Journal Entry #9

drinking and driving causes death.

drinking and driving impairs your ability to make good judgement.

drinking and driving is not a smart decision.

when you turn 18 you gain a certain amount of freedom.

when you turn 18 you can buy a gun but you cannot buy an alcoholic beverage.

when you turn 18 you cannot obtain an alcoholic beverage because it's the law.

In the News-Jose Canseco

This article is on a recent interview with former major league baseball player and steroid user, Jose Canseco. This interview shows a more vulnerable side of Canseco, and his remorse for the mistakes he has made. He explains how he regrets writing his first book called, "Juiced". In this book he revealed all of the other players in major league baseball that he either injected with steroids or players that he knew where invovled in the use of steroids during this time. Canseco felt that baseball forced him out of the game, so he thought he could get revenge by writing his books. He also says the only reason that he felt he needed to use the other players names was to show that he was telling the truth about the steroid use going on during this "steroid era". Canseco says that he now wants to apologize to all of those players that he outed because most of them were his friends, and also players that he really respected. Jose Canseco feels that steroids have destroyed his life completely in all aspects and is unsure of what his health and future will hold.

Questions:

1. Do you believe that Jose Canseco was right in the fact that he gave the names of the baseball players involved with steroids in his book "Juiced"?

2. To what degree do you think the "steroid era" will tarnish the history of the great american sport baseball?

3. What is your view of some positive and negative aspects of performance enhancing drugs?

4. Do you believe that performance enhancing drugs play a major role in all sports today?

Questions for Active Reading pg.385

1. Some of the facts that Gould presents as support the theory of evolution are the tree of evolutionary descent linking all organisms by ties of genealogy. Another is that part of a hierarchy of confidence running down hill fact to theory to hypothesis to guess.

2. Some of the inferences that Gould presents as evidence to support the theory of evolution are evidence from the field and laboratory that are direct observational evidence of evolution in action. Another fact is that the imperfection of nature reveals evolution. Evolution lies exposed in the imperfections that record a history of descent. The third fact is that transitions are often found in the fossil records.

3. No, I did not know about this event, but I would say that my understanding was not reduced. I would actually say that I have a better understanding of this and wish to know more about this trial of 1925.

Questions for Active Reading pg.371

1. I would say that this technique we used in chapter 2 by reading the first and last paragraph does help to give you a good preview of what was to come in the reading. This technique is good to use with any reading assignment and even if it does not give many details, it does give you a good outlook of what is to come.

2. It is important to know that Lightman is a scientist because it makes the reading more believable and one can understand this idea from a scientists perspective. This also helps the reader to understand where his science related opinion is coming from. No, I do not believe that an artist or a social worker would write about this subject in the same way because for one thing they would not have the same knowledge about this subject. They would also look at this from a different angle in the way they would write about this subject.

3. Lightman seems to be using a lighthearted tone in the first few paragraphs of the reading to explain his point. Some phrases that show this are,"When you think about it, most of you simply believe what you hear." Also,"Round or flat, whatever. It's not a life-or-death matter, unless you happen to live near the edge."He is being serious when he says, " The round Earth, being the obvious center of the universe, provides a fixed pivot for the assembly." The effect of these tones give his writing a personal effect that helps him connect to his readers.

Journal Entry #8

-This persuasive image displays an example of two opinions represented on a scale. The scale shows one side with just an opinion and the other side with an opinion as well as a lot of money on the top. The scale is not balanced because the opinion with the money weighs the scale down. So figuratively the picture explains that two things are the same, but something with a lot of money will always have a higher presidence. Money seems to have a great influence on how something is valued.

Journal Entry #7

In this essay, Orwell suggests that the English language is on the decline because the people who use English are misusing the language. What sort of things does he mention as proof that the English language is in trouble? He say,"It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts." He also describes that we have made many mistakes over the years with the English language and have not taken the proper time to fix these mistakes. He also says we have staleness of imagery and lack of precision in our language.

Orwell wrote this essay almost 60 years ago. Do you think the English language is in a better or worse condition than when Orwell wrote his essay? Can you think of modern examples of how people misuse language? I personally believe that the English language is in a worse condition than when Orwell wrote his essay for sure. Some modern example would be the slang that people decide to use now in our everyday language. There is also text messaging that leads to this bad use of and English, and i would also blame rap music as another destruction to the English language.

What do you think of Orwell’s list of rules to improve your writing? I think that Orwell makes some very good points with his rules, and many of them should be followed as a criteria for better writing. I like the rules that he has made and will try to incorporate them to the essays that I write.

Orwell wrote the following in the provided excerpt:

Probably it is better to put off using words as long as possible and get one's meaning as clear as one can through pictures and sensations. Afterward one can choose -- not simply accept -- the phrases that will best cover the meaning, and then switch round and decide what impressions one's words are likely to make on another person.

What do you think he means when he suggests that one should focus on “pictures and sensations” before one sits down to put words on the page? I think he means one should analyze and let thoughts come into their head as they look at pictures and sensations because this will ultimately create better writing. Have you ever done this? Yes, I have done this and i do believe it works, but sometimes as a writer I do not feel I have enough time to sit and do this before each paper I write. Does it help you write better? Yes, when I have taken the time to do this it does help me to write better and have more creative ideas.

Questions for Active Reading pg.158

1. After reading my essay and analyzing each of the elements in my writing, I find that I can cut down on the amount of information I have. Other then that, I believe I have a distinct audience, good form, my paper is structured well, the development will be improved with the revision of information, my paper is well dimensioned, and I have a strong voice.

2. I have done the reading of my paper aloud already, and it is amazing how well one can edit a paper by performing this act. I found most of the errors of my paper by doing this with a tutor. I would suggest this practice to all who need to edit papers in the future, and I will continue to use this method.

3. The additional information does influence how I read the quote and listen to its speaker because now I am looking for these elements in the quotes as well as all writing. This has influenced the way I will read and write in the future, and will hopefully make a better writer altogether.

In the News (1 Trillion dollar Deficit)

1.) In your opinion, what do you think the US government should do in order to stabilize the economy to not be in such a huge deficit? I am not really sure what the government should do because I am not to knowledgeable about the whole situation to were I can give an intelligent idea for change. I do have faith that we will fix this problem soon and we as a nation will stabilize the government.

2.) Do you believe that taxes should be raised in order to pay back the debt that we are in? I do not believe that raising taxes will solve all of our problems. I think we can find a better way to deal with this situation.

3.) If you were president of the United States in January of 2009, what would you do in order to solve this deficit problem? I am happy that I am not the President in 2009 and do not really have a great idea to solve this problem. I do believe that who ever is elected will solve this problem in an efficient manner.

Project 1 (Revised Draft)

Signs of a Loved One in the Hands of God

I believe God has directly sent my family and me signs. This indicates that our lost loved ones are in his presence and care. When I was ten, I lost my great-great Aunt Jo to old age. Now one might ask, “How close could you really be to a relative like that?” Most people do not even meet their great-great relatives. On the contrary, ever since I was a baby, I had spent many days over at my grandparents’ house. In this house lived my great-great Aunt Jo, my great grandpa and grandma Weber, as well as my grandpa and grandma Bevillard. So throughout the years, I grew extremely close to all of them. As a result, my great-great Aunt Jo’s death was the first one I had ever experienced. It was really tough on me considering I grew up with her in my life since I was a baby. That day at Hope Hospice I had a calming presence come over me that reassured my thoughts of her entering into Heaven. There was just one problem. As a young boy, I felt I needed concrete evidence from God. I wanted to be shown that she was ok and with Him. As I walked outside onto the patio that was connected to her room my eyes caught the sight of an amazing butterfly garden. Right then I saw the most beautiful butterfly I had ever seen in my life. I said a prayer that very instant thanking God for letting me know that she was with Him. One year later, it was my great grandpa Weber’s time. I was now eleven, and was starting to wonder why I was losing people that I loved so much. So, on this rainy Father’s day, my family and I waited in the hospital room as he took his last few deep breaths alive on this earth. As he drifted away into an interminable sleep, I slowly saw the tears drip down the faces of all who were in the room. Then, I suddenly peered out the window to find a rainbow stretching across the sky. Right then, I knew that I had connected with God again. My great grandpa Weber was being welcomed into the Kingdom of God. At the age of thirteen, I was hit with the death of my beloved great grandma Weber. This death also left a gaping hole in my heart. My great grandma Weber was placed into Hope Hospice. The doctors knew with her old age that it was only a matter of time before she passed. A few days later, she died peacefully in her sleep. As we collected her things out of the room at Hospice the next day, I finally noticed a large picture of a brown pelican hanging over her bed. Later, as my grandma Bevillard and I were carrying some of her things out to the car I realized that on her straw purse was another brown pelican. At first, I thought this was just a coincidence, until two days later I was over my cousin’s house; sitting on his dock was a big, beautiful, brown pelican. This reassured me that she was in a better place.
Two years later as a fifteen year old, my great Aunt Linda died. Her life on earth was extremely difficult. She faced many hardships that she had no control over, but was kind and loving to everyone. To this day, her death is one of the hardest for me to swallow. I felt that I took the time that I spent with her, the gifts she always seemed to give me, and the love she always showered upon me for granted. She ended up dying of colon cancer that spread to her liver and lungs. She did not deserve a death like that. I believe it was her time to go and that was truly the only way to stop her suffering. I felt a large amount of regret after her death and needed a significant symbol that she was really with God. The next few mornings when I walked up the driveway to get the paper, I heard the singing of a crimson cardinal. I just watched the bird for a while, but did not really think there was any connection to Linda. That day was Linda’s funeral, and I was not able to attend because it was in New Jersey. My grandma told me that there were beautiful pictures of cardinals in the room that Linda’s wake was held. It all finally clicked and I thanked God that second for the sign he sent me. It may be a stretch for some to understand where I am coming from with this idea. This is something I believe in strongly that helps me get through each day. I have faith that God sends signs to people that their loved ones are in his hands.

In the News (Religious Art)

What do you think of a mural of all religions in a public space do you think be would like that or be offended that there high power is next to someone else? Personally, I like the idea of a mural of all religions out in the public for people to see, but I think that this would cause more disputes than friendships over this matter. It is truly a good idea, but I don't believe it would work.

Should other religions be able to display their art? Yes, I do think they should because we have a little thing called "freedom of religion". So people should not feel reluctant to display their religious art.

Should the government be involved in the funding or do you agree its unconstitutional ? I think they should not be involved. I do believe in the separation of church and state.

Would it be much more acceptable if an independent group of people did it since in America we do have "Freedom of Speech"? Yes, I guess it would be more acceptable, but others should feel free to do this as well.

Project 2 Rough Draft

In today’s world, the aphorism, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” can be viewed in many ways. We see this alive in our world today, when innocent victims are killed by people with guns. Many people while arguing with their friends may like to say that guns kill people, not people kill people, but the true fact about it is that it’s a myth and a lot of people have their own ways of looking at it. The more accurate way of saying this could be,” people with guns kill people.” This myth has caused many conflicts throughout the years, and will continue causing conflicts in the future. Parts of the government have been trying to ban the ownership of certain types of firearms. This is a pretty drastic change for the United States to go through considering; we as a country have used certain types of weapons to secure or nation’s safety in the past, present, and will continue to do in the future. Guns have a certain relevance to how we became this great power of a nation in the first place. So to take away guns altogether or even to a certain degree could cause more conflicts, then may solve in the long run.

Others may look at guns as a total detriment to society, and that they should be banned for good to control all violence. If guns were banned for good then gangs, murderers, robbers, etc may not have as much power. Some believe that with this restriction violence in general would be greatly reduced. This could be the case, but this could also cause major chaos. The complete ban of guns could also cause a lot of illegal importing and exporting throughout our country. So many more major problems could come from such a simple thing as changing or banning the second amendment of the constitution.

Some citizens in the United States may use guns for a different purpose, such as hunting. Now hunting in the legal sense which involves obtaining a license and permit can be considered by some to be perfectly harmless. The banning of guns would take this right away from our nation’s citizens as well as tourists visiting our country. This could cause an innumerable amount of issues, boycotts, and riots. Some may use hunting as a way of survival for food or a way of living which would cause more problems. So the restriction or banning of guns could and would potentially cause more conflict then peace in our own country.
Others in the United States may use guns or depend on the use of guns in their occupation. So the number of job losses due to this change in the second amendment could affect a large number of citizens. This could cause more disputes as well as lawsuits against the drastic change.
It just seems that the number of people that would be affected by the change in the constitution would be a lot more negative than positive. Even though one may think that the large limitation of guns in our nation would decrease violence. The amount of disgruntled citizens seems to outweigh the change at this point in time.

This is truly a rough draft and I’m sorry I was having difficulty thinking about my topic as well as creating a format for writing it.

Journal Entry #6

Roger: " Hey Ryan, you know what I keep hearing people talking about in the news today?"

Ryan: " No, what are people talking about?"

Roger: " Well the rights activists for the "Right to Bear Arms" say, " That guns don't kill people, people kill people." So what do you think about that?"

Ryan: "Well I am a hunter and use guns myself to hunt for game, so i definitely would not want and do not think that the constitutional right to own guns as Americans should be taken away!"

Roger: "Yes, that is one way to look at it, but I think that if we banned guns all together then there would be a lot less deaths in the United States and around the world today."

Ryan: "I think you are dead wrong on this one because that kind of thinking is not logical for our world today and you know it."

Roger: "Just because I have true belief or dream about something, does not mean you have to shoot it down."

Ryan: "Yes, I know that, but I really think that it is people with guns that kill people not just guns, so guns are given a stereotype or bad rap because of this."

Roger: "That statement is true, but if we just did away with guns all together I think it would solve many problems we have in our country!"

Ryan: "No way, we could never do that do you understand how many more problems that would end up causing the US?"

Roger: "Well obviously we totally disagree so we will just have to keep debating this subject."

Ryan: "Yes, we will indeed. I will be talking to you soon."

Questions for Active Reading pg.245

1. The perspectives that Tavris presents are different from those of Richard Cohen because Tavris believes that men have superficial friendships, based on shared interests, and Cohen believes that men do not truly have friends at all no matter what they think. They have similar ideas in that they both believe that women have very intricate emotional relationships that are completely different from men.

2. Cohen's definition of friendship is that friendship is not something that you are just given or have because you say you have friends, but you must work at it and really open up to consider a relationship a friendship.
Tavris' definition of friendship is that friendship is just the stereotypical view of people who are friends or act like friends which make it a friendship.
My view of friendship is one that is truly there for you when you need them and someone that you can really open up to and talk about personal things and beliefs. So I would say that I partly agree with Cohen and totally disagree with Tavris.

3. Tavris suggests classifying people as either "mature" or "immature" by saying that people who are mature truly care about there family members and/or friendship and have their priorities straight. The immature people are to caught up in the stereotypical view of friendship that they miss the big picture. She makes this distinction because this is her belief about how people view and deal with friendships. Other characteristics are respectful, trustworthy, and aware for a mature person. For an immature person I would say the are rude, unaware, and childish.