Don't read this. Kthnx

This is a blog to a) rant about being excited b) not lose these points.
I have awesome points for my expository, and I'm pumped [: ((that was the ranting))

Opening -- blahblahblah

1st point
con- Marijuana causes -- cancer, side effects, amount of carcinogens
pro- counter - show sites that say it can't cause cancer, medical uses (insomnia, anorexia, nausea)

2nd point
pro- Better than alcohol - deaths from alcohol, abuse related incidents. . . blahblah
con- worse then cigs - one joint = 20 cigs? 23847 sites that say so.

3rd point
con- gateway drug!- leads to heavier use. makes it easier for people to buy//use
pro- no proven connection between marijuana and using harder drugs.



shabamshabam. I have them written down, but I didn't want to lose the card I have them on. This way they're on the internet and I CAN'T lose them [:

Ranting. Part 78.

So whilst doing homework at one Jpizzles house, I was complaining about how many of the pro-marijuana sites I had found were very . . . . illegitimate. He then went on to make the joke that they were all high when they wrote them, ((cleaver I know.)) or it was just an illegitimate argument to begin with.
I got mildly defensive and started with a counter argument when it hit me. . . Maybe I am too polarized to one side, at this point there really isn't any chance of going back, but I'm a little concerned about remaining neutral when it comes time for the persuasive paper.
Thus why I've been researching the con side of the argument so much, trying to see and understand the side I disagree with, but in turn I have a lot more anit-marijuana sites then I do pro, all of which I disagree with for one reason or another.

So now I need to gather more sources FOR the legalization of marijuana. . . But I don't want to re-acquaint myself with the ideas I believed in in the begging. Ugh. Struggle much?

Shamalamadingdong

So I've outlined my paper and I'm actually pretty excited about it. I think I can present both sides of the argument well, there is enough contradicting points out there to make for an easy paper, since all I have to do is present all those points and / or contradictions. Sweet action.

I am a little unsure about how I want to format this though, should I do all the pro information first? And then afterward list the anti side?

OR

Should I give a point for it, then show the same, but contradicting point? Hmmm. Decisions decisions. I'll mess with it in drafts and see what I like better.

Legit(?)

semi-legitimate sites are proving difficult.
A lot of the pro-marijuana sites seem to be written by forty year old pot heads who live in their basement. I have found a lot of good ones, but there are a lot more illegitimate pro-marijuana sites then there are anti sites.

Examples :

http://www.marijuana.com/first-time-visit/

http://www.marijuana-info.org/

http://www.rollitup.org/ ((roll it up . org. . . . . seriously?))


granted, I am finding suckish anti marijuana sites as well. But more illegit sites seem to be for. Somehow I'm not surprised.

I'm almost done researching anyways. I need to find a non-internet site, but other then that I'm just tying up loose researching ends.

Meh.

So today I spent quite a bit of time getting lists together. I have a list of Pro-marijuana legalization sites, a list of Con-marijuana legalization sites, a list of both (pro and con)- marijuana legalization sites, and a list of factual-marijuana sites.

I'm still having a hard time getting a straight answer on any of the facts. There are credible websites that make good points and are well backed up for both the pro and con ideas of the legalization, which makes me a very un-happy camper.

I'm going to try to get a page or two of the paper written tonight, but I need to get facts straight first. . . .

Ranting. Don't read this.

I'm blogging again. So I was looking up anti-pot ads trying to convince myself of the other side, and well, I failed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFAN3wdlrJg I found this, which I've seen before but never really thought about. 'You're not the same when you smoke' . . . . duh? You're not the same when you're drunk, you're not the same when you are with your boyfriend, you're not the same when you have a huge english paper due..... is it just me or are people different all the time?

Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM_vLk1I6G4 . . . . ha.. . . .

Someone fight me on this. I need to be wrong.

CANCER . . . . . . or not. . . . . Rantblog.

I'm frustrated.
Frustrated that I've found so many legitimate sites that say marijuana can cause cancer. Frustrated that there are the same number of legitimate sites saying exactly the opposite. Frustrated every site has a counter, and they all make sense. And Frustrated I can't remember what vocab word means using the same word at the begging of a sentence.

I guess this can be good since I have to give both sides of the argument, but it also makes it REALLY FRICKIN HARD to make a well supported stance. My favorite argument is still the comparison between alcohol and marijuana, as in they are both bad, (( I think alcohol is worse. . . )) and so if one is legal, the other should be too. But I need better statistics on it. Blah. can't we all just get along?

Also, just out of sheer curiosity, what do people in the class think of this issue? Comment? I like opinions.



NO CANCER --> http://tinyurl.com/nsd2k (Washington Post, 2006) http://tinyurl.com/lddx3p (Alter.net, 2009)

CANCER --> http://tinyurl.com/yq792 (Missouri Department of Mental Health, 1984) http://tinyurl.com/nozx5k (Fox, 2009)

Mar-ij-u-ah-nah.

Probably the easiest website to find, but also probably going to be one of my main sorces: http://www.legalizationofmarijuana.com/ I really like the myth section of it, but weather or not it's completely credible . . . . I'll compare to other sites.

Also, the video that actually got me interested in the subject of the legalization of marijuana,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXoYuqdhT8U&feature=PlayList&p=1E048B8E8A488628&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=54

I'm trying to get some of the sources she uses, but I need to start working on the con side of everything :|

Live and Let Live?

The Laramie Project isn't a new source of information for me, having seen the play twice and the movie countless times, I thought I understood the message of the movie and the ideas of the people in it fairly well. The idea on weather or not the concept of ‘live and let live’ was a positive notion wasn’t something that had crossed my mind before.
At first the idea seems like it would be good for everyone, I do my thing and you do yours. Not a big deal. The real trouble comes in when someone in the community breaks this ideal. Do the people around said person have a responsibility to stop it? Or do they simply go on living and ‘let live’ or, let it happen?
Live and let live can really only be a successful idea if everyone has reached an agreement as to how to purse it and make it fit into the community while still taking responsibility.

Exigency – Yoshimo observed people who weren’t in the ‘mainstream being discriminated against.


Purpose – to prove that the mainstream is a constantly changing thing that at one point has everyone discriminated against.

Audience – people who are ‘currently’ in the ‘mainstream’ who turn a blind eye to what is going on because they don’t have to deal with it at the moment. :

Logic – shows how people not in the current mainstream are forced to try and be more like people in the current mainstream to do simple things like hold down a job.

Credibility – Personal testimony about being a gay professor. Stories about the minority groups that were forced to conform. The pregnant woman, the Jewish man who wore the yarmulke, and the African American woman who wore corn rows, for example.

Emotion – making the connection between the audience and the stories of people discriminated against, women could sympathize with the pregnant woman, Jewish people with the man who wore the yarmulke, and so on.

Imagery – The idea of a changing mainstream.

Diction – the language of the piece is directed at a more educated audience, aka those in the mainstream.

Syntax – More eloquently written sentences for a more educated audience

Pressure to Cover

Yoshino gives several examples of people in America discriminated against for having ideas outside of the mainstream. The examples given all point to the idea of mainstream being white, Christian, straight, and male. The case examples given are all people who, for one reason or another, don’t fit the mainstream stereotype, weather it’s for a reason they can help or not. The idea that mainstream is a myth is not something I agree with, Yoshino gives conflicting points, the examples given are said to not be in the mainstream, but if there is no mainstream how can this be? Being Black, or fluent in Spanish or a pregnant woman, or a lesbian, or Jewish, are not considered in the mainstream, and are all minority groups that get overshadowed by the white, English speaking, straight, Christian men in America. A mainstream does in fact exist, and it’s something that begs the question of how accepting of a country America really is.

C.P. Ellis Credibility

I believe that C.P. Ellis' overcoming of misunderstanding and hatred is most definitely credible. The fact that Ellis was a Klan member is basically admitting that he was at one point very close minded and hateful, but by forcing himself to open his mind to what could be outside of the world he knew. I think a big part of Ellis' credibility comes from the fact that he gives reasoning to his joining the Klu Klux Klan, that he had a hard life growing up and needed someone to blame it on. Ellis' reasoning really helps build his credibility by making it easier to see why he realized he was at fault.

In my opinion, Linda was free the moment she stepped off the Flint property and escaped the abuse of Mr.Flint and is overly-cautius wife. But technically she is free when Mr.Bruce buys Linda her freedom from the Dodges. Linda seems to have the same viewpoint, she feels guilty when Mr.Bruce buys her something she feels like she already has. Even after Linda is free she doesn't feel that her troubles are over. She it still forced to cope with prejudices in the north, even if she is free, she has not escaped the hate that still follows her around.

Truth.

Linda takes a passage in the book to explain exactly what was about to happen to the audience. However she does it for a very good reason. When Linda has an affair with Mr.Sands she tells the reader before hand that she did something wrong, something she wasn't proud of, but she did it with a cause in mind. This makes it so much easier to establish a relationship with the character, because the reader feels like they're being confided in, which helps strengthen the relationship. Linda coming forward and explaining first hand that what she did was wrong and she knows it, is a huge step to the readers trusting her.

Slave Girl

The fact that this book is written by someone who experienced everything first hand makes it so much more genuine and believable then if it were written by someone who say, heard stories passed down through the family. The author is very talented at getting her audience to see her as a credible source of information, making this book one of the most important pieces when trying to understand how slavery worked and how slaves were treated each and every day. The author doesn't hold back at all and truly shows her audience everything that happens along the way, the book is straight forward, and doesn't try to cover up what slavery really was.

Socialization

Parrillo's idea of the socialization process is mainly that children learn nearly everything from their parents, from their ideas on whether or not Christina Agulara is a good singer, to whether or not the jews caused all the problems in Germany. Parents ideals get instilled in a child, and then the child tends to envelope their own ideas around the original premise. The idea of southerners being more racist then other areas of the country dates all the way back to the Civil War, slave owners in the south taught their children that black people were below them, and those chldren taught their children, and so on and so forth, thus making the south the more racist area it is today. Parrillo's idea of socialization holds true in more areas then one.

Everyone's a little bit racist (alright.)

I have a very good friend who is half pacific islander, making him half Asian. There was a day we were all hanging out at a mutual friends house and someone made an Asian joke, my half pacific islander friend got a little peeved, and none of us seemed to understand why he took it so personally. To us it was a lighthearted joke that we meant absolutely nothing by, to him it went deeper then that. Opinions weren't changed in this situation, but frustrations did grow. Although the word 'racist' was never thrown in, because it would have been to harsh for a group of 16 & 17 year olds, and as Watchel argues, it makes it impossible to have a conversation about race at all, it did cause an uncomfortable situation for us to deal with.

Jefferson is a dastard

The opposing views on Jefferson are difficult and obnoxious to comprehend. In history classes, we have been taught over and over again that Jefferson believed in white supremacy, and was a rich man who owned hundreds an hundreds of slaves. In no way did he believe in equality for all, let alone try to act on any impulse of equality. In 'Notes on the State of Virginia' Jefferson presents himself as a man who values every person, who strives to make this great nation equal for all.
The differences in the way Jefferson approaches equality could be tagged to a variety of different reasons. Either his meaning in 'Notes on the State of Virginia' were misconstrued, or historians are false in saying he was a white supremacist who owned as many slaves as he did.

Speeches.

Overall I thought the speeches were incredibly well done. Everyone did their research and took the project seriously, which was a welcoming change for us. I was particularly impressed With Josh, Molly, Steve, and Breanna. Josh was able to make the point that I had wandering through my head the entire time he was talking 'you're not black....' he made the connection wonderfully. Molly had what I thought to be the most clean cut presentation (shocker.), it was wonderfully delivered and showed me a side of Molly few are privileged to, public speaking. Steve, as always, was probably the most confident of everyone that went to give a speech. Everything flowed very well and not only showed Steve's personal love for the arts, but how beneficial they are to everyone. Breanna also struck me as a wonderful speech, hers to me was the most sincere of the day and the hardest to zone-out during. The stories she gave were heartfelt and brought a true life to the speech.

Also, shout out to Kwame for the doughnuts.

• Blog – What does Willy Loman think about the idea of ‘individual opportunity’? What does playwright Arthur Miller think? What evidence exposes each opinion?

I think Willy Loman believes that individual opportunity exists for everyone, but it seems like his idea of how to reach it is quite skewed. Believing that if you're liked, you'll get far isn't a way to live out your life successfully. The fact that Willy see's other people reaching goals that he himself can't get to seem to make him depressed, because he feels that he is not well liked (because being liked is the only way to success in his mind), and therefore he is a failure.
Arthur Miller seems to have reached the conclusion that (same as Willy) individual opportunity exists, but how to reach it is harder for some people, simply based on what they believe they have to do to become successful. The ideas people get about how to become successful are influenced so greatly on stories like 'Ragged Dick' and 'The Great Gatsby' skewing peoples ideas of what they need to do to get anywhere in life. Miller is able to subtly present an overwhelming statement, not everyone will be successful. But in the end is it the fault of the individual? Or the ideas presented to them throughout their life?

Willy VS Cora

The differance between Willy and Cora that jumps out at me first is their views of success,or more-so, how to reach it. Willy believes very strongly that if you are 'well liked' you will get farther in life then those who aren't as well liked, no matter what the other factors are. Willy spent almost all of his time trying to make sure that everyone around him liked everything he did, to try and keep himself successful. Cora on the other hand, views success as 'raising hell' and getting things done, no matter what the cost. Cora risks having people not like her every time she voices her (normally very opposing) opinion, while Willy has the strong set belief if he is liked, he will be successful.

Speech Topic

School 67 is my current topic to use in the persuasive speech, not only do I myself spend a great deal of time there, but it is connected to University and is just about as local as it can get. School 67 is an Indianapolis Public School which, much like all the IPS schools, is short staffed, overcrowded, and not well funded at all. University supports School 67 in multiple ways, one of the most recognizable being The Spirit Run. School 67 without a doubt is in need of support, both volunteers and funding, with either or both of these, more one on one attention could be given to students, helping them understand the materials of the class and end up in a better place in society later on in life, greatly improving Indianapolis as a whole. With more funding more teachers could be brought in and smaller class sizes could be provided, as well as more and better school supplies to make learning a little easier for everyone.

Cora

• Blog – Is Cora Tucker successful? By what definition?

In my opinion, yes, Cora is very successful because she was born to a poor family and was able to make something of her self. Even if she never reached a place where most people think success is (big house, married, kids, good job, etc), she was able to do something she thought was important, and do it very well. By a lot of standers she was still quite successful, coming from nothing and being able to 'raise hell' the way she did, in many opinions is a success in itself. But when it's factored in that Cora is black, the opinions of success may change for far to many people. They may view Cora as more successful then if they had assumed she was white, due to the fact that society has set the bar so much lower for blacks as opposed to whites. If someone were to hear the story of Cora, without knowing the color of her skin, they may think 'Well that's nice. Good for them', but when informed that Cora was black, the thought process all to often seems to shift to 'Damn, a BLACK person was able to start with nothing and make something of themselves. Kudos to them.'. The bar being set so low is something that is recognized in society, due to unequal opportunities. However at the same time, no new opportunities are presented, so the bar is incredibly hard to raise. Society must first address finding a way to give more opportunity before expecting to see the bar raise, only then can any mindset be changed at all.

• Blog – In what way does Cruz’s story contrast the idyllic themes of Alger? Are they also similar in some ways?

In Alger's story, it takes hard work and being a good person for Dick to get somewhere in life, while in Cruz's story, it merely takes the color of his skin. The story of Ragged Dick never touches on the ideas of the other factors that play in to moving up in society, such as race and education, it only says that being a good, hard working person will move you up, regardless of other factors. Cruz's story is in great contrast to the ideal Alger sets.

Rich//Poor

I don't believe that the article claims that the rich exploit the poor, to me it seems they more so just don't recognize or acknowledge them. The facts laid out on the table are not only a tad bit misleading, but also are contorted to work with the point that Mantiois is trying to make. The fact that the artical IS mostly facts is another reason I believe it doesn't really make the case of exploiting the poor, there are facts, but they don't seem to show the rich exploiting the poor, just that the poor and rich exist.

Lazy but compassionate? Okay!

Blog – Dick is essentially rewarded for his actions with the job opportunity of a lifetime. What implicit argument is the story making about what it takes to be successful?

Many children stories lead to the idea that if you are a good hard working person, good things will come to you. The story of Ragged Dick is no exception to this idea, Dick is a low class working scuff who works hard and is just able to get by, he maintains his hardworking ethic and still has a hard time getting anywhere. In the end it is the fact that Dick is a good person that ends up getting him somewhere. His morals get to him and he can not leave the little boy to drown, which is in the end what gets him somewhere. It almost seems like being a hardworking person doesn't actually mean anything, but the fact that he is a good, nice, caring person does. The implicit argument in the story actually seems to come out and say that if you are a good person, with lots of compassion, you will find a way to get far.

Visual

I do believe that a visual argument is more persuasive then a written one. Visual arguments have the ability to tap into the viewers senses much quicker and have a much more lasting impression. If someone was trying to protest against the war in Iraq, writing information on it may sway some people, but showing pictures of dying solders would appeal to the senses of the audience and more then likely they would hold the image in their minds for much longer. It’s all to easy to read about something going on in the world and forget about it, but when pictures are presented that appeal to your emotions you could feel disturbed, inspired, or amazed for a long time, and feel the need to spread the word about the event. Pictures and videos make it easier to connect to the subjects in them quickly, and a lot of times, make a stronger connection.

Ethos//Pathos

I believe that all writers have a responsibility to utilize ethos, but not to the point where the reader is left without a unique or different thought in their head. Using ethos as a writer is a powerful and dangerous tool, the ability to sway ones audience is something to be cautious of. If an ethos argument relies on the reputation of the writer, then it could also be a factor of the readers relationship with the writer.
On the flip side, the usage of pathos is, in my opinion, more powerful then ethos. When you appeal to someone’s emotions the right way they become very easy to sway. Going back to ‘A Case for Torture’ that argument could be personalized to someone who lost a family member in 9/11, making the argument much more emotional, saying that ‘If torture could have saved _____ would you do it?’ making it nearly impossible for whomever the argument is directed at to say no.

Skateboarding

One of the most powerful pieces of this article are the real world examples that David Langley gives to the readers, showing how skateboarders have been treated by society not only helps tap into the emotional side, but also sends the emotion that he wants you to feel. This is very well backed up with personal stories and testimonies, which also play to the emotional side. David Langley also shows the positive side of skateboarding, it’s good exercise, and environmentally friendly. Compared to ‘A Case for Torture’, this argument is much better supported, and more convincing. ‘A Case for Torture’ is almost completely hypothetical, and the facts that are presented are weakly supported. Although ‘A Case for Torture’ does tap into the emotions of the reader, it does nothing to support the argument.

Arguments

It’s nearly impossible to prove any real world arguments because almost all arguments are based on opinion, and which opinion is right or wrong, we’ll never know because according to Aristotle, we can never know the truth. If we can never know the truth, we can never get a clear view of what’s right and wrong, so instead people interoperate the truth in different ways to come up with two sides of an argument. Learning a system like Toulmin’s at least helps us sort out what we define as the truth, and help us make our decisions based on them.

Pseduo-Argument

A pseudo argument is an argument based on opinions, arguments like this can be nearly impossible to win without evidence and statistics to back it up. Having an argument about what color is the best will get the people arguing no where, because the area of debate is too broad and has no support on either side.
An example of a pseudo-argument is the one I recently had with my mother. My side was that I should be aloud to go to the Laramie Project protest, her side was that I couldn’t. this is an example of a pseudo-argument because there is no real clear cut answer, because there are no set in stone facts of data to support it.

Labeling

In my opinion the consumer should be as informed as possible, case and point. Along those same lines, consumers should be able to have all the information they could possibly need on the label, to make sure that they know exactly what they are buying, and what is going into their bodies.
The labels on the cans could be regulated to prevent companies putting out things that only make them seem like the good guys, unbiased information on labeling will help consumers know what they are buying, where its coming from, how it's made, and what exactly they're eating.

Ads

The ad on page twenty-four is simple and direct, with a picture that captures the attention and is a quick and easy thing to read. On the flip side, the cartoon on page one captures the attention with a cute cartoon that people love reading, yet it still gets the point across. The advertisement on page twenty-four could be described as an explicit argument, because the point comes across directly, and very strongly, as well as giving the argument strait forward and up front. The picture presented on page one could easily be described as an implicit argument, because the information is presented without being direct and giving a bold statement.

Implicit Explicit

Explain the differences between implicit and explicit arguments. Use the picture and poem on p. 5-6 to support you.

Both explicit and implicit arguments are wonderful tools for a writing argument to be successful. An explicit argument is described as direct and harsh, throwing out controversial information to work with; witch is then supported by reasons and evidence. An implicit argument is the exact opposite; it looks nothing like an actual argument. The poem on pages five and six would be described as an implicit argument, because it subtly gives the information and makes an argument. Same with the picture on page five, not only is it implicit but different from the poem, it simply presents the information, without any real argument, which leaves the reader or viewer to make their own decisions about what’s going on based on the photograph given.

Memory

The park in my neighborhood was always a favorite for me and my mom to walk to in the summertime. The play equitment had just been re-painted bright florescent orange, and had a dog park right next to it, which to an eight year old, was the greatest thing in the world.

The walk to the park was a familiar one, out of the cul-de-sac to the main street in the neighborhood, and down a side street for about a block or two. We had just reached the end of the cul-de-sac and turned right down the road, passing my favorite tree of all time. It was a great big weeping willow that desperately needed its branches trimmed, but to me, it was a fort, a club house, an amazing hiding place. Right next to the tree, off the curb, there was a storm drain and most of the time it wasn't something that caused any interest. On this trip however a strange noise was coming from the drain, my mom said over and over again it sounded like a raccoon, but being a curious eight year old I had to get a closer look. I peered into the drain and staring right back at me was a white and gray kitten, one of the smallest I'd ever seen. No need to say eight year old girls plus a kitten involved means lots of squealing and excitement, though my mom was cynical about trying to get the kitten out, and tried to get me to press onward to the park.

However it quickly became my lucky day when our neighbors rode by on their bikes, when we showed them what we found they became just as determined as I was to set the kitten free. With the combined effort of my neighbors and my mom, the storm drain was lifted off and we were able to reach the kitten. The kitten however was skittish and wouldn't come to us, but my neighbors, who had a cat at home, left, and returned a few minutes later with soft cat food.

With the help of that, it took no effort to get the kitten to come to us, and to lift her out. After that we tried for a good hour or so to find someone in the neighborhood who had lost a kitten, but no one had. My mom agreed to let me take it home for the night and the next morning, gave me the okay to keep her.

Reflection

“Reflect on anything from class”. Such a wonderfully vague assignment. Thus far I think that class has gone basically how I expected it to, over analyze everything, move at a pace so fast you hardly realize what’s happening, and watch everyone test the limits of how goofy they can get in class without causing the teacher to throw things. Frankly I can’t wait to start getting into some of the novels we are going to be doing this year, and see what all of the previous ApEng juniors were talking about.

Language.

Language quite possibly evolves more then just about anything else that humans do on a day-to-day base. Most language evolves from new generations coming up with new words, sayings, or phrases that catch on and become commonly used.

For example, even just a hundred or so years ago the language is vastly different from what is heard today, which is all the proof needed to show that language evolves just as any one species does.

I don’t believe that the language of the individual changes very much, but instead more so the generation gaps differ the most, the way that a group of third graders may talk would be different from the way anyone in high school would speak to each other, which would be completely off from how anyone over the age of sixty spoke. The language evolves slowly, although hints of it may be shown by generation gaps, it is more than visible from century to century.

Profound Moment

Sitting down and trying to think of a profound moment that I would be comfortable sharing with not only my English teacher, but the entire English class, was quite possibly one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. Profound moments don’t come along very often, and even when they do they are hard to put to words, and sometimes too personal to share. The moment I came up with sounds like a complete cliché, but my first day of high school was very profound for me. It struck me that day that life was starting to get serious, my home life was on the rocks for a variety of reasons, I’d been lectured about college day one of freshman year, it was a lot to take in. Unlike the narrator in “Red Sky in the Morning” I couldn’t really pick a specific moment in the day that was profound, but instead a few moments where it hit me that from that point on, there was going to be less and less time for me to just be a kid. It may not be the most profound moment, but it was definitely a moment of realizations.

Marcellus: Now lets talk about what is happening here, so why is it that they have a guard schedule set up? Or that there is bronze canons being made in Denmark? Weapons brought from other countries? And shipbuilders getting no rest. Something is going to happen that makes working tonight worthwhile. Who can explain that?

Horatio: The rumors have told me this, our last king, who we just saw in ghost form? He was enemy’s with Fortinbras of Norway. Fortinbras asked him to battle. During the fight our valiant Hamlet, (the side we see of him), killed Fortinbras. Who by agreement, forfeited all his lands that he had conquered. If Hamlet had lost he would have had to have done the same. Fortinbras Jr. was pissed. He caused trouble here and there in To get food, they’re eager to take on the challenge of securing the lands that Fortinbras lost.

Interweb

In the beginning, the idea of having the internet even closer to your fingertips is a thrilling and exciting idea, being able to access everything by simply thinking about it. Think about it, no more school! Everyone could know everything about what was going on in the world, as well as having easier shopping! Connecting with any one of your friends in a split second and have them return to you in real time! Music and T.V. whenever, and wherever! All of that seems to be a good thing right? For a lot of things yes, it would be great. But on the flip side, the book feed talks about the fact that trees were cut down, and not just most of them or a lot of them, but ALL of them. The fact that when ever you saw the word cloud, it was always seen as Cloud™, showing that someone or some cooperation owned the clouds, they were probably fake. No trees, no clouds, there is one con. The fact that corporations run the world in the novel is an incredibly scary thought, the kids in the story didn’t have their parents around often due to the fact that they were working for big corporations that needed lots of little workers to keep the Feeds up and running. The idea of the eventual deterioration of Violet is also a frightening idea, the fact that the feed can in fact, well, kill. The truth of the matter is that the cons outweigh the pros as far as having that much information and capabilities right at your fingertips. Technology in general is something society couldn’t do without at this point, it has become a part of our daily lives, whether you turn the T.V. on in the morning to see the weather, use your computer/iPod for music, or use your cell phone everyday today’s society would not know how to function if technology disappeared for a day. Most people in America use their televisions, cell phones, and computers in the same day, and wouldn’t know how to do anything really without them. I think the point of the novel is that there does come many responsibilities with new technology, and the sheer fact that it can all to easily be too much too soon is a scary thought. Technology is something that needs to be regulated, to much and it can end up like it does in the novel, it can over load the senses and completely control society. To a point it already does, but currently at least people have the ability to turn off the computer/cell phone/television and walk away, if it is literally in your head then it becomes a little bit more complicated. All and all the idea is more so scary then exciting, I personally hope society doesn’t even come close to having this capability.

Black in America

500 word blogger entry on your general thoughts about the CNN Special "Black in America." What struck you as important, surprising, depressing, hopeful? What did you learn?
The special report, “Black In America”, brought up the obvious points of the difficulties of one of being in one of the major subordinate groups in America, the obvious difficulties, such as being submitted to racism during job interviews, and by the police were discussed. As well as the unseen side of it, that black men were more likely to go to jail, that they were often told “You seem very articulate!”, as Whoopie Goldberg said, “School B¡†©#!!!”. The fact that media has come into play so much, showing rappers that are pimps and ballers, effects how everyone, even blacks, view the black community. If there is an educated black person, he/she is made fun of, called white, and people are surprised when they are articulate and educated. The media however isn’t the only thing playing a part, the black community itself, with an absence of father figures in most homes, and crack/cocaine appearing so early in a child’s life, people in that situation feel as though there is no other way out, they grow up expecting to be a part of that. If they cannot rap and cannot play basketball well enough, to make a life out of it, crime, prison and cosine gets involved in their lives. Many of the “successful” black men interviewed talked about how they were seen as “the black man” at work, the opinion they brought to the table was black, the music, the lifestyle everything. However, they said that with their friends they were “the white man” because they were educated with a “white mans job”. These kind of prejudices are the barriers that still hold back society from getting the jobs and getting out of the place many of them are in. There were staggering numbers of the number of young black men in jail, many of them there on cocaine, laws that were meant to help the black community have done nothing but set them back. Many young black men say the law is unfair to them and is incredibly prejudice, the point is arguable, but the numbers would be an asset in arguing that point. For many it takes a life of crime to realize what they want to, and can do. The preacher in the special had been in prison and now taught young black men that had been in prison as well, helped them find work, as well as being a preacher. The two brothers, raised in the same home, went completely different paths, one not realizing the error of his ways until being imprisoned. The entire CNN special was hard to swallow, and at points hard to believe, but showing America this isn’t going to change, that won’t come for quite some time.

Epistolary Wrting

The epistolary style of the writing in “The Last Days of Summer” makes the book more unique as well as more entertaining to read. The epistolary style means that the book is not told from a narrator, and the dialogue is not all in conversations, instead, the book is written in the form of mostly letters, with report cards, ticket stubs, and telegrams thrown in. The book follows a boy named Joey Margolis, a twelve year old Jewish boy who has major troubles with boys on his street beating him up because of his religion. He begins writing to Charlie Banks, 3rd baseman for the New York Giants, to find someone to stick up for him. Joey and Charlie develop an very unusual relationship, as well as a very close one. Joey ends up going on a road trip with the New York Giants, and becomes very good friends with famous singer, Hazel. The style of writing makes this book much more enjoyable because of the fact that not only do you get the story, but you also get a form of cleverness that you wouldn’t normally see in a book. The hidden humor requires readers to pay much more attention to pick up on the subtle hints that are encoded in the book. The fact that we have the ability to pick up on the story is amazing with this kind of writing, but the fun part about it is that we can see the story from many different sides. For example, when Joey and Charlie are writing letters to Hazel, we hear one side of the story from Joey, making Charlie seem like a mean person that locked him in a room in the train. While when Charlie writes a letter to Hazel at about the same time at about the same situation, he makes it seem as though Joey was being incredibly difficult. The fact that we get to see the same situations from so many different sides adds a great deal of humor and enjoyment to the book. It helps to piece things together in a way that helps the reader to side with certain characters, and understand the situations that they are in much better then the typical style of writing.