4-30-06

DazedNConfuzedandCandyLandFinalPaper

 

 

4-30-06

I think that writing papers with a partner is a good idea. Writing with someone else allows you to bounce ideas off of each other. It also gives you a person to read over what you wrote and give you suggestions.

 

 

4-30-06

I now remember why I like the winter. I don't have allergies then. I can barely breathe at this time of year with all of the pollen in the air. It sure makes me pretty miserable.

 

automotive forum

4-30-02

I'm excited that I'm going the the Black Eyed Peas concert tonight. I know that it's probably not the best idea and that I should be spending my time studying, but oh well. It's a good way for me to finish off the semester with my friends.

 

 

4-29-06

I'm really not looking forward to packing all of my stuff up. Not only is it going to take forever, but it also means that I won't be in Happy Valley for four months. I didn't realize we have to completely clean our rooms, including thawing out our freezer. It's going to be a long process getting ready to go home.

 

 

4-29-06

There was recently a spanish version of the national anthem released. I think that it is wrong to sing the national anthem in spanish. I have no problem with immigrants in our nation, however, I feel that to understand the national anthem, it needs to be sung in english. The words could not be translated exactly, so the song does not hold its true meaning. If people are going to move to the United States and truly want to understand the culture, they should not change the national anthem to please them.

 

 

4-29-06

As if facebook wasn't a big enough thing for me to sit and waste time on I thought it was a good idea to get myspace as well. Now instead of just looking throught people's profiles on facebook, I can also go onto myspace. These two things just seem to help me put off my work longer than I intend to. So much for not procrastinating.

 

 

4-29-06

I keep getting forwards from people about gas prices and how to stop the never-ending increase. Most of these contain instructions to buy gas from smaller gas stations and not the big companies like Exxon. I don't know if that will work or not, but I'm hoping that prices will eventually stop their increase. It's so frustrating to spend such a large amount of my paychecks filling up my gas tank.

 

 

4-29-06

The new movie that pokes fun at American Idol looks pretty funny to me. I think that it is sad how many people will spend time texting and calling to vote for American Idol while on election day voters can barely drag themselves to the polls. Don't get me wrong I do really like American Idol and I watch the show, but I still think that it is weird how obsessed people become with the show.

 

 

4-29-06

Today begins my time of studying for finals. I'm definitely not looking forward to the fact that I have to spend hours studying during my last few days at school. I wish Penn State gave us an extra study day like some other colleges do. It would be nice to be given an extra friday to study.

 

 

4-28-06

I think that Penn State needs a solution to scheduling problems. I liked the suggestion in the Collegian about having a wait list to get into classes. It's hard to constantly check eLion to see if the course you need is finally available or even wait until the Drop/Add period next semester.

 

 

4-28-06

As I'm sitting here watching VH1 I am thinking about how people are overly obsessed with celebrities. It's a little sad that the paparazzi's job is to basically stalk celebrities. Other than the fact that everyone knows who they are, celebrities are the same as everyone else. It's ridiculous that everyone has to know every fact about celebrities lives.

 

 

4-28-06

I read in the Collegian yesterday that the women's basketball coach is not going to be fired, but is instead going to be fined and allowed to keep her job. As a result student groups protested outside of Graham Spanier's office, but were denied access. I'm not sure how I feel about this situation because I feel I do not know enough about it. I think that the groups needed to find a better approach to their protest, however. I feel that although these groups are protesting, nothing will be changed. It is the same for when people were angry with Joe Paterno, who we all know will never be fired or if he was there would be major riots throughout the State College area.

 

 

4-28-06

I'm going to be blogging a lot within the next two days to catch up on what I need. My last class of the semester is in a half hour. I still don't feel motivated to go at all. Biology is not a fun class for me to sit through, but then again I think I just have a really short attention span.

 

 

4-28-06

So today is the last day of classes until the fall. It feels like I just moved in and now I'm getting ready to pack all of my stuff and go home. It's weird how fast time goes. I only have 2 finals left and then I'm gonna get to go home on Wednesday. I'm definitely gonna miss happy valley!

 

 

4-7-06

Final Paper Proposal

This will be a combined effort with DazedNConfuzed. How far is too far when you are publicly voicing your opinions in a disrespectful and offensive manner? Is this still freedom of speech, or is this simply an unneccessary act of hate? In this paper we hope to argue the issues of freedom of speech, censorship on tv and on the internet and in the general public. DazedNConfuzed will take the argument that the 1st Ammendment is being abused, whereas CandyLand will take the counter-arguments. The media has gotten out of control with what they are willing to show, say, and do. People should not be forced to constantly be exposed to these undesireable things. Things that are meant for the entire public should be censored further than they are today. Most parents do not appreciate their children being exposed early-on to violence, nudity, foul language, and drugs whether on the streets, on tv, or in the newspaper. On the other hand, many people feel that censoring these things infringes our freedom of speech. We have a choice to not watch or read these things. If parents do not approve of what is on tv, then they should monitor them more.

 

 

Sources

 

"Banning Indecency on the Internet Is Unconstitutional" by John Paul Stevens. The Information Revolution. Paul A. Winters, Ed. Opposing Viewpoints® Series. Greenhaven Press, 1998. Reprinted from the majority opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States, written by John Paul Stevens, in Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, no. 96-511, June 1997.

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 07 April 2006

<http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC>

 

"Censorship Can Be Beneficial" by Thomas Storck. Censorship. Byron L. Stay, Ed. Opposing Viewpoints® Series. Greenhaven Press, 1997. Thomas Storck, "A Case for Censorship," New Oxford Review, May 1996. Copyright ©1996 New Oxford Review. Reprinted with permission from the author and New Oxford Review (1069 Kains Ave., Berkeley, CA 94706).

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 07 April 2006

<http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC>

 

http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC?vrsn=230&slb=SU&locID=psucic&srchtp=basic&c=134&ste=17&tbst=ts_basic&tab=1&txb=freedom+of+speech&docNum=X3010113234&fail=0&bConts=111

 

http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC?vrsn=230&slb=SU&locID=psucic&srchtp=basic&c=133&ste=17&tbst=ts_basic&tab=1&txb=freedom+of+speech&docNum=X3010090216&fail=0&bConts=111

 

 

4-3-06

I remembering reading A Modest Proposal when I was in high school and thinking it was very clever. Many people when first reading this misunderstand the point that Johnathan Swift is trying to make. His is not really suggesting that people should eat babies, he is mocking the way that Ireland is treating the poor. He feels that no one is taking actions to help those in need and this paper is making fun of that. Many people often view this paper literally, but they actually need to see the underlying message.

 

 

4-2-06

CandyLandArgumentPaper

 

 

3-27-06

Today on tv I heard that President Bush was trying to pass a bill allowing illegal immigrants that have jobs in the United States to remain here. I think that this makes no sense. His justification for this was that the jobs the illegal immigrants hold are ones that Americans do not want. People who hire illegal immigrants are able to pay them much less because they are not legally in our country and cannot find a good job. So I do not understand how letting them remain here illegally would benefit our nation.

 

 

3-26-06

Stigmergy can be seen in societies by the way people interact. Stigmergy is how people may be working alone by themselves, the actions of the group appear to be coordinated. Stigmergy can be seen in termite colonies. The different actions performed by the workers demonstrates how their actions are related and can trigger other actions.

 

 

3-21-06

Proposal Argument Proposal

Walking around campus you can often see a person wearing a book bag that contains a pin with the statement ‘I support smoke-free bars.’ These bright orange pins show the growing support of people nationwide to provide people with smoke-free environments. Currently, many restaurants, bars, and clubs permit smoking inside. In restaurants, however, the smoking sections and non-smoking sections are often kept separate. In bars and clubs this is not the case. Anyone standing in a bar or club will often notice how much their clothes and hair smell like smoke whenever they leave due to the large amount of people smoking inside. I am not implying that we should completely ban smoking including outdoor smoking. I simply feel that it is unfair for non-smokers to be unable to go to a bar or club without being submitted to breathing secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is a serious concern in our society. Every year an estimated 38,000 deaths are caused by secondhand smoke. Many of these deaths are from heart disease and cancer. These deaths could be preventable if we would change our laws to ban indoor smoking in public places. Smokers would still be allowed to simply walk outside and smoke if they pleased. This would allow people who were non-smokers to breathe clean air, while people who were smokers could still smoke. People need to take action by supporting laws that ban indoor smoking.

 

 

 

Sources

“Environmental Tobacco Smoke.” http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4521

 

“Limiting Exposure to Secondhand Smoke.” http://www.drgreene.com/21_769.html

 

“Secondhand Smoke.” http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_2X_Environmental_Tobacco_Smoke-Clean_Indoor_Air.asp

 

“Smoke Free communities supporting organizations.” http://www.smokefreecentralmn.org/learn/organ.php

 

“Smoke-Free Places Act.” http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/SmokeFree/

 

“Voters Across America Express Support for Smoke-Free Air.” http://tobaccofreeaction.org/press/display.php?Display=1024

 

 

 

3-20-06

The Communist Manifesto is a very interesting document. I guess the idea behind it is that they want people to be equal and end social classes. Having a society in which there are no poor people is a very good idea, but in order to establish this, there would still need to be a ruling power, which would be higher than the rest of the people. Another problem with communism is that if people are going to be paid the same amount of money no matter what job they take, then no one wants the harder jobs. The idea of creating equality is a good thought, but when put into action, it simply does not work and we can see this in societies that were previously communist.

 

 

3-19-06

CandyLandCausalPaper

 

 

3-2-06

Causal Proposal

Global warming is something we have all heard about. Whether we’ve heard it on the news, one of our science classes, or somewhere else we have all heard this term before. The one thing most people can probably agree on global warming is that although we may have no idea what causes this, we know it is bad. So what exactly does cause global warming? It is believed that the main cause of global warming is an increase in greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Greenhouse gases are found naturally, but the growing increase is caused by actions of people. Burning fossils fuels is one way of releasing carbon dioxide into the air. Fossil fuels include oil, natural gas, and coal. Power plants that burn coal are the number one source of carbon dioxide pollution. Automobiles are the second highest source. By increasing global warming we are damaging many parts of the world. In the United States alone there has been a dramatic increase in wildfires, dust storms, and floods. We have also seen less snow accumulation and shorter winters. Throughout the rest of the world, extreme heat waves have caused a significant number of deaths. Another alarming fact is that the Arctic’s perennial polar ice cap is greatly declining. Something that Americans can relate to from this past year is that global warming contributes to hurricanes being stronger. Global warming has a large impact on our world, even though many of us do not realize it. Global warming causes many different things to occur that would normally not.

 

Works Cited

“Causes of Global Warming.” http://www.ecobridge.org/content/g_cse.htm

 

“Global Warming.” http://www.net.org/warming/causing.vtml

 

"Global warming." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Mar 2006, 17:30 UTC. 2 Mar 2006, 19:49 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_warming&amp;amp;oldid=41924052>.

 

“Global Warming.” http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/default.asp

 

“Global Warming Basics.” http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp#1

 

“Global Warming Basics.” http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/

 

 

 

3-1-06

I decided that I wanted to take the political quiz we took in class to see what my results would be. I came pretty close to the class results. It told me I was mostly a social liberal and an economic liberal and would be classified as a democrat. It is interesting to see that I thought I had liberal views and when I took the quiz that is what my results showed.

 

 

2-28-06

After reading this article, I decided that I am most likely a liberal. I know that I should follow politics more, but I really don't. I know that I believe in equality and that many of my opinions seemed to support more of the left side. I haven't really taken much time before to consider my political views. I always just considered myself a democrat, but then again I didn't get to vote in the last election, so it wasn't on my mind much.

 

 

2-26-06

After reading these two articles, it made me realize how lucky we are to be living in the United States. It is sad to see how much violence and hate exist in the world. In the first article it is good to hear that things are improving, but it does not mean that everything is solved. The people that live there have to deal with remembering what once happened. These article just made me think about how I don't have to deal with so many issues that people in other parts of the world do.

 

 

2-26-06

Evaluation Paper

CandyLandEvaluationPaper

 

 

2-16-06

My Evaluation Proposal

We have all heard people tell us that we should protect the rainforest, but have we ever really thought about why? Or have we ever actually put forth the effort to do something? Most of us would probably respond no to those questions, because even though we care, we just do not take the time to do something about it. The rainforest is something that we need to fight to protect. Rainforests do many more things for the earth than we realize. Not only do they provide a habitat for plants and animals, but people live there too. Without the benefits of the rainforest, we would lose many medicines that we use today. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants that only grow in the rainforests. (Rainforest Concern) Not just that, but we only know how to use 1% of the plants found in the rainforest to our benefit. Imagine the possibilities of what we could do with the other 99% of the plants found in the rainforest. We have just begun unlocking the secrets that exist there, but this is at a time when many rainforests are being ripped apart every day. We need to raise awareness about the rainforest. We may not have any rainforests in our country, but this does not mean that losing them is not affecting us too. By raising awareness we would be able to start more programs to help save our rainforest. Preserving the rainforests of the world is something that would benefit everyone.

 

 

Works Cited

 

“Amazon Rainforest.” http://www.worldhistory.com

 

“Rainforests.” http://www.ran.org/info_center/

 

"Rainforest Action Network." Environmental Encyclopedia. Marci Bortman, Peter Brimblecombe, Mary Ann Cunningham, and others, Ed. Gale, 2003.

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 16 February 2006

http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC

 

“Rainforest 1.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/gcsebitesize

 

“Rainforest Facts.” http://www.rainforestconcern.org

 

“Why Are Rainforests So Important.” http://therainforestsite.com

 

 

2-15-06

The Declaration of Independence is a very important document in American history. Reading this document shows me how strongly our founding fathers felt about their freedoms. They felt so strongly that they were willing to completely separate themselves from England. I can't imagine how they felt going against such a strong nation as England when what is now the United States was just colonies. They were very brave to call out England, but in the end they achieved what they wanted: Independence.

 

 

2-12-06

Definition Paper

CandyLandDefinition

 

 

2-7-06

I reviewed the proposal by DeafeningSilence.

 

 

2-5-06

My Proposal

When it comes to the issue of abortion, people have very differing views. As of right now, our nation allows abortion, but many people are opposed to this. I am one of those people. It is hard for one to understand the issue of abortion unless they know about conception and pregnancy. Many people are pro-choice because they feel it is a woman’s right to choose whether or not she will have a baby. Speaking from a woman’s point of view I wish I could choose whether or not I was going to be pregnant, but this is not something I can control. More people should consider the issue of being pro-life because abortion is ending the life of an unborn child. It may be hard for us to argue about when life begins because our earliest memories are not from that far back. Babies are helpless and need our care. Unborn babies are the same. Women may not want to have a child when they become pregnant, but this does not justify abortion. They could always consider adoption. Of course in our nation we allow freedom of choice, but when it comes to abortion, this is simply a different issue. I do not aim to offend anyone who is pro-choice. I simply want to help others see why I am pro-life. I feel that although we wish we could control pregnancy, we simply cannot. We have to accept the consequences of our actions. Unborn babies cannot argue for themselves. Therefore, we must argue for them.

 

Works Cited

 

“Abortion.” Oxford English Dictionary Online Oxford University Press 2005 7 February 2006 http://www.dictionary.oed.com

 

“Abortion.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. www.bartleby.com/61/. 7 February 2006.

 

"Abortion." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 7 Feb 2006, 15:27 UTC. 7 Feb 2006, 22:57 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abortion&amp;amp;oldid=38622561>.

 

“Abortion: Defining the Terms.” 7 February 2006 http://www.funtrivia.com/submitquiz.cfm?quiz=168361

 

“Defining Abortion.” 7 February 2006 http://www.ncrtl.ord/defining.htm

 

"Fetus." Bioethics for Students: Issues in Medicine, Animal Rights, and the Environment. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 1999.

 

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. 07 February 2006

http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC

 

 

Peer Review by WikiHatesMe

I am glad that you chose to write about this topic, because I am pro-choice and I think that expressing some of my points of view may help you to seal your arguments more soundly and help you to formulate responses to questions or comments on your arguments. Firstly, I am not quite sure what word you are defining, whether it is the term "Pro-life" or "abortion" in general. When you create your thesis, try to make it clear without letting your personal opinions seep in. Think about what we talked about in class today, about simply defining the word without making an evaluation or proposal. One counter argument that you may want to address is the issue of rape. It is understandable that abortion causes the death of an unborn child, however, if a woman is raped, should she have to carry a child inside of her for nine months and give birth, jeaprodizing her health? And when/if you address this, do not state whether or not this situation is fair, but address this situation as a case for abortion, period (right or wrong). Another counter argument you may address is the situation in which holding a child (in the case of a younger woman) may pose a life-threatening issue for the mother to be. This may also be a case in which abortion is necessary. Yet another case may be when the woman may not be able to provide an adequate lifestyle or opportunities for the child (ie. a homeless woman or someone in dire poverty or someone who may be incapable mentally of caring for a child). The warrant in this claim is that not every mother who has a child and can't take care of it will put it up for adoption. These cases may also call the need for an abortion. Even if you do not agree with any of these, they are the bulk of arguments that pro-choice people will address, and so I think it would be a good idea to bring them up in your paper. Hope some of this was helpful! :)

 

1-31-06

An article that caught my eye in USA Today was about the death of Coretta Scott King. Coretta Scott King was the wife of the late Martin Luther King Jr. She died at the age of 78. This article helped me to realize what a strong woman Coretta was. It pointed out how being married to Martin Luther King Jr. was not always easy. Once when Coretta was home, their house was bombed. Even through all the hard situations the Kings dealt with, Coretta always remained loyal to their beliefs. She often helped by giving speechs and participating in marches. She still helped the nation to establish equality after Rev. King's death in 1968. It is because of her that we now celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day.

 

 

1-29-06

The definition of terrorism is obviously debatable. Everyone has their own opinion on the word. Most people agree on the fact that terrorism involves innocent people being harmed or killed by people for some reason. I feel that terrorism is the killing of civilians in order for some group of people to get their way. One thing is for certain, however, when it comes to terrorism. Terrorism is something that we should not tolerate and obviously in the U.S. it is something that we are facing today.

 

 

1-26-06

After reading George W. Bush's speech it reminded me of how Americans felt during that time. I remember listening to parts of this speech and even talking about it in my classes. Then I felt comforted by the speech, but I did not completely understand alot about the situation other than the fact that al Qaeda had attacked our country. Knowing what I now do about the war I look back and do not like this speech. George W. Bush speaks of how innocent women and children were killed in our country, but yet how many innocent Iraqi civilians including women and children were killed during our "war against terror." This war caused even more grief to Americans and many Iraqis as well. When we heard the speech back in 2001 we were a scared nation under attack, but now we can look back on this speech and see how many have been killed because of this. In 2001, this speech made me feel comforted. Now I feel sad for the results of this war.

 

 

1-24-06

After reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I couldn't help but agree with the things WikiHatesMe said. I feel that this Declaration was made with very good intentions, but it seems that all the articles are not entirely followed. The Bush Administration certainly isn't following all of the things mentioned. People's privacy can now be invaded. I feel that although by using surveillance on people we can find out what is going on in the country, but this is definitely going against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document was made to help protect people of the world. It is generally followed, but countries seem to modify it to their own liking.

 

 

1-23-06

FDR's speech "The Four Freedoms" is a very powerful speech. He kept his audience's attention by speaking of the threats that the United States was facing. FDR allows those who are listening or reading his speech to truly trust his character. His tone commands everyone to feel the emotion that he feels concerning the nation. Although as president of the United States, FDR was definitely knowledgeable, this was not the only way he helped prove his argument to the audience. It was his character that helped people to agree with him. He was a great speaker and knew exactly how to control his audience.

 

 

1-22-06

I couldn't resist writing a blog about the Steeler game. Pittsburgh's going to the superbowl! The steelers barely made the playoffs and no one gave them a chance. They played their hearts out and showed everyone what they were made of. I hope everyone goes out and cheers on the steelers because Pittsburgh's going to the superbowl!

 

 

1-20-06

In a USA Today Snapshot online a survey was taken to show why teens don't volunteer. It appears that 25% said they had no time, 21% said they did not volunteer because of peer pressure, and 17% did not volunteer because of apathy. Three claims that can be made from this snapshot are:

1. Teens in the US maintain very time-consuming schedules.

2. Teens do not volunteer because they feel that they will look stupid to their peers.

3. Teens in the US are lazy and therefor do not volunteer.

 

 

1-17-06

Adapted Personal Narrative (from DazedNConfuzed)

I actually like writing papers for classes because I’ve always felt that it was easier for me than doing other homework. I often find myself on aim and facebook when I should be doing work instead. I like to watch t.v. (especially Grey’s Anatomy and Lost) and movies with my friends and I love going to parties on the weekends. I’m from Darlington, PA, which is about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh so I definitely love the Steelers. I love it at Penn State and couldn’t wait to come back here after break. I’m an education major because I love kids. I don’t talk a lot in class, but I’m actually pretty talkative.

 

 

1-16-06

Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter from Birmingham Jail helps readers to truly understand the racial struggle that people were going through at that time. His letter is filled with passion, but is understanding about the situation. It is inspiring to hear how he dealt with the oppression he is faced with. He showed others how to protest in a nonviolent way. He was a great man and never gave up the hope that our country would treat everyone equally. This letter helped me to remember that even though it is nice to have a day off of classes, we should all appreciate why we have the day off and remember what Martin Luther King Jr. did for our nation.

 

 

1-12-06

Personal Narrative

I was having trouble thinking of a name for my blog and this was what came to my mind. Candy Land was my favorite game when I was little and I work at a candy store now. My major is elementary education because I love working with little kids. My roommate is also an education major and she is my best friend at PSU. I love Penn State and especially meeting new people here.