES!!

In case you're curious if you're going to have a day off due to weather...

There is always the website at: Stormcenter.
1) if we have school, I will be there. I am committed to being your teacher, and thus, I will be there to teach you.
2) HOWEVER, I feel confident driving in this stuff. If you don't, then I implore you to consider your safety first. I do care enough (like the Grinch, I actually do have a heart buried somewhere in there) to have wiggle room with my attendance policy in light of snow and ice and rain that is like the stuff sitting out on my front walkway about to meet the shovel.
3) Take care, stay warm, unwind and / or be productive. It's your day. Enjoy it.

(from the Dean of Students)
Given that winter weather is still very possible, would you please remind students that the three easiest ways for them to find out about the status of whether the college is open or closing is:

1. Sign up on the homepage of the website for e2Campus so they can receive a test alert informing them about the status of the College
2. Check the home page of the website
3. Call the Inclement Weather Hotline at 610.607.6293