Analysis, not sumamry 29
BLA - Forced to read shitty books 107
Blogging - Sunday at 3:45.... "OH SHIT!!" 36
Cardona=God 1
Close Reading Journals... hehehe sure 99
Diction: What? 13
Didion, Joan 28
Why I Write... Copy Cat 30
Everything's an Argument 8
No really, everything 10
Facebook, No really! it's homework!
All hail the Cardona - What I'm really doing on Face Book 14
Finals Go in blind and do average 147
Free-writing Sleepy time
Humor The only interesting thing of the class... 112
Parody 116
Sarcasm 120
Satire 126
Max-It's a Love Hate relationship 87
Orwell Father of God? 6
Power writing, Gettin' down to business 57
Quizzes-D average? I hope 50
Rhetoric, What to look for... 24
Modes 27
Visual arguments oooh! Prettttyyyy :) 43
Writing=ruined (joking!) 130
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Boring Me to Death
I just finished reading the book Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman and I was extremely disappointed. I had read a small section of the book in a previous class and I became interested in reading the rest of it. Technology, being such a big part of today's society, could have been a very interesting topic and Neil attempted to argue that Americas reliance on technology was bringing us into an age of mind numbing amusement with little or no deep thought. While I do not agree with Postman's argument I was still interested in seeing the other side of the story. However, Postman's argument was dull and repetitive and overall a bad read. I had tons of trouble finishing the book and the only reason I did finish is was because I had to read it for class. I fell asleep multiple times while reading it due to the boredom it caused. It seemed to me and my group that Postman had written a chapter of the book that presented a clear amusing argument, but when working to get the book published, had to write a couple more chapters to make it long enough that consisted of repeating the same arguments and examples as before in reworded syntax.
A book like this would be very valuable in today's society given the amount of and the extent we use technology. A book on this subject has tons of potential to teach Americans of the harm of technology on our society. However, due to the boring, repetitive examples, the value of this book is greatly diminished in today's society.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The (Christian) Pledge of Allegiance?
Many people believe that saying the pledge of allegiance often is a vital part of being an American, however, is this the only way one can "pledge" their "allegiance" to America? The line "under God" in the pledge creates much controversy and non-religious and atheist Americans feel that being forced to quote this line in the pledge is contradictory to American principles.
One of the biggest debates concerning this topic is in the school class room where students across America are often made to recite the pledge, sometimes including "under God" and sometimes not. It is my belief that we should not force students to quote the pledge, especially the line "under God". Some people say that America was founded under Christian principles and thus "under God" is a necessary line in the pledge. But, if this country was truly founded on Christian principles wouldn't it be morally right to give people the freedom to choose weather or not you said the pledge. Jesus did not force people to believe him. Jesus was kind and just to everyone, sinners and believers alike. And Jesus would not force people to recited pledges of allegiance to him. If a follower wanted to pledge himself to the word of Jesus he would do it on his own accord, not of Jesus's. So coming back to the main argument why would a country based on Christian principle believe it is of Christian thinking to force students to pledge allegiance to the country and to God.
This kind of thinking is not just and forcing students to pledge their allegiance when it includes this line is not just and not fair to the Americans around the country who do not believe in God.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Process analysis for the video
Process Analysis
The argument I was trying to make in my video is that
SOPA is against the fundamental values of America. The broad argument I chose
was censorship and soon after I decided on this topic I learned of SOPA and all
of the bad publicity it has received because of its potential of leading to a
censored internet in America. Some of the warrants I am basing my claim off of
is that passing SOPA will lead to a censored internet because, on paper, SOPA
is a bill that would just give big producers the power to ask the government to
block both foreign and local sites that share copyright content. However, many
people are scared that if SOPA passes, music and movie producing companies
would overextend their power and try to block and site that may help people
illegally download content from the internet. This could include Facebook, YouTube,
and could block outcomes Google gives for certain searches.
My main audience for this video are teenagers and young
adults who would be most affected by SOPA being passed. However, I also had in
mind that I would be showing the video to a roomful of high school students so
I had to decide against including some more specific and sensitive material.
The main purpose of this video is to encourage the audience to speak up against
SOPA and demand the bill be killed.
I chose the pictures I did, and the order I put them in,
to specifically tell a story. I open up the argument with the word “censorship”
and a picture of Nazi book burning to create a negative picture in the mind of the
audience when they think of censorship. I then slide through the flags and maps
of countries where censorship and censorship of the internet is famous like
China, communist Russia, Egypt, and others. After this I say while censorship
is famous here, it can’t possibly happen in America can it? After an image of
the US flag I have a picture of flags with America’s in the center titled “The Coalition
for Internet Censorship”. This is to put emphasis on the fact that passing SOPA
would compare America to countries like Egypt and communist Russia. Immediately
following this picture I have a slide with “SOPA”, and its meaning, “Stop
Online Piracy Act”, written largely. I do this to make sure the audience
realizes that SOPA is a violation of what America stands for and would put us
in a league with the countries listed before. Then I ask the audience what
would happen if it passes. This gives the audience a second to think before I
go into some potential consequences of passing this bill. I know these examples
may be extreme and an over-exaggeration, but I purposely kept these up because they
would have the biggest impact on my intended audience. I finish the video with
a couple of pictures that do not directly contribute to the argument I am
trying to make but have to do with censorship in America and will leave a
strong impression on the audience.
The music I chose was a mash up I found on The Kollection
called Imagine One Day. It is a mixture of John Lennon’s Imagine, Matsiyahu’s
One Day, Blink 182’s All the Small Things, and two other artists whose music does
not appear until after my movie ends. I chose it because the theme of the song
is peace and love, and while it does not have a direct relevance to my argument
against censorship, it matches the, perhaps over-exaggerated photos of Nazi
Germany and Communist Russia, where strong feelings still linger in American
society. The music is not only a mash up of some of my favorite songs, but also
matches the intensity, and longing for peace my argument also calls for. The
music is very smooth and unexpected at the same time. The first song that plays
is One Day which is not as popular and unknown compared to other songs in the
mix. I also think that when the music changes from One Day to the much more popular,
Imagine, it will leave the audience a little shocked, but this will quickly be
overcome with a larger sense of understanding.
Works Cited for the video
Works Cited
"ABC Map of North Korea; Flag,
Map, Economy, Geography, Climate, Natural Resources, Current Issues,
International Agreements, Population, Social Statistics, Political
System." ITA - Information Technology Associates Immigration USA for
Windows. 13 Aug. 1997. Web. 03 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.theodora.com/maps/korea_north_map.html>.
"Big Red Censorship, Censored
Words Stock Photo 44605042 : Shutterstock." Stock Photos | Shutterstock:
Royalty-Free Subscription Stock Photography & Vector Art. Web. 03 Jan.
2012.
<http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-44605042/stock-photo-big-red-censorship-censored-words.html>.
"Budget China Tours,Discount
China Travel,China Travel Guide,introduction of China,about China." China
Tours,Budget China Travel,Discount China Tour,Cheap China Travel Packages,
Luxury China Vacation. Web. 03 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.topchinatours.net/AboutChina/China-Overview/Brief-Introduction-of-China.htm>.
"Facebook: Banned at Work |
@SilkCharm | Laurel Papworth." Laurel Papworth Online Community.
Web. 03 Jan. 2012. <http://laurelpapworth.com/facebook-banned-at-work/>.
"A Huge List of Companies
Supporting SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) — BlogWorld & New Media Expo
Blog." BlogWorld & New Media Expo Blog — Official News Blog of the
World's Largest Social Media Conference & Tradeshow. 22 Dec. 2011. Web.
03 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.blogworld.com/2011/12/22/a-huge-list-of-companies-supporting-sopa-stop-online-piracy-act/>.
"Inside Iran :: Censorship."
Inside Iran :: Main Page. Web. 03 Jan. 2012.
<http://jadi.civiblog.org/blog/censorship>.
Levy, Josh. "Don't Let Them
Censor the Internet | Save the Internet." Save the Internet | Join the
Fight for Internet Freedom. Web. 03 Jan. 2012. <http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/11/11/29/dont-let-them-censor-internet>.
Martins, Antonio. "Soviet
Union." Soviet Union. 1 Nov. 2002. Web. 03 Jan. 2012.
<http://flagspot.net/flags/su.html>.
"Picture of the Nazi Book
Burning, Berlin, Germany." Travel Blog - Free Travel Blogs - Keep a
Journal of Trips at TravelPod.com. 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 03 Jan. 2012.
<http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-photo/dinoshona/1/1267987359/picture-of-the-nazi-book-burning.jpg/tpod.html>.
"Resolving the Golden
Shield." Refractal. 28 Oct. 2008. Web. 03 Jan. 2012.
<http://blog.refractal.org/2008/10/28/resolving-the-golden-shield/>.
RoodieCool. "I've Been
Censored....." Pic Crush! 9 Nov. 2011. Web. 03 Jan. 2012.
<http://piccrush.blogspot.com/2011/11/weve-been-censored.html>.
"Senators Condemn Link between
Syria, China, Iran, Egypt and Their Internet Kill Switch Bill | Surface
Earth." Surface Earth News and Opinion. Web. 03 Jan. 2012.
<http://surfaceearth.com/2011/03/24/lieberman-internet-kill-switch-bill/>.
"SOPA | Everydaycounsel." Everydaycounsel
| Legal Discussion and (somewhat) Intelligent Commentary. Web. 03 Jan.
2012. <http://everydaycounsel.com/tag/sopa/>.
"Waihiawa Veterans Day Parade
Should Not Be Canceled Because of APEC Conference | Hawaii Reporter." Hawaii
News | Hawaii Reporter | Breaking News Honolulu. 2 Nov. 2011. Web. 03 Jan.
2012.
<http://www.hawaiireporter.com/waihiawa-veterans-day-parade-should-not-be-canceled-because-of-apec-conference/123>.
"Youtube Banned in China « IT
Impact On Social Life." IT Impact On Social Life. 12 Aug. 2010.
Web. 03 Jan. 2012.
<http://group5tud.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/youtubeban/>.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Just writing
So I am writing my free writing first... Why? because it doesn't involve thinking. I really haven't thought sense I left school a couple weeks ago and I do not want to start thinking again at all. Even writing this is starting to hurt my head. Oh well, I am going to write a couple paragraphs as fast as i can and get this done with. I guess I'll just write about my break. So the first couple days were pretty boring up until the day before Christmas. I pretty much hung out with some friends and just relaxed. The 24th became slightly more fun though because we got to celebrate Christmas a day early! It was a pretty good year! I'm getting an iPhone, but I have to wait until March for my plan to run out. I got a whole bunch of ski stuff earlier and a couple of gift cards and some clothes! Nothing to complain about! Then around 7 am on the 25th we left for the airport! We were on our way to Steamboat Springs Colorado! Every year my family chooses a new place to go skiing and this year we chose steamboat! I skied four days and the rest of my family skied three days! My first day I took a racing lesson and got to ski with three old Olympians including Billy Kidd who won the silver metal in slalom in the 1964 Olympic games. That was really the highlight of my trip for the next three days were spent just skiing with my family. We got back on the 30th and I've been doing homework sense I got back except for a couple hours on New Years Eve when I went over to a friends house. Mkay, despite the fact that I said I'm going to write a couple paragraphs and I only wrote a big blog of words I am done. Oh yea, I nearly forgot, Packers won with seven of their best players inactive for the game to make sure they are healthy for the postseason. Superbowl? I think so. OK, bye.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Risk
I decided to be original and instead of finding the dictionary/Wikipedia definition of risk, I am going to write about the board game risk. I can hear it already... "That was not what I meant when I said write about risk!" too bad, Risk is a game I know and love which actually (not very surprisingly) involves quite a bit of risk and luck to be able to win. However the reason I chose to talk about the game Risk is that succeeding at Risk not only takes luck, but also takes quite a bit of skill. You need to know where to put your pieces in the beginning of the game. You need to come up with a strategic plan to keep gaining cards to get more troops and you need to analyze the risks of attacking at certain points in the game. But lets look back at the skill involved while taking a risk. Any high school athlete who chooses to slack off in the classroom and try to get into college and make a living through the sport is taking a risk, but you have to have skill in order for you to even have a chance to make it into the pros, or even college purely off of athletic excellence. The same thing is true for most things you have to take a risk to achieve.
So I guess that is how you decided when to take the risk. Make a honest, true, assessment of your skill, and if you decide the possible outcomes are worth the risk, are worth the chance of failure, then you should take it. If you decide you don't have the skill, or the outcomes are not worth the risk, then it's time to re-evaluate the situation and choose a new course of action.
And btw Packers lost :( oh well
Superbowl XLV, here we come
So I guess that is how you decided when to take the risk. Make a honest, true, assessment of your skill, and if you decide the possible outcomes are worth the risk, are worth the chance of failure, then you should take it. If you decide you don't have the skill, or the outcomes are not worth the risk, then it's time to re-evaluate the situation and choose a new course of action.
And btw Packers lost :( oh well
Superbowl XLV, here we come
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Random Ramblings
I don't have much to write about right now but here goes a post anyways... I think I am going to treat this like a free write.. Just kind of ramble on until I feel like stopping. And I think I am going to write it with my eyes closed too so I don't know how long it is... Idk if this will work or not... Ill probably end up opening my eyes soon anyways... Right now my dad is talking to one of his friends about possibly going to the Super Bowl again if the Packers go! And guess what spoiled rotten 16 year old would most likely get to go given the Packers are going? yep, this one. Time to be jealous starts now! OK stop.
Just realized I've been typing with my eyes open ever sense I said I was going to close my eyes... That one lasted a while... Oh well, it was worth a try!
This winter break I get to go to Steamboat to ski! Hopefully I can sign up to have some lessons for Downhill racing! Most of you probably wont know what that meas other than skiing downhill... but there is an actual kind of race called Downhill. I've never been able to do anything but slalom and a little bit of giant slalom so it would be tons of fun to try Downhill! Not to mention going out west is really the only time possible for me to try Downhill. With the hills here in Minnesota and the sizes of the turns for downhill racing each run would be about one turn... so obviously it really isn't worth it. That's why the only kind of racing they have in Minnesota is slalom. The other kinds need much larger mountains to ski on.
OK, I think I wrote enough for this post. Have a happy Saturday and cheer for the Packers!
Go Pack, Go!
Just realized I've been typing with my eyes open ever sense I said I was going to close my eyes... That one lasted a while... Oh well, it was worth a try!
This winter break I get to go to Steamboat to ski! Hopefully I can sign up to have some lessons for Downhill racing! Most of you probably wont know what that meas other than skiing downhill... but there is an actual kind of race called Downhill. I've never been able to do anything but slalom and a little bit of giant slalom so it would be tons of fun to try Downhill! Not to mention going out west is really the only time possible for me to try Downhill. With the hills here in Minnesota and the sizes of the turns for downhill racing each run would be about one turn... so obviously it really isn't worth it. That's why the only kind of racing they have in Minnesota is slalom. The other kinds need much larger mountains to ski on.
OK, I think I wrote enough for this post. Have a happy Saturday and cheer for the Packers!
Go Pack, Go!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Rhetorical Modes - Trust
1. The trust one has in a person has to grow over time. My dad did not allow me to go driving by myself far distances the first day I had my license. I had not earned his respect yet. In fact the first time I went driving by myself was following my dad home from the car dealership when he picked up his new car. I had to earn my trust before he would allow me to go driving by myself.
2. Although being a trustworthy person is almost never the easy thing to do, and it may seem that caring about yourself more than others is the only way to survive, being a trustworthy friend always has it's advantages if your friend is also trustworthy. For instance if you sacrifice yourself to help your friend out, your friend is more likely to do the same for you in the future.
3. Trust is a confidence that someone will do their job. Trust is knowing that that the person you are relying on will have your back when you need it and that you will have this persons back when he or she needs it. Trust is formed over time. Trust cannot be bought, but only developed and grown.
4. In the beginning of the season no one knows each other, no on loves each other, and no one trusts each other. The beginning of each year is spent in a grueling trek of workouts and two-a-days. During the first day there are a lot of new faces and you have your doubts about all these new teammates. But by the first game we have endured hell together. We have established the trust that is necessary to have a great season.
5. Trust is a word that is used a lot in the English language, but no matter how it is used it always, or nearly always has the same meaning. A football player has to have trust in his teammates in order to be able to do his responsibility to the fullest. This kind of trust, while very similar, is in fact different than the trust a father has in a babysitter that the kid will be safe.
6. You need to have trust in Barrack Obama. Obama is the president of America and the "leader of the free world". While you may not agree with how Obama handles certain things or what some of his beliefs are he is still the president and his intentions are the same as every president before him; to make America a better nation, a more strong nation, and a world power.
2. Although being a trustworthy person is almost never the easy thing to do, and it may seem that caring about yourself more than others is the only way to survive, being a trustworthy friend always has it's advantages if your friend is also trustworthy. For instance if you sacrifice yourself to help your friend out, your friend is more likely to do the same for you in the future.
3. Trust is a confidence that someone will do their job. Trust is knowing that that the person you are relying on will have your back when you need it and that you will have this persons back when he or she needs it. Trust is formed over time. Trust cannot be bought, but only developed and grown.
4. In the beginning of the season no one knows each other, no on loves each other, and no one trusts each other. The beginning of each year is spent in a grueling trek of workouts and two-a-days. During the first day there are a lot of new faces and you have your doubts about all these new teammates. But by the first game we have endured hell together. We have established the trust that is necessary to have a great season.
5. Trust is a word that is used a lot in the English language, but no matter how it is used it always, or nearly always has the same meaning. A football player has to have trust in his teammates in order to be able to do his responsibility to the fullest. This kind of trust, while very similar, is in fact different than the trust a father has in a babysitter that the kid will be safe.
6. You need to have trust in Barrack Obama. Obama is the president of America and the "leader of the free world". While you may not agree with how Obama handles certain things or what some of his beliefs are he is still the president and his intentions are the same as every president before him; to make America a better nation, a more strong nation, and a world power.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
10-0
So we are officially 10 and 0 now! yep, you guessed it, I'm writing another post about the Packers! Aaron Rodgers is still shredding apart defenses week after week throwing only his fourth int all year today. James Starks was injured but hopefully he'll be fine! Not only did the Packers win again, but the Vikings lost again! This is one of the best years in history to be Wisconsin sports fan! Our football team seems like it can't be beaten!
So on a different note i'll talk about the Trojans! Prep Bowl 2011 here we come! We played Cretin yesterday and everyone expected a close game, but that's not how it turned out! We clobbered Cretin in a 42-0 win! After this landslide victory I can't help but to feel overly confident about the state final game against EP. We've already defeated them once this season, our defense is stronger and faster than it's ever been, our offense is clicking and Martin has been hitting his receivers all day long! Much like Aaron Rodgers! Overall, I am in a happy place for all my football teams!
So on a different note i'll talk about the Trojans! Prep Bowl 2011 here we come! We played Cretin yesterday and everyone expected a close game, but that's not how it turned out! We clobbered Cretin in a 42-0 win! After this landslide victory I can't help but to feel overly confident about the state final game against EP. We've already defeated them once this season, our defense is stronger and faster than it's ever been, our offense is clicking and Martin has been hitting his receivers all day long! Much like Aaron Rodgers! Overall, I am in a happy place for all my football teams!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Another blog...
Watching the Packer game right now and it's been exactly like I expected. Rodgers has been throwing the ball as accurately as ever and our defense has pretty much been shutting down the Charger pass game. Both Tramon Williams and Charlie Peprah have a pic six and there have also been a couple more close interceptions. Another thing I noticed is that why the heck is it raining in San Diego. Shouldn't it be about 70 and sunny every day? What the heck is up with that? Rodgers is having a pretty good game as well. He only has about 100 yards but that is because we have barely had the ball! Our defense has two touchdowns and the Chargers have had a couple long drives that have wasted a long time. Right now the Packers are up by seven with the ball half way through the third quarter so I am pretty confident we will win! Another victory in Packer nation! 8-0!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
writing...
It took a long time to decide to realize what my habits are when I have to write. I thought about it for quite a while and for most of that time I figured I didn't have any habits. After thinking about it for awhile I realized I do have some habits. They probably aren't good habits but they are habits. I usually turn on my computer and before I even click on word I usually have iTunes and Facebook open. Computer and Facebook always go hand in hand for me and even if I have a big paper to write I feel the necessity to take a minute out of my work time and check any new updates or messages. I also need music to be able to stay focused on my writing. Like right now my dad is forcing me to stop iTunes so I'm having trouble writing this blog... This may all seem backwards to you... music and Facebook is distracting isn't it? Shouldn't it have an opposite effect? well, for Facebook I'm pretty good about closing out of Facebook as soon as I finish checking all the necessities. And for music if I don't have something constant going on in my head I lose focus before I even start writing.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
C'mon Wisconsin!
Last time we had could choose what to post about I talked about how well things were going in Wisconsin sports and I am sad to say well things are not going bad by any means they are not as good as a couple weeks ago. The Badgers are no longer undefeated and the Brewers season was cut short when they were defeated in the MLB playoffs. However the Packers are still undefeated and even though they are losing right now they are going to get the ball back after half time and they should take the lead.
The Badgers lost last night in a horrible game for the Badgers. We were behind the whole game and our senior QB Russel Wilson threw three bad interceptions. We did tie it up with less than a minute left in the game but MSU threw a last second hail marry which was caught and wrestled into the end zone with no time left in the clock.
The Brewers also lost their run for the world series in a 2-4 series loss.For some reason we just couldn't stop the Cardinals bat. They scored four runs in the first inning before the Brewers even had a chance to hit and just kept on scoring.
Lastly the Packers. Yes, they are losing at half time right now but they are about to get the ball back in just a few seconds. I'm not too worried. The Packers never give up and the Vikings have been iffy in the second half losing three games in the second half.
The Badgers lost last night in a horrible game for the Badgers. We were behind the whole game and our senior QB Russel Wilson threw three bad interceptions. We did tie it up with less than a minute left in the game but MSU threw a last second hail marry which was caught and wrestled into the end zone with no time left in the clock.
The Brewers also lost their run for the world series in a 2-4 series loss.For some reason we just couldn't stop the Cardinals bat. They scored four runs in the first inning before the Brewers even had a chance to hit and just kept on scoring.
Lastly the Packers. Yes, they are losing at half time right now but they are about to get the ball back in just a few seconds. I'm not too worried. The Packers never give up and the Vikings have been iffy in the second half losing three games in the second half.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Weekend blog post...
I know, the title is boring. Get over it. I have two assignments today, the first being to create a list of of pet peeves, and the second to respond to a couple things we did during class... so instead of doing two posts in the same day (which would be ridiculous) I'm just going to do both of them in this one blog.
I'm going to start with a list of pet peeves... Why? because it is easier and I am lazy.
1. People who can ace everything they do without trying at all. Example, the American guy in two million minutes who gets a full rid to Purdue for doing well on the PSAT... a test which he said he didn't study for, didn't try that hard on, and was pretty easy...
2. People who are impossible to argue with... Can't stand them
3. Country music... sorry, but the world would be better without another song about tractors.
4. Freakish athletes... they don't actually annoy me... i just get annoyed that I can't be one of them...
5. Museums... Another old thing? cool. I can learn all about it on the internet... now lets do something fun.
6. Viking fans. Vikings suck, just accept that the Packers are and forever will be much, much better.
7. When my projected 20 point WR has 0 points at half time.
I think that's good for now... so now on to responding to the stuff we did in class the last couple days...
First of all, in my opinion, the movie Two Million Minutes is one of the most biased movies ever created. It makes American students seem lazy, dumb, and that every student is living a dream life. I wish. Just because American students are expected to have at least minimal amounts of social skill does not mean we do not work. While Asian students spend a solid 168 hours a week buried in piles of the latest engineering textbooks, they are melting all social skills necessary to succeed in ACTUAL LIFE. Meanwhile, a American student has, in my opinion, a much more balanced schedule. Just for ease I'll share my schedule on an average day. I wake up at 6:30, go to school until 2:20, have football practice until 5:30, eat dinner, do home work until around midnight, then go to bed.
I am not saying the American educational system is perfect. I know first hand it has plenty of flaws. We have a surplus of bad teachers looking for jobs and not enough good teachers who would actually be able to stimulate the educational system.
However poor our educational system may be it angers me to watch such a blatant attack on American students. I think about how much I work and to think that the modern conception of the American student is a lazy, student who does not work hard is very frustrating.
I'm going to start with a list of pet peeves... Why? because it is easier and I am lazy.
1. People who can ace everything they do without trying at all. Example, the American guy in two million minutes who gets a full rid to Purdue for doing well on the PSAT... a test which he said he didn't study for, didn't try that hard on, and was pretty easy...
2. People who are impossible to argue with... Can't stand them
3. Country music... sorry, but the world would be better without another song about tractors.
4. Freakish athletes... they don't actually annoy me... i just get annoyed that I can't be one of them...
5. Museums... Another old thing? cool. I can learn all about it on the internet... now lets do something fun.
6. Viking fans. Vikings suck, just accept that the Packers are and forever will be much, much better.
7. When my projected 20 point WR has 0 points at half time.
I think that's good for now... so now on to responding to the stuff we did in class the last couple days...
First of all, in my opinion, the movie Two Million Minutes is one of the most biased movies ever created. It makes American students seem lazy, dumb, and that every student is living a dream life. I wish. Just because American students are expected to have at least minimal amounts of social skill does not mean we do not work. While Asian students spend a solid 168 hours a week buried in piles of the latest engineering textbooks, they are melting all social skills necessary to succeed in ACTUAL LIFE. Meanwhile, a American student has, in my opinion, a much more balanced schedule. Just for ease I'll share my schedule on an average day. I wake up at 6:30, go to school until 2:20, have football practice until 5:30, eat dinner, do home work until around midnight, then go to bed.
I am not saying the American educational system is perfect. I know first hand it has plenty of flaws. We have a surplus of bad teachers looking for jobs and not enough good teachers who would actually be able to stimulate the educational system.
However poor our educational system may be it angers me to watch such a blatant attack on American students. I think about how much I work and to think that the modern conception of the American student is a lazy, student who does not work hard is very frustrating.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Yea, I'm a Wisconsiner
I'm not actually a Wisconsiner... meaning I never truly lived in Wisconsin except for a month or so right after I was born. However, both my parents grew up in Wisconsin therefore I was raised to be a die hard Wisconsin fan. And, I don't know if you've heard lately, but these past couple weeks have been the best weeks in Wisconsin nation history! I'm talking about sports of course! Every where we turn right now Wisconsin sports teams are tearing it up!
Off the heals of last years Superbowl XLV victory the Packers are on their way to a repeat. The record 5-0 speaks for it'e self. Unfortunately I haven't been able to go to a Packers game yet but hopefully in the next couple months I'll be able to go watch the wonders of Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Packers unstoppable offense!
While we're talking about football I might as well talk about the Wisconsin Badgers, also 5-0 heading to a Rose Bowl or hopefully better! Russel Wilson, the senior quarterback in his first year at Wisconsin, is having an insane season so far, and if he keeps playing this way, is definitely heading towards the NFL. Again I haven't been able to say the Badgers play yet but I know for a fact that I'll be able to see them play at least once, and twice if they make the Rose Bowl.
The icing on the cake in Wisconsin are the Milwaukee Brewers. With an unbelievable line up at the plate, a group of pitchers any team would die for, a bullpen to finish the game off when the pitchers get tired, and a defense that can stop almost everything the pitchers give up, this team is on its way to the world series without a doubt. I have luckily been able to see this dream team in work a couple times already this postseason. Last week in a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, and yesterday in the win over the St. Louis Cardinals, and from what I've seen, there is no doubt that the Brewers are the best team in the league right now.
Yea, Jealous aren't you. We've got more (good) football than Minnesota could ever dream of, and we've got a world series contending baseball team to top it off. When all of y'all feel like converting just let me know. The Wisconsin nation accepts new fans with open arms!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Obama's Back to School Address
President Barrack Obama's Back to School Address given a couple days ago used many different techniques to help gain and maintain the attention and support of his audience. The first thing Obama did was, as an introduction, have a student from the local high school where the address was given introduce Obama. This is a good use of ethos, even before Obama said a single word. He does this to show to his audience that he really cares and has trust in our generation. Obama also uses a little comedy when he gets on stage by calling the girl who gave the speech, the student government president of the school which hosted Obama's address, Ms. President. This helps lighten the atmosphere before Obama dives into the main content of his speech.
During the address Obama speaks directly to all the students watching him which makes the content of his speech seem more real to us, and not a long boring talk about education. Obama uses mostly short, easy-to-understand syntax which is particularly important in speaking to teenagers. Obama also uses a little repetition and parallelism in a few places, however it is not near as powerful as other speeches including MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech which used repetition, parallelism, and climatic order to a very large extent, and used it well to pump up his crowd.
During the address Obama speaks directly to all the students watching him which makes the content of his speech seem more real to us, and not a long boring talk about education. Obama uses mostly short, easy-to-understand syntax which is particularly important in speaking to teenagers. Obama also uses a little repetition and parallelism in a few places, however it is not near as powerful as other speeches including MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech which used repetition, parallelism, and climatic order to a very large extent, and used it well to pump up his crowd.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Jim Crow Laws
These laws are an example of the embarrassing but very true history of America. These laws, nowadays, disgust me, however I realize at the time they were the social norm. People of this time period had a legitimate fear (disgust) of the black race. It is truly sad the way our ancestors treated blacks during this time period.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
late...
And please forgive me for being a minute late... As you will soon realize (if you haven't already) is that I am the definition of procrastination.
Other stories... and mine?
I didn't realize until after I started reading this collection of essays that they are stories of different writers and there adventures learning to read and write. This is a coincidence because, as you know, I have an essay I have to write about my experiences learning to write and read... hmmm.. now that i think about it probably not a coincidence...
The first thing that I noticed was that almost all of these authors first memories were about writing, not reading... which is what mine is. The second thing I noticed was that a couple of the stories were very traumatic or depressing which is also different than mine. and the last thing I noticed was that in almost all of these stories the author mentioned some sort of inner gut feeling that they wanted to be a writer, and in one case made up their mind to be a writer because he was so bad at math (and he needed math to become his second career of choice, an architect).
When I reflect on my self and my memories of writing I do not share any of these characteristics. This does not mean however that I consider my self a failure at writing and think that I will never be able to put out a decent piece of literature. This just means that i will have to work harder than some other natural born writers to create a well written essay.
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