Unit 4 Blog Response– Sarah Lindhe

Source: http://sarahlindhe.blogspot.com/2010/12/unit-4.html

            This is a very interesting blog that you chose, it is set up very well and seems to be updated frequently. It is great to see how other people are living their lives and living abroad. The photos that are on the blog really capture the emotion and scenery that they encounter on the journey. It kind of makes you jealous when you think they are out there traveling and having a good time and we are stuck over here. The stories are short but give the reader a good sense of what they are doing on a daily basis. The places they visit look extremely beautiful and it seems like they are having a great time. Thanks for sharing.

Unit 4 Blog – Tech Crunch

Source: http://techcrunch.com/

            I read the Tech Crunch blog website often because it offers a plethora of technology news and stories. The main focus of this blog is to appeal to those interested in technology and the internet. This blog profiles internet startups and reviews the newest internet products as well as recent technology news. Tech Crunch is owned by AOL (America Online) and receives over 10 million unique visitors to their website techcrunch.com. The Tech Crunch website features a rolling blog style layout full of recently updated content. The content is full of images, links to resources and gives the reader the ability to share the information across social media platforms like Twitter Facebook, Buzz and Digg. The images definitely pop and catch the reader’s attention. The blog allows users to comment on articles and interact with other readers. The articles are usually fairly concise which allows you to read many articles in a short amount of time. Tech Crunch also offers various videos and interviews which give interesting information about the latest internet startups and upcoming technologies. 

            I would definitely recommend this blog to anyone who is interested in technology, gadgets and the rapidly changing internet. If you are looking for the newest products and reviews on upcoming release from big corporations as well as local based startups, this blog will give you that information. The information is always up to date and this blog is usually one of the first technology sites to break the hottest stories in tech.

Unit 3 Blog: Global Warming

While I was reading through the two articles I felt that the article written by Richard Lindzen was more of a disagreement of what Al Gore had reported on the subject of global warming. The other article written by David Biello was more of an ordered approach that highlighted the issues about global warming and the affects that it may bring. Richard Lindzen immediately takes jabs at Al Gore by stating “That statement, which Mr. Gore made in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC, ought to have been followed by an asterisk” (Lindzen). I got the sense that he wasn’t there to persuade you that global warming is just speculation, but I felt as if he was attacking his opposition. David Biello had very structured approach that was easy to read and it didn’t feel like he was ranting about the subject. He referenced most of the same sources that Lindzen had listed in his article, but Biello wrote like he was stating information we should be aware of and backed it up with clear and concise wording. Biello lays out the potential risks involved with global warming and provides quotes from the IPCC to back up his statements in a more persuasive way than Lindzen. Global warming seems like a topic that many people don’t understand and Lindzen uses statements like “Since about 1970, many of the glaciers have stopped retreating and some are now advancing again. And, frankly, we don’t know why” (Lindzen). These types of remarks do not support him very well and it makes the reader feel even less knowledgeable.

Works Cited

Lindzen, Richard. “No Global Warming”. globalwarminghoax.wordpress.com. Environment News. August 2006. Web. 03 December 2010. http://globalwarminghoax.wordpress.com/2006/10/26/richard-lindzen-no-global-warming/

Biello, David. “State of the Science: Beyond the Worst Case Climate Change Scenario”. www.scientificamerican.com. Scientific American. November 2007. Web. 03 December 2010. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=state-of-the-science-beyond-the-worst-climate-change-case&page=2

Unit 2 Blog: Is Saying “Good Job” a Bad Idea?

Source: http://www.alfiekohn.org/parenting/gj.htm

            The author Alfie Kohn argued his position on whether saying “good job” to a child is teaching him or her to rely on praises though their life. Kohn makes a good argument with his reasons but he fails to acknowledge that opinions of others will make or break a person’s character. I don’t have kids myself so I wouldn’t know how this would affect a child’s behavior, but I do know that being told “good job” makes you want to keep doing better. If you take this theory and apply it to a job, where your boss constantly tells you good job, you probably want to keep doing better to advance your career. I know from personal experience that when a boss doesn’t acknowledge my good work by complimenting me or giving me a bonus, I feel like I need to do more to gain that attention. Kohn bases his argument on the notion that saying “good job” will result in children expecting that praise when they take further steps in life. His claims don’t persuade me because throughout life “good job” comes in many different forms and people have to seek praise to advance their lives. If you constantly do everything to please yourself and not seek the approval of other people, you get stuck relying on your inner self to say “good job”.  A person can end up driving their self crazy to trying to please themselves. “Good job” comes in the form of grades in school, a good job is passing, and a bad job is failing, according to the grading system. A student must rely on a standard to exceed the expectation. That’s life. Society has shaped this thought process and parents not directly praising their children most likely get resentment and a whole slew of other problems. In my opinion it is human nature to seek acknowledgement and this will never change. Kohn uses ethos by using university professors to back some of his main points. Kohn also uses pathos to engage in the reader’s emotions by directly referring to kids which immediately gains the attention of parents. Kohn also uses logos by ordering his claims and stating direct reasoning behind his position.

Unit 1 Blog Response to Jacquelin Patena: English, the Official Language of Oklahoma

Source: http://jacquelinpatena.blogspot.com/2010/11/jacquelin-patena-comp-ii.html

 I didn’t actually know that this law was even being considered in the State of Oklahoma. Since I live in California I actually have a little bit of a different take on this. Although I do believe in equal rights for citizens, it is becoming a huge problem, because a lot of Mexican Americans are using Spanish as their first language here. It seems that if you are bilingual then you have a better chance to land jobs. It seems backwards that English speaking Americans have to revolve around Spanish. It is ironic that Oklahoma has taken that initiative, considering the amount of immigrants throughout the state. This was a very interesting blog and informative.

Comp 2 - Unit 1 Blog : Legalization of Marijuana

Source: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/22/majority-of-voters-oppose-prop-19-new-poll-shows/

          

On November 2^nd, Californians will vote on the legalization of marijuana under Proposition 19. “This initiative would legalize private marijuana use for people 21 and over. It would also allow local governments to regulate and tax the drug's production and distribution” (CNN).  As good as an idea as this may seem, to cut into California’s debt crisis, I believe that this will do more harm than good.

            We should not try to make up the deficit by legalizing an illegal substance, that is attached to a history of criminals and suspect behavior. First of all, this sends the wrong message to young teens growing up, that marijuana is acceptable to use, because it would be legal. The overwhelming majority of law enforcement is opposed to this initiative because this drug is usually associated with gangs, and they do not want more drugged drivers on the road. Marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in California, and is very easy to come by as is.   This initiative would just open the flood gate for any person over the age of 21 to use the drug recreationally. That means that the guy who drives your children’s school bus, can smoke this right up until he starts the engine. That seems like it would be a little scary.

            Unfortunately there is always money involved and main reason many people support this proposition is to earn revenue off of the taxes. So private businesses would then become the drug dealers.  Even though drug cartels profit from the selling of marijuana, the price would have to be significantly lower in the local businesses. The drug cartels would just start pushing cocaine and heroin even harder than they already do. There are plenty of other illegal substances that will most likely see an increase in use and sales. I believe that they should not give up on the drug war and keep prosecuting offenders and dealers.