The drinking age in America should not be lowered

There are many reasons why the legal drinking age should remain at 21 years of age, the first being a matter of public safety. Lowering the drinking age would contribute to more car accidents. There are already 11 accidents a day due to alcohol consumption, and that’s without increasing the number of drinkers. This is because alcohol consumption decreases motor responses, and it's more pronounced in young drinkers with low tolerance. Second, alcohol severely damages the developing brain, which does not finish maturing until 21. How can we expect our high school students to perform academically if they start abusing alcohol and damaging their brains at 18? The final reason is due to the increase in personal insurance premiums that could arise from more people on the road able to drink. The average insurance premiums increase from approximately sixty to two hundred dollars per month, dependent on male/ female driver. Imagine the price increase for something as important as the level of alcohol usage among the general population, especially for parents that have dependents that are able to consume alcohol legally at 18. These are just a few reasons why the drinking limit should not be lowered to age 18.

Assignment 4.3 Pro stance by Jacqueline and Sara

Everyone in America Does have equal access to a happy, productive life.
Group #1 debate

We are fortunate to live in a country such as ours; with so many opportunities, living in America ensures that everyone has equal opportunities to pursue happiness, productivity, and, equality in all areas of life.

Anyone who wishes to go to college can with the help from many financial aid programs and funding that is available for those in need. I have gone back to school twice now. I have pursued my being a productive person in society and am happy that I have had access to, and have been able to use, financial aid. Children and adolescents from K-12 have access to professionals at their public schools to address any learning issues that they may have. To illustrate my point, “The No Child Left Behind” act directs families to needed specialist services that are provided to ensure they are on their way to becoming productive students, as well as citizens. Think about being in a different country where laws do not support women and your husband is cruel and abusive. You may have no rights at all in another country, but here in America we have a court system that protects and honors women with a no-fault divorce. Any woman can have access to use the court’s “Help Desk” tool and also sign up for a free attorney to represent you in court. Now that’s a strong access to obtaining happiness when in a harsh situation as that. I have used these tools myself. There are many government agencies that are focused on helping everyone in need of their services. To name a few: rental help, food stamps, emergency cash aid, help with car repairs, child care aid, utility shut-off aid, damage deposit aid, and the list could go on forever. I have seen some of these programs when I was doing rental checks and contracts with a home rental company. If you want access to these things, you have to know how to find these available resources. Once you have done your research, you then can start to take advantage of some of these exceptionally accessible programs. Happiness is in the eye of the beholder and a productive life is what one makes out of what is freely given to everyone in this country, and it is up to us to gain access to these things.

Slang

The word "nigger" has acquired so many meanings and different usages over the years that sometimes it's rather difficult to tell if it's being used offensively or not. It can change its simply based on the tone of the person using it, or become horribly offensive it certain people use it. The word, as we use it today, originated as a bastardized version of the Spanish word "negro", whish is a descendent of the Latin word "niger", referring to the colour black.
In 1619, African slaves being shipped to the Virginia colony were described as "negars" by John Rolfe, thus creating the racially offensive use of the word. Since then, the word has centrally been used as an offensive way of referring to African Americans. The term "nigga, please" first appeared in the 1970s, being used by comedians such as Paul Mooney. Since then, its use has become increasingly prevalent in African American comedy routines. Chris Rock once had a routine called "Niggas vs. Black People" in which he distinguishes between the uses of the term by saying that "there's, like, a civil war going on with black people, and there's two sides. There's black people, and there's niggas. And the niggas have to go!" The terms widespread use in the comedy circuit is largely thought to be a result of the influence of the hip-hop or rap culture. Artists like N.W.A. (Niggaz with Attitude), Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg use the word quite frequently in their songs, thus contributing to the ever-growing use of "nigger".
Though the word seems to have been reclaimed by the African American culture (an act know as reappropriation), it is still widely considered a social taboo to use it. Furthermore, the word has a massive double standard behind who can use it and who can't. For instance, it's use has become popular with younger generations of African Americans, often being used to refer to ones companions (like "bros" or "dudes"), but if used by someone of a different ethnicity or race, can be viewed as a hostile or racist remark, even if it wasn't intended to be. Because of how delicately this word must be used, it would be much easier if people just stopped using it all together.

American Slang: Wasted

We would first like to say welcome to the United States. As you are still learning the English language we would like to help by shaking things up with a slang term. Like the language you speak is dependent upon what part of the World you are from, American slang can vary by region in the United States. Today, we have chosen one of the most popular slang terms found in America; “wasted”. The word “wasted” in general means an extreme impairment. Like all slang terms, the definition of “wasted” is derived from the meaning of many other words. When a person uses the term wasted, they are referring to them self or someone else who is either: drunk, stoned, or high.

Not all impairments suffered mean that you are “wasted”. A person could be drunk but not considered “wasted”. A “wasted” person who drank too much alcohol and is considered drunk would be found stumbling, unable to see, and getting sick. An example of using this term would be the following; “My friend is wasted! He is so drunk he can’t even stand up!” Somebody would be visibly drunk and unable to control their actions in order to be considered “wasted”.

Being “wasted” does not mean that you are unable to conduct yourself in the most basic manner. One measure of being “wasted” would be that you are not cognizant of your surroundings. You sit, stare, and don’t move. When a person exhibits these symptoms, they most likely under the influence of the drug marijuana. When a person has smoked marijuana they are considered stoned, or high. If they have smoked a large amount of the drug marijuana, you would than consider them to be “wasted”. An example of using “wasted” in this circumstance would be, “My friend smoked so much marijuana he is wasted. All he wants to do today is stare at the television.” Someone would be visibly tuned out and unresponsive in order to be considered “wasted”.

In the English language, the term “wasted” is a heavily used word. There are so many instances when people have consumed too much alcohol or smoked too much marijuana. The team “wasted” is another way to express the level that a person has taken their recreational drinking or drugs. When someone goes too far in their pursuit of fun, they are probably “wasted”.

Slang Term "Bitch"

Elaine and I had email difficulties, so I would like to write a little bit about the slang word "bitch" also.

If someone came to America and was called a bitch, would they take that personally or blow it off like it was a good thing? I sometimes wonder what peole think of our slang terms and how it affends many people. I remember when I was a teenager, I was always referred to as the crabby one in the household so to by funny my mom bought me a shirt that said "You call me a bitch likes it a bad thing". I wore it all the time and looking back at it now, I think to myself that its things like that, that makes it ok to use these kinds of words in our society.

If in America, you were called a bitch, it could be referred to as many things. People can call someone a bitch and mean it to be a term for you being mean, rude, or even crabby. Some times people call others bitch to be funny, sarcastic, or even as a joke. Some peole will laugh after being called a bitch and other times people will truly have their feelings hurt and look back at the situation to see what made it ok for the person to call them that, or what made it not ok for that person to call them that. If a man should call a women a bitch, it would hurt that women much more than if one of their girl friends called her a bitch. In my opinion, a guy should never call a women a bitch. Its kind of like playing with fire, as the women may become furious. Either way, bitch is a very common word that should not be used everyday like its currently used. You hear this slang term everywhere you go -- school, malls, work, home, groups, etc-- everywhere you go, someone is talking about someone else who they think is a bitch. Why not just say you thought they were mean, or sarcastic, or whatever the case may be. If you, or anyone else should tell me that I am a bitch, I am going to ask you why you think that. That way, if I truly was, I would be able to look back at the situation and not do it again. If you are called a bitch in America, please dont be afraid to ask what it means if you don't understand that way you know if you should take it personally or not. Its ok to ask questions even if you look silly; at least you would know what they meant by it. Some people may not tell you why they called you a bitch because they might not even know, but most times its because you said something that came off to them as being crabby, rude or even mean. Other times its just to be sarcastic or joking with a friend or family member. I do however recommend that if you want to use this slang term, please be careful who you call a "bitch" as if its a teacher or co-worker, know that you will be in more trouble than if you called your sister a bitch. Just be careful when using the term.

Slang!

Slang is vocabulary that is not standard, and it is usually extremely informal. Slang words are often used because they’re funny and lively. If you look up a slang word in the dictionary, you will often find that it is has a different definition to the one you were expecting. For instance, let’s look at the word ‘bitch’. If someone called you a bitch and you had no idea what it meant, you might look it up in the dictionary. The dictionaries definition of ‘bitch’ is ‘a female canine (oxford, 2009)’. This might not match your expectations of the word in the context it was used! In slang terms ‘bitch’ can mean a couple of things. First, that you’re an unpleasant and unkind sort of person. Second, it means a complaint, or anything difficult. Obviously, the definitions can illicit different responses and sometimes cause a few problems.

How do we get slang words in the first place? Words aren’t magically slang over night, and there is a process involved. Sometimes a word starts out being popular in a smaller group, such as in certain age or ethnic ranges. This word can then either stay within those boundaries, or it can spread out and become mainstream. In many cases, the word will be used so much that it becomes standard, but sometimes it will simply remain a slang term. For example, the words ‘moving pictures’ were used within a small group of people that liked to go to the movie theatre. These people shortened the word ‘moving pictures’ to ‘movies’ for convenience. As the moving pictures became popular the word ‘movies’ spread and became more mainstream. Today the word ‘movie’ is not slang, and in the dictionary it is defined as a ‘motion picture (dictionary.com)’There are many other instances when words that used to be slang become mainstream, for example, the word ‘okay’, and the word ‘mob’, which came from the latin word ‘mobile vulgas’.

Mr. Gilbert Chesterton stated “All slang is a metaphor, and all metaphor is poetry,” which is one of the popular viewpoints of slang words. Another viewpoint is that slang words are an unfortunate butchering of the English language. I personally think it depends on which words are being analyzed. Either way, it’s interesting to see which words passed the test and became standard and which ones did not. We’ll have to wait and see if the word ‘bitch’ ends up having more than one standard definition in the future!

Slang Terms Group 2

Let us start by Welcoming you here to America. To aide you in your language transition, here is a sample of what we Americas affectingly call slang terminology. Slang terminology is a word used different from it’s definition, some origins may make more sense then others. A popular slang term we have here in America is the slang term “gay”. Its origin comes from the Old French word "gai" in the 12th century. Since that, time "gay" has evolved into many different aspects of our language throughout the centuries. So far, its meaning has gone through many transformations. The term gay can be defined as having or showing a merry, lively mood, bright and showy, or a homosexual. However, in America you will see a lot of Americans, mostly of the younger generation use it as a slang term for describing something “stupid” or “lame”. None of the definitions listed above from www.dictionary.com mean stupid or lame, but yet again that is how “gay” is used as a slang term. In our nation people take old words and try, to give them new life by inventing new meanings and we call this “slang terminology.” We hope that you enjoy life here in America and will suggest if you would like to copy and use slang terms that you try to find out of the actual word meanings first to help you make a smoother transition here in America.

Slang term by Jamie Wilt, Sara H. and John N. (Group 8)

This is our take on the word "whatever" and it's meaning in a conversation. It is considered a slang term in the context that we've have included in this assignment. We are explaining the term to someone who is new to our country and doesn't know why someone has just said "whatever" to him, as it had made no sense:

"Whatever" is a word that takes on meaning by the way it is said. If someone asks what you would like to eat for lunch and you say "whatever", it generally means that you really don't care one way or another. "Whatever" can also be used in a joking matter. If someone is teasing you, you may just say "whatever" to acknowledge what they said, but not engage in further conversation. It can also show that you are slightly hurt by what they are saying and they will hopefully stop. If you are in an argument with someone and you do not like or agree with what they said to you, you may say "whatever" until you find the words to defend yourself; or else to just get away from the conversation and the person.

The attitude in your voice or the emotion you put forward is how the word "whatever" will be interepreted by those around you. Although it is a single and simple word, it can make a huge statement in the point you are trying to make.

Use of transitions in furniture assembly.

Furniture assembly can be a difficult project. To begin with, getting the furniture home to assemble is not the easiest of things. A vehicle of suitable size is needed, usually not a car. Next you have to move it where it will be assembled in the house. In addition to getting the furniture you need to find the necessary tools for the job. Sometimes you even have to buy tool that you will need. For example, not everyone has a set of hex wrenches on hand. After you have moved the box into the assembly area you need to check the parts in the box to make sure you have everything. The assembly area needs to be big enough to assemble the furniture. A ten foot by ten foot area is usually good for most projects. A book shelf would work well in this area. In comparison, a night stand or small desk would also fit in this area. In contrast, a queen size bed or a large desk may need more that twice the area. One of the most important points to this type of project is to read the entire instructions carefully before you start the assembly procedure. Follow the instructions carefully and maybe with the help of a second person. In addition, always give yourself twice the amount of time need for the project. Furniture assembly is difficult but with patience and perseverance most can accomplish the assembly.

by John

conclusion

Henry Wadsworths opinion about musicmakes us one in terms of language. His definition of music provides us with identity, similarity, and differences. The essence of music is universal to all. The many uses of music include, but are not limited to, many therapeutic uses as well as strength and emotional support for the weak and broken hearted. Music is relaxing no matter who or where you are. No matter where in the world you are, the notes are read the same and sound the same when played. The notes are understood from ocean to ocean. As evident, even military occasions testify the beauty of music. Many underestimate the importance of music in our lives and the many uses of it. In general, music is that important forse that has and will continue to endure the test of time. As quoted by Henry Wadsworth, "Music is the universal language of mankind."

Conclusion by Jamie Wilts

Due to my schedule I had to do this alone. I am keeping my fingers crossed!

In conclusion, planning a wedding is a tedious task consisting of numerous aspects. It is often an adventure that many people go into with little knowledge or experience of the wedding industry. To keep your wedding planning as smooth as possible, you should be prepared for those unexpected hurtles. Remembering the four main factors to consider before tying the knot; budget, venue, date and time, are crucial to your planning. Making sure these factors remain as your top priorities in the beginning of planning will help set the foundation of your wedding. As stated before, considering your financial situation is first and foremost the biggest priority of the four factors. Remembering to be completely honest with your future spouse and families about financial concerns will help reduce this inevitable stressor. Choosing the right venue, date and time is often a difficult challenge that can quickly become a wedding nightmare. Try to remember that booking your first venue choice on your chosen date may not always be an option. Remaining flexible and open to change in the initial stages of planning is essential. However, once you have found the venue, date and time that coordinates to your liking and your budget, the rest of the planning usually falls into place.

Summary of "The Clinic" by Jeff Gremmels

"The Clinic" - Jeff Gremmels is an eye-opening experience that most medical student may never see. His tale begins on one of his regularly scheduled clinic shifts. He examines a young, teen-aged male who is brought in with complaints of stomachaches. The patients mother answers as many questions as she can but the medical student cannot get the patient to open up. When the medical student finds many red markings all over the boy's body, his mind instantly scours through the medical lectures he has heard during his schooling. Still unable to explain why this patient is ill, he explains his findings to the senior physician. She immediately goes to the patient, removes the mother from the room and admits the patient to the hospital. After all is settled for the patient, she explains to the medical student that the markings are caused by a lighter. This patient has had numerous hospital visits due to self-mutilation from childhood abuse. The medical student realizes that he never looked past finding something physically wrong and had unknowingly neglected the mental anguish this child was suffering through.

By Jamie, Heidi, Natalia, and Jacqueline

Critical Reading - Group 7 - "Strangers"

The essay “Strangers” starts out in a positive light. Ms. Toni Morrison encounters a “stranger”, a fisher woman, fishing off of her neighbors seawall. After they converse for a short while Ms. Morrison leaves the fisher woman with the unspoken understanding that they will meet again. She parts with images of “a friendship” that will be casual, effortless, and delightful. When the months pass and there is no sign of the fisher woman, Ms. Morrison takes it upon herself to look into the disappearance of the woman. When she learns that the fisher woman did not have permission to fish and had never been seen prior, her feelings change rapidly as she comes to an understanding with herself. Ms. Morrison is annoyed, bewildered, bitter, and disappointed. The “stranger” came into her space and took with her Ms. Morrison's “good opinion of herself, which, of course, is unforgivable.” Upon seeing the outrageously dressed fisher woman Ms. Morrison instantly sympathized with the figure because of associated images often seen in the media. She had preconceived notions of this fisher woman and who she was. The fisher woman recognized this right away and used Ms. Morrison's thoughts and feelings to control and manipulate her through their conversation. She knew what Ms. Morrison expected and she gave it to her. In the end, Ms. Toni Morrison concluded that we, as people, are afraid of strangers and upon meeting a stranger we look past them and see what we want to see in them. Something that we are looking for and wishing to find in ourselves. By being ignorant and discounting the other persons character we are in turn protecting our thoughts and our feelings.

Conclusion by my lonesome

I can't tell if this is alright or not. I didn't have a group so I went out on my own, feel free to critique to your hearts desire.

Did local radio station B96 change over to top 40 to become a direct competitor in today's economy? We know what we hear, B96 is now 96.3 NOW and plays only the top 40 hits, while pre-recorded messages are played in between. The once trail-blazing station has placed itself in the same category as 101.3 KDWB, the second ranking station in the Cities. Last Fall, one season after the Cities adopted a new means of measuring radio station listeners, changes at B96 were noted. A resident D.J. Tony Fly was removed from the air for a week or so because he went so far as to air the stations dirty laundry. Things were not going well and the station needed to step-up their game. In January of this year they changed over from being the Cities first station to air local and underground hip-hop and rap, to playing mainstream top 40 hits. Since the big change? They have risen two slots in local ratings. It just goes to show that if you cater to the masses, follow the leader, and play it safe, you will succeed in getting where you want to be, but how much fun is that?

Transitions

Fitness is the greatest thing you can do for your body and it only requires about thirty minutes of your day. For starters, The American Heart Association states that that short ten minute bouts of exercise can be just as beneficial as exercising all at one time. First you will need to establish a time schedule that can coexist with your daily schedule. For example, you can work out before or after your work day or break them into shorter periods throughout your day. Also, you will need to wait at least an hour before exercising after eating a meal. Next, you will need to draw a plan for the kinds of exercising you will be doing in the time slots. For instance, you can walk in one period and hit the weights in another. In addition, you will need to stick with this plan until you feel comfortable enough to try new things. Smaller exercises can be beneficial as well as more strenuous activities. Similarly, you can find different exercises that have the same level of activeness. However, you should work towards gaining longer times slots and more reps in order to have an overall effective workout experience.
by Jamie, Natalia, Heidi, Jacqueline

Natalia Espana. Conclusion

As you can see, after going through some of the most problematic aspects related with food that affect society these days, we can conclude that food today is highly contaminated and manipulated. Most of the food we have available today is contaminated vegetables, genetically manipulated animals ,or over processed items. For those who want a change after suffering of illnesses or for those that just want to improve quality of life, there is still hope. Making a few changes, like reading labels and prepare our own meals, can make a big difference. Also, buying organic, non hormones, less process, natural foods is one of the most important steps toward change. I am a strong believer on the power of healthy nutrition. Authors like Michael Polan or Kimberly Roberto made a huge impact in my way of thinking about food and in the way of how I direct my diet. I can feel the improvements in my body, my energy levels are higher and my cholesterol droop considerably. I made important changes in my life and I think it is my responsibility as a citizen of the world to try to spread the word of health.

Assignment 1.12 The Battle for United 93

Thirty-seven passengers were on board United Airlines Flight 93 as it took off nearly 45 minutes late due to the heavy airport traffic. Hidden amongst these unsuspecting passengers were four men who planned to take over the craft and slam it into either the White House or the Capitol. The same day, three other plans had also been hijacked, two of them hitting the World Trade Center, and one hitting the Pentagon. As news of these hijackings made its way across the country, the FAA ordered that its pilots receive warnings to increase aircraft security. When United 93 received the message, pilot Jason Dahl responded in confusion, “Ed, confirm latest mssg plz-Jason” Two minutes later, the hijackers attacked, causing the plane to plummet several hundred feet. Soon after the plane was taken over, passengers began to call their loved ones and report what was happening. It wasn’t long before the surviving passengers and crew members decided to revolt, all running up to the cockpit to take on their attackers. As the passengers and crew members began breaking into the cockpit, the hijackers crashed the plane into an empty field in Shanksville, PA, roughly twenty minutes short of their intended target. Although the passengers did not successfully take over the cockpit, their actions prevented the hijackers from crashing the plane into one of our nation’s great buildings, thereby sacrificing themselves to save countless more innocent lives.

Summary by John M. and Mallory

Assignment 1.13 Use of Transitions

To begin with, as new people from distant lands enter into the United States, they should learn how to speak and write our English language. In addition, some try to learn the general basics before immigrating into the United States, so they do not feel overwhelmed learning our processes for writing or speaking. In comparison, I have heard that our language is much more difficult to learn when compared to the French language. First, some new comers attend classes to learn English. As the newcomers become accustom to using our language they become comfortable extending their knowledge to members of their own family or friends arriving here for a better life. For example, there are several places and even some colleges offering classes to help people adjust to using English more in their daily life. By contrast, you find the younger people willing to learn the new language compared to their elders. Additionally, our schools have added resources to help the younger children adjust to English so they can communicate with the teacher and their classmates. For instance, in my job I have had to communicate through the younger children in the home to offer care to the adults in the home. This is hard because you have to ask direct questions about their health and daily activities. I hope that as people come into the United States more and more try to learn our language to make communication easier.

Assignment 1.12

Paraphrased from "Longing to Belong" paragraph 9

My aunt was unique as they came. She was not afraid to stand her ground against my uncle’s family and their outdated Islamic customs. She had decided to help intervene on my behalf. Once she made up her mind, she marched straight into the small room where my uncle’s wife was praying and told her that the dear distant cousin had made improper advances over the telephone and the engagement was off. As my uncle’s wife lost her high ground, she made a sound as if she were a wild animal stuck on a short leash

Assignment 1.11: Writing a Conclusion - Proceeding with the assignment on my own and I hope I am posting this on the right thread:

Just for a moment take a deep breath of fresh clean air. Fill your entire lungs with the luxurious air that we breathe. It's our life, you know. Just as water is. We have seen the damage that cigarette smoking has done throughout past generations. It has cost millions in lost productivity through sick leave and actually people taking more breaks at work to go outside and light up because they are so addicted to the tobacco and other additives that the tobacco companys use.

Of course, way back when, many workers were allowed to smoke on the job, at their desks, and in the break rooms. I still remember those days. I even remember being able to smoke in hospital rooms, after delivering babies! I still wonder why healthcare workers stand outside their facilities and smoke. Is this the last generation to smoke; will the next generation wise up? I can only say that cancer is at an all time high and the research of second hand smoke plays an important part in at least stopping some of the new cases that could occur in the coming decades.

There are many people that will not even date a smoker. Cigarette smoke hangs on your clothing, hair and skin. It yellows your nails and teeth. It's really unattractive which is so ironic because it was displayed with such elegance when Lucille Ball lit up on television back in the 50's. It was portrayed so glamorous. I still remember commercials on t.v. for cigarettes. Those commercials were banned many years ago. So with the current prices rising for a pack of cigarettes and the cancers rising, I'm thinking that we are ensuring that some of our youth will not even pick up their first cigarette to try, you know, just to be cool. Just as I did all those years ago.

I quit cold turkey over 20 years ago, as they say. The smoking effects are now 100 percent gone from my body and organs. I now know how precious lungs are and their capacity to carry you as you run 2 miles a day. Our bodies are temples and should be treated with respect by us, as caretakers.
June 13, 2010 9:07 PM

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Oilrig conclusion

My schedule didn’t allow for any chat room time unfortunately, so I proceeded with the conclusion assignment alone. I used the information from the collaborative paragraph in assignment 1.5 on the oil spill in the gulf.

As you can see, the oilrig disaster has already had several negative consequences. First, the deaths of eleven innocent employees, whose complaints about the safety issues of the rig fell upon deaf ears. Second, the countless people injured after the rig exploded and third the unexpected and potentially catastrophic environmental effects. Many media sources have reported that BP is not only passing the blame of the explosion onto another company, but is also actively under reporting the amount of oil currently gushing into the gulf. This could very well turn out to be the largest environmental disaster in the history of the U.S, and just think…this would never have happened if we didn’t need the oil so badly in the first place. So, what can we do now? We cannot go back in time and prevent the rig from exploding, bit we can prevent things like this from occurring again. According to Bill McKibben, www.350.org, “This is the moment when we can help the US and its leaders understand the depth of their addiction to fossil fuel, and the real need to get off dirty energy now.” There are three easy things you can do to show you stand against fossil fuels, and are for cleaner, greener fuel. Go to http://www.350.org/drilling-ban and sign the petition, then join the face book group http://www.facebook.com/dontdrill, after that you can even donate directly to the cause by visiting http://www.350.org/gulf-donations. The oil spill, the deaths involved, and the environmental impacts are examples of more disastrous consequences due to our dependence on oil. The time to stop is now. If we all work together, we can put an end to disasters like these.

Collaborative Conclusion

The recent effects from the British Petroleum oil spill has already started to have devastating results. With the animals that have feathers or fur, the oil seems to be a bigger threat. The birds are losing body mass due to their systems trying to maintain the heat that is increasingly escaping as a direct result of being covered in oil. During this process, the birds are becoming less able to fish, drink, or even fly away. young and helpless seal pups are being turned away from their mothers because they are not recognized from the smell of oil on their fur, thus leaving them to starve and parish. Not only is this affecting birds and sea animals, but is is also having a profound ramification on aquatic life as well. The gills of fish and the blowholes of dolphins have a severe chance of becoming clogged. With these animals being affected, we stand to lose a good portion of our food source; along with many generations of wildlife having the inability to breed properly. With this much devastation, we need A Call to Action in the Gulf. We need to stand up for the helpless victims and take notice that their environment is deeply damaged and needs to be saved. "You can't rewind an oil spill but you can put a pause to the next one. Arctic Ocean drilling is a mistake for wildlife" is a quote from a blog by Larry J. Schweiger, whom is the current President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation.

by Tanya Adams and Jacqueline A. Young

Resources:
www.amsa.gov.au/marine_environment_protection/educational_resources_and_information/teachers/the_effects_of_oil_on_wildlife.asp
http://blogs.nwf.org/nwf_view/

World cup - transitions essay

To begin with let me just state that drawing one-all with the U.S is just as bad as losing. The majority of the English population is still reeling from the terrible performance of our football team on Saturday, and with good reason. First, England INVENTED football, you would think that would give us an edge! Second, we spend more time, energy and money on our football team than the U.S does; they’re more focused on American football and baseball! Third, the U.S haven’t scored against England since the 1950’s, and so no one was expecting such a disastrous thing to occur! Expectations aside though, the events during the match were due to poor skill from the English team and really bad luck, for example when our goal keeper, Green, had saved the ball and then LET IT GO afterwards. That was brilliant for the U.S of course! They experienced an initial wave of disappointment, in addition to increasing pressure to score a goal, only to have the ball miraculously roll into the net!! I don’t know about gym class in the U.S but in England we are playing football from a very young age, and in that class we are taught to keep holding onto the ball when you catch it. Similarly, we are also taught to tie our shoelaces so we don’t fall over when running on the pitch, and by contrast are deliberately NOT taught how to LOSE a game!! It may sound like I am being a little hard on Mr. Green, and perhaps I am. English people do take their football very seriously and I am an English girl through and through. Yet when you consider the years of training Green has experienced maybe it’s not. The average footballer has, for instance, trained for five hours a day since the beginning of their professional career. These hours increase before an important match, and when something as important as the world cup is a stake, the training routines can be brutal. Moreover, the wage Green makes should be incentive enough for him to hold onto a football for a little while. I suppose the blame shouldn’t rest just on Green. Mr. Heskey decided that the ball should be kicked directly at the U.S goalkeeper rather than his surrounding net. This, of course, is potentially problematic when trying to score a goal. Here’s hoping that the English football team will redeem themselves during their game on Friday. If not the team members may have to move house and change their identity. I, on the other hand, will take my English flag and hide under a rather large rock. You can come and get me in four years…

Assignment 1.13 - Using Transitions

For starters, lets talk about how college students are trying to work full time jobs to assure payments of bills (car payments, insurance, rent, credit cards, etc) while also attending college full time or even part time. College students who work full time jobs or even part time jobs seem to struggle with juggling both work and school. For example; "I work from 7a-3p than again from 3:30p to 8:30p, to than go home and work on school work until I cant seem to concentrate any longer". In this example you can see that I have to accomplish many steps; First, I have to work at my day job, Second I have to work at a part time job, Third, I have to work on school work, Fourth, I have to still somehow manage to have a life in between all this, and Fifth, I must also assure that I am getting enough rest to be able to function. When college students need to work so much, I think that it interferes with the way they complete school work. I think that you could compare a full time college student to a full time worker and see how they both feel at the end of the day. I bet that if you compared them together, they were both equally tired at the end of the day with the only difference being a paycheck and a grade. On the other hand, I truly do believe that a person could go to school full time and also work a part time job and still be able to juggle both with a little bit of free time, compared to one that works full time, attends school full time, and struggles immensely to juggle both things.I think that everyone differs from another individual but in most times, its clear that people who work and people who study college work feel very overwhelmed no matter what the circumstances are, however do have perfectly clear reasons of why they feel they must do so much.

Assignment 1.12 - Paraphrasing paragraph number 4 from Russo's "Dog".

I don't know if I did this right, but I took a stab at it anyhow.....

The houses in which we lived were either near or on the campus. They were all elegantly old homes which featured high ceilings, hardwood floors, and smoky fireplaces. You only saw fires in the smoky fireplace when occasions occurred at the house such as when dad held court on Friday afternoons or Saturday evenings with junior faculty and grad students whom always appeared nervous, or, when mother held dinner parties at the home for the chairman of the department, the dean, or even sometimes a visiting poet. During these occasions at the house, I was always the only child and a lonely one at that. All I ever thought about was how much I wanted a dog so I wouldn't appear to be so lonely.

Assignment 1.12 - Annotation

Unfortunately I didn't receive any contributions to this assignment so I proceeded alone. I hope I did it right!

I had to annotate one page from Dillard's story and explain why I made the annotations I did. I chose page 82 to annotate.

I underlined this sentence: "We smashed through a gap in another hedge and entered a scruffy backyard’ – because I like the vivid description. I also circled the word 'smashed' because the word is imitating the sound it represents.

I also underlined: "We kept running, block after block; we kept improvising, backyard after backyard, running a frantic course…’ – I like this for two reasons. The first is because it seems to add to the tension the author has been building, and the second reason is the way it’s written. The ‘block after block’ combined with the ‘backyard after backyard’ have a rhythm that I like.

I circled the words 'Impelled' and 'compelled' - to be impelled is to be driven (but not forced) forward, usually because one is convinced of the need for action. To be compelled is to be forced into action by a compelling force. I like how the situation was concisely described by these two words.

The last one I highlighted and it is quite long:

"…this ordinary adult knew what I thought only children who trained at football knew: that you have to fling yourself at what you’re doing, you have to point yourself, forget yourself, aim, dive…’ – I highlighted this one, again for two reasons. The first is that it ties in with what the little girl was saying at the beginning to the story during football practice, about how the fate of the team and the score you get depends on your courage and your concentration. The second reason is just because I thought it was rather moving.

Assignment 1.11 - Writing a conclusion

As you can see, smoking can have very serious affects on not only the smoker, but those around them as well. People whom smoke can suffer very serious health related risks such as lung cancer, emphysema and other heart related diseases while those who do not smoke, but are around smokers can suffer second hand smoke, asthma and other breathing problems. All of these health related risks can be very mild yet could also be very deadly for some individuals.

I think that people smoke for many reasons, however no one really looks at all the health related risks, nor do they see that if they were to quit today, how much of a better chance they may have for decreasing the health related risks. I think that talking about smoking, and the significant life changes people suffer from smoking are important for people to see because it shows that these health related risks are not just used to scare people into quit smoking, they are real life stories which make people truly think about smoking.

I decided to write about smoking because there is a good portion of my family who smokes, including me at one time. I quit a little over a year ago, and I have never felt better. Its amazing how much better I can breathe and how much easier it is to do certain activities that I struggled with before. I have tried to get other family members to quit, however have failed this far. No smoker can quit if they truly don't want to. I think that smoking needs to quit because of all the health related risks for those who do not smoke. My nephew is 2 years old and suffers very badly from asthma due to the second hand smoke. The first year of his life, no one smoked around him, but when he got a little bit bigger people began to smoke around him, and now he has to take medicine including nebulizers and inhalers almost every day and its very sad to me that he is only 2 and is going to suffer these health related risks for the rest of his life because of the people who smoked around him. Second hand smoke is sometimes more dangerous for people than it is for the actual smoker.

As you can see, health related risks in not only the smoker but those around them also can have serious affects on a person. I think that smokers should continue to try to quit even if its not for there own health, but those poor people around them who are also suffering the consequences.

Assignment 1.5

Is conforming to society a necessity in today's economy? Radio stations all over Minnesota are a perfect example of this. The Twin Cities radio station 96.3 exhibits this conformity. While B96 made its roots in genres like local and underground hip-hop and rap, the music has shifted towards a more commercial and mainstream sound.

In the spring of last year, the Twin Cities adopted a new ratings system called Portable People Meter (PPM). The PPM measures only what audiences are listening to. Soon after the system was adopted, B96 started showing low numbers and signaled a need for an upgrade. On January 6, 2010 B96 changed its name to “96.3 NOW” and its call sign to KHTC. It went from being the Twin Cities only commercial rap and urban music station to a direct competitor with KDWB, the second highest rated radio station in the Cities. Since the big change the ratings have moved them from twelfth place to tenth place in only a few months. Thus proving that in today’s economy, in order to appeal to a broader market you must be willing to conform to societies current standards.

Natalia Espana

I couldn’t find anybody in the Chat room. I tried a few times, so I wrote my own essay. Natalia Espana.


What is making us sick? In the last two years, the answer of this question became more and more important in my life. We know some steps to follow to became healthy. For example; Eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, whole grains. Avoid fried, greasy food. Well, it turns out that this is not enough any more. The food that we eat these days is affecting our health because it is loaded with chemicals, preservatives , fertilizes and animals are fed in an unnatural way.
The vegetables and fruits we buy at the supermarket are not safe anymore. These days pesticides are so strong that when they are spread on the lands it could be life threatening for humans to be close to them. In his book “The Omnivore Dilemma” Michael Pollan, Describes his experience in Idaho visiting a potato farm. He explains that the potato crops were sprayed with water, pesticide and fertilizers. They were so toxic to the nervous system that no human being was allowed to get closer to them for the following five days. These potatoes have to be stored for six months to wait for the chemicals to fade.
Our animals are not in a better situation. Cows were born to eat grass. Because of the meat demand, they are loaded with hormones, and they are overfeed with grains. This is unnatural for these animals. Their Omegas ratio changed and therefore ours has changed as well. When a normal Ratio would be 4 to 1 (omega6 to omega3). The new advanced cow is 20 to 1.The most common consequence to humans because of the way animals are fed is high cholesterol, therefore causing stroke, heart attack and other ailments..
Finally, a big part of the food available today at supermarkets is over processed and loaded with preservatives, colorants and high fructose corn syrup. These extremely affect our health. The risk of cancer, diabetes and heart attacks increases considerable when we eat these foods on regular bases.
However, we still can work against this problematic situation. Some of the precautions we can implement in our life is to buy Organic foods, cage free, hormone free, grass feed animals. Avoid highly processed foods and select the most natural ingredients. This is one way to take control of our health for good.

References:
Omnivore’s Dilema, Michael Pollan
Maximized Living, BJ Hardick, Kimberly Roberto

Natalia Espana.

"Music is the universal language of mankind" - Henry Wadsworth. Wadsworth's words strengthen the connection music has on the diversified nature of America- people of all races and languages. With this being said, the world we view as so diverse and separate may in truth be connected; at least on some level. Music can connect us together because we can all feel the meaning a song can represent.
One of our connections to music comes through the notes we hear or read. It is all based upon seven major notes and no matter what part of the world you are from, and what instrument you play. the music is created by a collaboration of those notes. These notes, when combined can form the magic that invites solidarity of sameness in understanding. For an example, someone in Japan could read the script from a composer in the United States and play it as if it came directly from its' mainland. Additionally, music is used as a therapeutic tool as a way for many to deal with life. Hymns and instrumentals are played at funerals as a way to mend a broken heart and to give strength to those who are weak. Along with this, classical music is a great example of emotion provoking music used in therapy for autistic children. Also, the composer invokes their emotion into the notes they choose and we as listeners may be able to relate. To illustreate this point, we have all changed our playlists depending on the mood we are in. All in all music has brought many as one.

Aleksandra, Jamie, Heidi, John, John N., Jacqueline

Group of Tanya Adams, Elaine Grant, Sara Hill and William Huffmann

On Apr 22, 2010, an oil rig owned by British Petroleum exploded, killing 11 people and injuring many. There have been 26,000 claims from victims who state, among other things, that British Petroleum knowingly operated an oil rig that did not perform up to industry standards. Workers on the rig reported that they noticed that the well was not working as it should. They passed this information on to their supervisors. The supervisors noted this and still continued on.
According to media sources, employees on the rig informed their supervisors that the rig was not performing well. This information was ignored, and with dire consequences. As if British Petroleum's negligence and the resulting deaths were not bad enough, there is now another concern; the effect the oil will have on the environment. Already there have been reports of contaminated habitats and injured wildlife. With all these issues, and the fact that as many as 19,000 barrels a day are still gushing into the sea, this oil spill has become the biggest in the history of the world. This will have a great environmental effect for decades to come. Another tragedy of this oil spill is that hurricane season is fast approaching and experts say this could cause the oil to spread even wider and further then it currently is. It will end up costing, us American billions of dollars to rehabilitate the waters and sea life affected by this massive spill. The generations that follow will not only learn from this very tragic event but will hope be able to, someday, remove all traces of this disaster from the environment.

Assignment 1.5 -- I hope I did this right! :)

In 2007, there was an average of 22.3% men and 17.4% women who were smokers. If you compare that to 2008, there was an average of 23.1% men and 18.3% women who were smokers. That means that the average percent of smokers had increased within that one year period. This is very mind boggling to some because of the steady increase in the price of cigarettes per pack which now averages $5. Not only does cost affect smokers, but there are also health related risk factors that affect not only the individual but others around them as well who are inhaling the second hand smoke. I am very surprised to see that the percent of smokers had increased during this time period, however, am still feeling certain that with time and with the views of society, smoking may decrease a bit more. I don’t think that smoking will be eliminated completely, but I do think people will kick the habit more with time.
I think that smoking is becoming easier to quit for some because of the fact that there are so many health related risk factors such as lung cancer, emphysema and heart related diseases. I know this girl who used to smoke and I asked her why she quit and she said “after seeing my mom die of emphysema, I decided it was not worth it for me to die the same way, so while I am still young, I decided that I was going to kick the habit”. I have also talked to people about the cost of cigarettes and this one guy stated “Yeah, I pay $5 for a pack of cigarettes, but I am only smoking a half a pack or so a day”. When I added that up, it came to $17.50 a week, $70 a month, and $840 a year. When I see these prices, I think of all the other things I could buy with that money. Now a half a pack a day isn’t bad, but can you imagine if you smoke a whole pack a day or even two packs? One last girl I talked to states “I had to quit because I work in a bar and when I’m not working, I enjoy my time with friends at the bar, and I cannot stand going outside to smoke, especially when it’s cold, so I gave it up”. As you can see with these results, because of the health related risks, the cost per pack, the society saying where and where you cannot smoke is encouraging younger people to quit smoking which will eventually bring this percentage down, I think.

welcome to our class blog.

This is our class blog where you'll post a lot of your group work over the course of the semester. Enjoy!