Sources found so far

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=19&sid=b3d092a0-c055-42c0-afde-a3056b9bdb13%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=57244416

 

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b3d092a0-c055-42c0-afde-a3056b9bdb13%40sessionmgr12&vid=7&hid=19

 

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/search.php?fulltext=obesity+and+fast+food&action=newsearch&sort=custom%3Asorthitsrank%2Cd

 

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2003013100&type=hitlist&num=2

 

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2010100100&type=hitlist&num=4

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/05/health/main591325.shtml

http://www.nber.org/aginghealth/2009no1/w14721.html

Bonding over Mascot Response

         The author most likely started with the research question about the new statues built.  Joe Lapointe probably didn’t know what the statues represented, and wanted to know why those specific ones were built.  When researching, he found all the history behind the statues.  The history is a major reason why they were probably built.  He explored the history, why they were built, and how people feel about them, which eventually leads to his purpose of explaining the college names and Indian tribes conflict.  N.C.A.A. deemed eighteen universities for their Indian tribe names as hostile or abusive.  The Indian groups must approve the institutions use of their names.  Florida’s name has been approved by the Seminole Tribe.  A new history course was started that lets the students learn about the Seminoles.  From the students’ points of view, they seem happy and proud to say they’re the Seminoles.  The research that Lapointe does definitely contributes to his purpose, because the information about the statues leads up to the college and Indian tribes conflict.

Is Google Making Us Stupid Response

I believe that Google may be making us stupid, but it’s making us lazier than anything else.  First, Carr starts off with saying he can sense that’s he’s becoming more stupid, because his concentration on reading starts to shift after only three pages.  He says he finds it difficult to really immerse himself in the reading.  I would definitely agree with his statement.  When I’m reading something on the Internet, I often skim it quickly rather than actually read the article in depth, because reading it would take too long, and because I become sidetracked very easily.  When reading an article I have to read, but not particularly want to read, I tend to start reading, then check Facebook, skim the article more, then check my email, and eventually finish skimming the article.  He even found research that supports the fact that people “bounce” from site to site. 

            Carr argues that the Internet is even taking over other technologies, such as maps, clocks, calculators, telephones, radios, and television.  I would disagree with that statement, because that’s not the Internet taking over, that’s computers in general.  I agree though, that the Internet has definitely started to become more like the media, with advertisements before videos, and flashy advertisements on the sides of web pages.  Google is making us lazy because we have the world’s information right at our fingertips, and we don’t need to find meaning in anything anymore.  It basically requires us not to think, even though we have the capability of finding deeper meaning in the reading that we were assigned.  Instead of finding the meaning, we’d rather be lazy and just type the question into Google to find the answer.  First, Google makes us lazy, and then it makes us stupid.

Joy - Why the Future Doesn't Need Us

1)   1) I would consider Bill Joy’s primary concern in this article to be about how he doesn’t want the world to have all robots in the future, and no humans.  Robots would eventually take the place of humans with all their technology.  Joy finds this really concerning and potentially dangerous.  Thinking about all of the technology used today for science seems like a good thing, but it could potentially be dangerous with all the new abuses.  Technology is already being used for the bad when any country goes to war, for example all the potential nuclear weapons could be extremely harmful to the human race.  Joy said he himself has worked toward the problem of robots taking over when he did computer work.   He stated that he found it very disturbing to know he had been working toward a larger problem. 

2)  

        2)Joy uses many techniques to set up the problem, and he has a very effective way of going about it.  Joy first points out the problem by using personal anecdotes when he met Ray and John.  He introduces that the idea that robots through the passages that he took from Ray’s book, which was actually written by Kaczynski.  He also takes passages from Moravec.  They’re very good informational views but I found Joy’s own personal life history to be the most effective.   He talks about his love of science, math, and technology.  He states how he started working in technology and how he loved it.  He was even interested in robots and loved how there were ethical humans in the future with robots in Star Trek.  He had never thought about how his advancement in technology was pushing the future even more towards robots.  Joy makes a good use of the logos and ethos in the arguments. 

3)

             3) I think the issues brought up have taken on more relevance, but I don’t agree that humans will be a sub-race to robots one day.  I believe that our technology is increasing very quickly, but robots aren’t making the technology for us, we’re making our own technology.  We may have insane amounts of technology in the future but they won’t take over the human race.  I do agree that technology creeps up on us fast though; and we don’t even realize how much we’ve accomplished.  I think the relevance of science issues today are probably more relevant than they were then because of all the diseases.  I also think the problem with technology is that it can’t hold up against Mother Nature.  For example, just look at the radiation in Japan from the nuclear reactor plant hurt by the tsunami.  

Today, I watched half of the show "60 Minutes".

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7360240n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel
This was about the nuclear reactor plant in Japan, and how the U.S. believes it's more dangerous than the Japanese believe it to be.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7360250n&tag=contentMain;contentAux
This story about about removing "the N-word" from Huckleberry Finn, and replacing it with the word slave.  Censored books have already been sold to some schools.  Some people argue it takes away from the strong meaning of the book; while others believe it's just highlighting how people used to talk.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7360248n&tag=contentMain;contentAux
This section talked about the recent sexual abuses by priests, and how one man talks about changing it.

http://video.foxnews.com/
This was all about Libya and the potential war and how U.S. and England fired missiles at Libyan air defenses.

http://www.philly.com/philly/video/
I watched a bunch of short clips including: Mob madness during march, facebook spam, and the Dementri trial who was accused of racism.

http://www.cnn.com/video/
This was a video titled "Radiation: Facts and Falsehoods"
It talked about how the radiation compares to 3 mile island, and it's not deadly, but can make some of the workers sick.  They're worried that Japan isn't telling the people how truly dangerous it is.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/
I watched a lot of the recommended videos on the side.  Some were about Libya and action that the U.S. could take.  Some of it was about the war in Afghanistan and whether or not it's even worth continuing fighting.

Modest Proposal Blog

            Swift’s proposal was very interesting and also disturbing.  He starts out with imagery or poor people begging for money and food, which is the main problem that he’s hinting at in the piece.  He introduces the idea of eating children in replace for money for the poor parents.  He talked about eating children, preferably little children at the age of 1.  He claims that one boy could feed four girls.  To me, that’s really disturbing because I’d rather not think about eating people, because that would be cannibalism.  Swift discusses how the children don’t have to just contribute to food; it can also be clothing.  He says there are a lot of positives to eating children, such as preventing abortions, increasing the love and care of mothers, and less poor people.  The only downside he sees in all this is the fact that there will be less people in the ‘kingdom of England.”  He says it has nothing to do with him because his proposal doesn’t apply to his family.  I think he takes the sarcastic tone a bit too far because it gets very disturbing.  Also, the sarcastic tone makes it seem more of a joke rather than a very serious issue. 

Modest Proposal about financially selling organs

            EBay should just set up the organ part of the site now.  Everyone knows the government will eventually just find a secret way of financially selling organs but of course they won’t call it that… they’ll call it something else to hide it from everyone.  EBay should just set up the organ section so no one has to hide anything and there won’t be a black market for organs.  It’ll be just like looking for used cars – with descriptions like “liver 20 years of use, decent condition”.  People can just shop for their organs online, instead of waiting on extremely long lists to have their lives saved.  It’s the perfect solution.  I’m sure tons of people would be willing to sell their organs, especially for all that money.  EBay would be perfect, because it’s an auction- to see who wants to live more and pay more.  The only bad side would be that nothing’s guaranteed.  No medical professionals would be looking at your liver before you auction it off, but that’s the price you pay while shopping on EBay.  It’s only risking your life, so I mean it’s really worth it in the long run.

Review of The Script's new album: Science & Faith

Davey Boy on sputnikmusic.com reviews The Script as hard working "Irish boy-band rejects" who play "pop-rock with a twist".  Brisk verses and soulful choruses by the lead singer Danny O’Donoghue are what characterize the songs.  Boy uses a few lines from several different songs to show the corny, but relatable lyrics.  He argues that all the songs are about relationship troubles, and it takes up too much of the album.  He gives them credit though, that they know their target audience.  His main summary of the album is that it’s decent, but they are capable of producing more diverse music. 

            I agree with Davey Boy about pretty much everything he says.  It’s true that the main talent is the lead singer, that most of the album is just about relationship troubles, and that all their songs have a similar sound to them.  The Script reminds me of the The Fray, and how most of their songs have the exact same sound to them.  The Script is different though, because of their lyrics.  Yes, the whole album may be about relationship struggles, but each song has a different meaning.  Davey Boy shouldn’t disapprove of the album too much because the lyrics are so easily relatable, that the songs really touch a certain place in your heart.  I personally love the album because it’s really good lyrics, I love their sound, and it’s very relaxing music.  When evaluating an album, I think I would use the same criteria, because it would be too difficult to evaluate each song individually in an album review.

Review of The Script's new album

For the First Time by The Script

Definition Proposal

I will be defining the word "home."  Home is the place where you reside, and feel safe and welcome.  "Home is where the heart is", not to sound cliche.  I am defining this word because a person can have multiple homes, which is especially relevant when going off to college.  The goal is to define the different types of ways that home can be used.  My real home is where my family resides in Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania.  My current home is here at Penn State.  My second home is at my friend's house.  There are many different ways to use the term home.  The audience I'll be writing to is other college students, and basically anyone who uses the term "home."

Blog #2: Definitions

Oswalt defines nerd, geek, and otaku as terms of the past.  He said 30 years ago, he may have been referred to as a nerd, but those terms don’t exist anymore.  Otaku means people who “have obsessive, minute interests”, and they live in their own worlds.  Oswalt defines these terms to prove his point that no one is really a geek anymore, or everyone is a geek.  In the 80’s, he says he had his own obsessions and everyone had their own little obsession to look forward to the new issue or episode of.  Today, because of technology, everything is available online.  Popular culture is everything, there’s no popular, no nerd, no athlete; its just all popular things.  There’s nothing that’s strictly your obsession anymore, because you can find millions of people who enjoy the same thing. 

            I think Oswalt’s main point is that there is no “nerd” anymore.  Either nerd doesn’t exist, or everyone is a nerd.  Even when the definition of nerd was being obsessed with something like Star Wars, he makes the point that someone that loves Desperate Housewives has the exact same obsession, just with something different.  So would that make someone who watched Desperate Housewives a nerd?  Oswalt has to define the term nerd because he talks about otaku and how he just wishes it were still around for his daughter to experience her own obsession and be individual instead of liking what everyone else enjoys.  Geekiness in Oswalt’s opinion has definitely become normal. 

            Supermarket Pastoral is the depiction on the labels at whole food supermarkets.  Everyone buying there feels better about himself or herself already for shopping at a Whole Foods supermarket, so the depictions on the label make them feel even better.  Pollan says the labels offer the consumer a visual pastoral that seems perfect.  For example, the one label about cows stated that they live “free from unnecessary fear and distress”, unlike a regular grocery store that just states the name and price of the milk.  The shoppers gain a visual, also known as the supermarket pastoral, of cows grazing grass and living a wonderful stress-free life.  But, are the cows really living a stress-free life or are they just saying that to make you buy the milk?  Pollan is talking about this supermarket pastoral as fooling the customers, and making them buy their product instead of another company’s.  Organic culture is becoming more and more popular, Pollan states that the organic industry is an “$11 billion industry and it’s the fastest growing sector in the food economy.”  

Narrative Proposal

I would like to write my narrative about the National Honors Society induction ceremony during my senior year of high school.  NHS was my biggest academic accomplishment throughout high school and I worked very hard to get there.  One of my most embarrassing moments occurred during my NHS induction ceremony, and I was mortified.  After this experience, I learned to laugh at myself.  Although it was embarrassing, I will always remember that experience.  The audience I have in mind is whoever wants to learn more about myself, and values I believe in.  

Response to Burke

Burke evaluates how Hitler uses rhetoric to convince and lead the whole public in Germany.   Burke states that Hitler uses sexual values to lead the masses.  The German public is considered the weak women that desire to be led by a dominating male such as himself.   The orator woos them with his language and rhetoric, and can convince them of anything.  Germany was in need of a leader at that time, and Hitler happened to use his skills to be one.  Hitler makes the nation believe that the ‘Aryan’ race is elevated and Jews and African Americans are inferior.  Hitler uses inborn dignity, projection device, and symbolic rebirth.  Hitler makes the nation feel as though they’re moving forward towards a new goal and positive future with the symbolic rebirth.  Hitler refuses to admit that Germany’s plight is connected with the war.  Burke comments on the power of Hitler’s use of repetition because that’s what people will remember.  Hitler’s idea had no rivals and that’s why it was so popular with the public, because they didn’t have any reasons why that idea was unacceptable. 

            I’ve always disliked the political commercials with the politician insulting the other candidate for doing certain things.  I dislike the fact that the politician is putting down the other candidate in order to get ahead.   In order to get votes and get the public behind them, the candidate should be promoting their own positive achievements and ideas instead of just pointing out the other flaws in other candidates.  Everyone who is into politics and registered to vote is the rhetorical audience of these political commercials.  It still appeals to them because the public remembers the demeaning commercials about the other candidates, and when it comes time to vote, they will vote for the candidate that had the least demeaning commercials against them.