Unit 4 response to Beth Taylor blog

            I enjoyed reading about the Tulsa Gals blog. The way you described the blog was very accurate and made it easy to view her blog and check out all the features. As I now live a in Oklahoma, and did not grow up here, I found her blog very interesting and full of fun facts and historical notes that I was not aware of. I like the way you fully describe the site, while not going into so much detail that looking at the site was still not fun. It was nice to go to the site knowing to look for certain things that you had enjoyed, like the calendar, the history of the riots, and the cookbook! It was well written and enjoyable to read! 

Unit 4

http://somersusa.com/public_html/FamilyBlog/FamilyNews2010/Blog/Blog.html

This blog is actually written by a family friend, who was also my sixth grade English teacher and my first real employer as I babysat her children on a regular basis. Once I graduated high school and got married, my husband and I moved across the country and we lost touch. Thanks to the modern technologies of Facebook we were able to reconnect all these years later. There are many things that I like about this blog besides the obvious fact that I enjoy keeping up with friends.

            Recently the Somers family moved back to England so that their children could experience growing up in a different country, as well as the country that both parents were raised in. I think this is so fabulous on so many levels. As a young woman interested in travel the idea of spending a few years abroad is exciting. The chance to visit the English countryside, museums, and getting to experience a totally different culture sounds like such a wonderful learning experience and grand adventure. I love reading all of the things that they as a family are doing. I also, as a mother, think of the great learning experience this is for their children. To be able to show them a different culture, a different way of life sounds so wonderful.

            I love the way the blog is set up. You get to read all the about the different places they are visiting and all the different things they are experiencing, while also adding the family fun side into it. As someone who is new to blogs I also find it easy to navigate and easy to follow and find pictures which makes it such a more enjoyable experience. 

Response Blog unit 3

     I, again, agree with you. I have seen "doomsday" movies and while some are entertaining I have never taken them seriously. The thought that one day, the whole state of California will have such massive earthquakes that it will fall into the ocean, as in "2012" or that New York will freeze over as in "Day After Tomorrow" seem absurd to me. Lindzen does lay out rational thought and facts, while Biello simply states "facts" based on some organization of scientist. There is no evidence or believable numbers in the Biello article that sway my opinion in the slightest. 

      I like the quotes that you choose to use, I think they highlight your points perfectly and clearly show where you are getting your thoughts about the articles from.

Unit 3 Blogging Assignment:

Before reading these two articles I have to admit that I have never researched Global Warming on my own and for the most part have not really cared. I have seen movies like “2012” and “The day after tomorrow” and while I enjoyed them from a entertainment side, I never considered that these event would actually happen.

            After reading these two articles I must say that they did not change my mind. The first article by Lindzen was much more persuasive than the second article by Biello. Lindzen uses a lot more specific, factual examples in his writing while Biello makes claims without backing them up. A clear example is his reference to an interview with Mr. Gore, “Mr. Gore defended his claims by noting that scientists “don’t have any models that give them a high level of confidence” one way or the other and went on to claim–in his defense–that scientists “don’t know. … They just don’t know.” (Lindzen) He also notably points out the fact that there is a lack of facts,  “In the absence of factual context, these images are perhaps dire or alarming” (Lindzen). Lindzen then proceeds to add facts to support his claim that the Global Warming Crisis is a hoax, “Since abut 1970, many of the glaciers have stopped retreating and some are now advancing again. and, frankly, we don’t know why.” (Lindzen).

            Biello, though he may try to sound factual by stating claims by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chang (IPCC), he does not show you where or how the IPCC got this information. Biello claims that, “Climate change is "unequivocal" and it is 90 percent certain that the "net effect of human activities since 1750 has been one of warming," the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” and  “the IPCC stated that human-induced warming is having a discernible influence on the planet, from species migration to thawing permafrost.” These both sound threatening but as a non member of the scientific world how do I know I can trust the IPCC to be honest. Where are they getting these facts?

I am not one to trust another’s word simply because they come from some fancy organization and can impress with their number of members. I want to see simple, laid out facts with at least references to a study conducted that lead them to their conclusions, Lindzen did this much better than Biello. 

Response to John Millian Blog

            I have to say that I totally agree with everything that you stated. Your blog looks a lot like mine when it comes to our thought on the subject and only increases my wondering if the author has children of his own. Your examples with your son and the yogurt made me smile as I could picture my own three year olds yogurt smudged face looking at me for praise after finishing off the food. I think your response was well written and I like that you took each of his arguments and stated them back in the same order and fashion that he did, while stating your own opinion on his “facts”. I like that you summed it all up by simply stating that you didn’t agree (as if that wasn’t obvious to those who read your blog). And of course was ironically funny how you said “good job” to the author, it added the right amount of humor and sarcasm. Since I am a fan of saying ‘good job” as his article did nothing to change my mind, I say with no sarcasm, Good Job J

Saying “Good Job”

            As a mother with two young wonderful boys, I say “good job” a lot. This article makes me wonder if any of these people actually have children. I think this article is about the dumbest thing I have ever read, and is stating these “facts” with no real support of his argument. They try to appeal to the ethos by stating where this article has been published, for example in Parenting magazine, however they don’t state on what authority it was published. What makes this man a credible source on childrearing? Where is he getting these ideas from?

            He states that we are manipulating our children if we continue to verbally praise, and that it is for our own convenience not for theirs, and we should have a full conversation with them so they will grow as human beings. This is all well and good, but has he tried to have a conversation with a two year old about why we need to go potty in the big boy/big girl potty and not in a diaper? Yes, having children potty trained is surely a convenience on the parents but how can you expect them to grow into mature adults without this knowledge. Has he tried having an intelligent conversation with a newly walking one year old about why climbing on things can give them an “boo boo”, at such a young age these types of conversations are not possible. As children grow older, yes you can talk to them but why does the praise have to stop? Why is the conversation simply added to it?

            He states that saying good job will steal your child’s pleasure, and reduce their achievement, again I cry foul. There is no logos to back these statements up. Children should love and respect their parents so compliments should only add to their pleasure, not steal from it. And any normal, stable parenting environment will praise a child’s efforts not the actual work. When I child presents you with a pile of dirt with a smile on his/her face, what parents would not praise this child? Yes its only a pile of dirt but to the child it could be anything from a castle to a dinosaur, thus instilling confidence in the child, not a fear of not topping the previous effort.

            I think Kohn’s does a poor job of supporting his article with facts and thus I don’t think it is very effective and he certainly did not convince me in any way, shape, or form. 

Unit 1 Response Blog to John Millian Blog

            I have to say that I totally agree with you about the fight of these moral and ethical issues start at home. I work full time but am very blessed that my father offered to watch our children so they would not be in daycare, also saving us money! However this it is also such a relief to know that he is teaching and instilling in my children the values that I want them to know. I hate when things are put off on our children, as you called it, scapegoat-ing.

            I think your blog was well written and stated the points of the article plus your opinions of them in a way that was easy to follow and understand. There was some minor spelling, and grammar issues but nothing blatant that took away from the points that you were trying to get across. 

Unit 1 News Blog

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101031/ap_on_he_me/us_birth_control

           

            Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Sarah, and I have been married to my husband for over five years now. We have two beautiful sons and currently expecting our third child. We are a Christian family and our church and values play a role in our everyday life.

            This being said I could not be happier with the possibility that birth control could be free under the new health laws. Although my husband and I are not financially where we would like to be, we are secure. We are able to pay our bills and have some left over, however birth control has always been such a burden. Financially we have never qualified for cheaper birth control through government programs. As Christians we don’t feel comfortable going through organizations like planned parenthood either. Before this last pregnancy the cheapest birth control we could get with our insurance was $50 a month. Not an undoable amount but definitely a strain. To offer birth control options, free to women, I think would only be a benefit. As the article stated countries with free contraceptives have a lower teen pregnancy rate, lower abortion rates, and lower pregnancy rates altogether. While I don’t believe in sex before marriage I’m also not naïve. I know that this is the cultural norm. By making birth control free we would see a dramatic drop in unplanned pregnancy. There is no way to force sexually active women to take birth control so it’s not going to completely solve the issue but I believe it can only help.

Response blog unit 4

In response to Beth Taylor's Blog:
I really enjoyed reading your descriptions of Samantha’s blog. You really bring your reader into your writing with the details and information you bring into the blog. As a mother myself I also found what you were writing about interesting since it applies to me. I LOVE that you have linked up the different discussions on Samantha’s blog that make it so easy for me to click over and read exactly what your talking about. You clearly state why you like this blog and the main point of Samantha’s blog which makes it so easy on the reader to know if Samantha’s blog is one they might be interested in reading for themselves. 

Unit 4

http://faithbuss.blogspot.com/

            This blog is centered around the Buss family, and is written by the mother Faith. She mainly shares about her children and the experiences they have together as a family. She posts tons of pictures which makes you feel as if you really know the family. She has two children, a boy and a girl, and they are adorable. They love to work in their garden and are outside working on projects often, which are enjoyable activities to read about. Most of this blog is artsy, the background looks like it was taken off of a scrapbook. Faith is also a part time photographer so the page is filled with more pictures than it is words. This, however, is one of the main reasons I enjoy this blog.

            As a mother in today’s society, where any and all advice you ever want, or do not want, is available online. I find myself getting bombarded with tips, advice, and suggestions from baby websites, friends or family on social sites, and from motherhood forums. All the solicited and unsolicited advice can really wear you down, and make you question your decisions. I enjoy Faith Buss’ blog because it is simple, easy, and cheerful. It is refreshing to go online and find a blog like this where you leave the site feeling refreshed and uplifted and not more depressed and worn down. It also does not hurt that her kids are so stinking cute!

Response to John Millian’s blog

This sounds like a really interesting this to take a closer look at! You did a good job of comparing the before and after advertisements and relaying those to the ethos and pathos stratagies we see in today’s advertising campaigns. Your writing was clear and easy to understand while also making your point known in an intelligent manner. I do wish however that there would have been a link to the exact commercials that you were talking about that way I could also view and compare them. However I thought as a whole this was a good piece and was interested while reading it.

Unit 3 Blogging Assignment:

I choose to do the option one assignment and choose the following two advertisements from GIECO and Allstate insurance companies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFqbIJqO7n4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HNKqffU3Cc
In looking at whether either of these advertisements used any or all of the styles Ethos, Pathos and Logos I found a few examples.
Ethos is based on ethical appeal, and in advertisements can often refer to the spokesperson. Now as GEIKO uses a computer animated gecko I would have to say that this is not a good example of ethos. However Allstate uses Dennis Haysbert who is an actor who has been in the public eye for a long time. He is articulate and has a certain presence that makes you trust him and perhaps believe what he is saying HAS to be true simply because he is the one saying it. This is a clear example of ethos being used in these advertisements.
Pathos is base on emotions, for which both of the commercials I viewed used but in very different ways. GIECO uses humor. The organizer of the conference is trying to get the gecko to put on a name tag and exclaims after he protests “how will people know who you are?” she then proceeds to place a name tag on the gecko which is ridiculously huge. They play into the funny lighthearted side to attract a  younger demographic. Allstate uses sentiment and nostalgic emotions to get their demographics attention in this commercial. They play a reel of black and white photos of families while stating that the basics in life are all that matters and that they should be protected. By using this technique they use your emotions to make you want to protect those you love.
Logos is the logical side and although there is perhaps a tiny bit of actual information given in these commercials neither of them use logos as a way of selling their insurance.

Unit 2 Response to Darryl Overstreet Blog

I think that this was well written for the simple fact that not only did you give your personal thoughts on the situation but the facts as well. Before even reading the news clip for myself just by your blog alone I knew what the article was going to be about. Your writing style seems to be very straightforward and direct and I think a lot of writers, especially reporters, don’t share this same trait.  It was easy to read and easy to follow and that always makes it easier on the reader to form their own thoughts and opinions on the matter. Overall I thought it was well written.

Blog 1 for Unit 2

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100909/ap_on_re_us/us_muslim_college

Zaytuna College opened it’s doors this fall semester in Berkley, California for the first time. A college opening, so what? What’s the big deal? The controversy stems from the fact that this is an Islam faith based college. With all of the current cultural controversy involving the Muslim faith this opening has in turn been meet with negativity.
By reading the comments on this story you can tell that the media plays a definite and important part in shaping the opinions of the masses. Now that media is available online you get easy access to all the top stories and stories like this that are only covered online or in their perspective states. News is much more widespread because of the easy access to the internet. I feel however that this is not necessarily a good thing. Reporters are more interested in getting the story out then getting the facts straight. They write from their own opinion and don’t give both sides of the story thus swaying the opinions of those reading/watching their news stories. My father was a city attorney in California and I grew up listening to him comment on the wrong “facts” that were printed about a case he was working on. As an adult in a small town in Oklahoma my husband and I were involved in a minor car accident which somehow landed on the front page of the local paper with every fact wrong down to the spelling of our names. With the news being more fast paced and always available because of the internet I believe reporters don’t take time to check their facts and has a crippling affect on the way society thinks.

Response to Beth Taylor's unit 1 assignment

Hey! For the most part I have nothing bad to say. I love the way that you drew the audience in and captured our attention right away by describing the airplane and who was one it. It makes it easier to really picture what is around you, and anyone who has flown before would have no problem picturing the scene you described. The reactions to the announcement where also stated very openly and honestly. The thoughts that these passengers must have had are terrifying to think about and you portrayed them very nicely, as well as staying true to the actual news story. The only part that I felt was a little off was the last paragraph. When reading it, I felt the blog was at a good ending point with the second to last paragraph and that the last paragraph was a little detached. Otherwise I think it was an excellent story!

Man Up!

http://abcnews.go.com/US/muslim-soldier-hoping-avoid-deployment-faith-conflicts-service/story?id=11514381

               

            After barely serving his country for a year Pfc. Abdo decides that his faith conflicts with his military duty and that he cannot continue to serve both country and god. Abdo and his lawyer have filled a conscientious objector status which takes six months to review, thus putting off his deployment. If his status is “okayed” he will be discharged from the military with  no consequence.

            After reading this article it does not seem to me that his faith is what is getting in his way, its his fear of dying.  He even states in his quote that he is not ready to die. That has nothing to do with his faith and everything to do with his character. As an active military personal I can attest that this is something that all solders must reconcile within themselves before they enlist. Now it is true I don’t know much about the Islamic faith but they allow them to practice openly and freely. They even have a quote from Muzammil Siddiqi who is the chairman of Islamic Law Counsel of North America stating that there are many faithful Muslims who serve both their god and their country with no problem.

            I just don’t get how young Americans are being raised today. I was taught to think before I acted. Don’t rush into things without thinking over the consequences. Joining the Air Force was  a major decision for me. I took it very seriously and sought the council of family members and friends who have served their country. Any problem that arouse during this time I reconciled before making the commitment to join. Now that I have made this commitment I will honor it. Life has not always turned out the way I thought it would and making some excuses to allow me not to be put on a tour of duty would have been much more convenient. This young man made a commitment and he needs to honor it, not make excuses to get out of his obligations. He needs to man up.