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| 4/30/06 |
THE FINAL PAPER:
That's it, that's the last one. It was fun. Best class I had so far. Bye.
| 4/27/06 |
Free Response:
It’s that time again! Students are selling back books, going to sleep earlier, and staying focused on what they have to get done. Yes, the semester is almost over and soon all the students are going to be in their room studying all day because of final exams next week. I know for sure I’m going to be stressed soon; I’m actually stressed right now just thinking about it. I can’t wait until the semester is over so I don’t have to worry about anything. I did have a good time in English 015, and I did learn things that would help me with my writing. I have to say I am going to miss that class, because it’s so different from my other classes that I have to take for my major, which is computer engineering. After I finish with my finals, which is Wednesday morning, I’m going to have to pack and clean up my room. This is going to be a pain because when you’re done with your finals, you’re not going to want to do anything. But, it’s got to be done anyway. I had a good semester, and I wish it could have been better. Yet, I’m no longer a freshman and all I have to say is, "two down, six to go!"
| 4/25/06 |
Free Response:
On Saturday, April 22 there was the Penn State Blue and White game where the new football team plays against each other, and of course when I woke up it was raining outside. So, I was debating on whether or not to go, but I really wanted to go so I went with a couple of other guys. I put on my Derrick Williams jersey and I also put on my clean white sneakers which was a bad idea, because we walked through mud to get to the stadium. Surprisingly, there were more fans in the stadium than I thought there would be. Anyway, there were some points of the game that was exciting and some that were boring. One of my favorite players, Jordan Norwood, had a great game with the most catches for an estimated 150 yards. Also, my favorite play of the game would have to be Derrick Williams standing shotgun at quarterback (he’s a wide receiver), throwing a perfect 6 yard pass to Jordan Norwood. He than threw another bomb to Deon Butler but it was incomplete and that was the end of Derrick Williams at quarterback. I was hoping to see the head coach, Joe Paterno, but he was up in the booth watching the game, because it was wet out. Quaterback Anthony Morelli, and running back Tony Hunt both play good also. Even the defense had a good game with a goal line stand. The final score was Blue 17 and White 0. Overall, it was worth standing in the rain, and we look to have a good team. We will see what happens in the fall.
| 4/23/06 |
Free Response:
A lot of people have been fussing in recent weeks as to whether it's too soon for "United 93," the first big theatrical movie to deal with the events of Sept. 11. If not now, when? Almost five years have passed since that fateful day when passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco rose up against al-Qaida hijackers and died in a remote part of Pennsylvania as heroes, the passengers who fought back. It took less than five years after the fall of Saigon in 1975 to see high-quality Vietnam movies like "The Deer Hunter" and "Apocalypse Now". "United 93" did not have to wait for its opening on April 28 to cause a stir. The preview in theaters is upsetting most people, who say it’s too soon. In some places I heard the preview got pulled because too many people were complaining. I suspect the "United 93" preview is upsetting mostly because it comes without warning. But, that doesn’t mean that it’s too soon to see what truly happened on Flight 93.
| 4/20/06 |
Free Response:
On Friday I went to see Scary Movie 4, I can say this movie was definitely enjoyable. It's not a down right riot; it's not totally pathetic, it's right in between. I would tell you what I thought of the story but I honestly wasn't paying attention. Something about a Japanese kid's dad's heart stopping aliens. I was to busy watching and waiting for the next joke. The jokes indeed come fast and frequent, some better than others obviously. My favorite scenes were the Million Dollar Baby one, where everyone started falling and breaking their necks. Also, the Saw scenes were also quite enjoyable. Jigsaw was probably the funniest character in the whole thing. Some of the jokes do fall flat on their face, for instance the constant usage of a butt with all the aliens (butt spitting lightning from the sky, a butt sucking people into the tripod). I've never seen the Village so that part confused me but I think I got the gist of it. Leslie Nielsen, by the way, was hilarious in this; I too wanted to know what happened to the duck. However, just about every girl and a few guys screamed, when he lost his clothes. All in all, the movie is enjoyable. I recommend people see it, but it probably is one you can wait for on DVD. Surprisingly, Scary Movie 4 got to number 1 in the box office. I only urge people to not over analyze it. It was a simple parody movie and nothing more.
| 4/18/06 |
Free Response:
I am from New Jersey, and of course I root for the home teams, such as the New Jersey Nets, New Jersey Devils, and I love the New York Jets, even though they’re a New York team, but their stadium is in New Jersey. I do like NY Yankees too. But anyway this year the New Jersey Nets made it to the playoffs by placing first in their division, known as the Atlantic division. I’m happy about that, but today something happened that made me even happier. The NJ Devils needed to win their last game and the NY Rangers needed to lose their last game, for the Devils to win their division. And of course it did happen like that. NJ Devils won their last 11 games straight, and in today’s game they came back in the third period with three goals to make the final score 4-3. So now both home teams who play in Continental Arena are division champions. That makes Continental Arena, “Home of Champions!” Woooooooooooo!
| 4/16/06 |
Free Response:
You wouldn’t guess what happen today. So, I went to the church on campus near the Forum at 9:30am because I’m Catholic and it’s Easter Sunday, and of course I get there right when the mass starts. So, I have to go to the front row because it was packed. I sit down during the mass, and there’s this part around the middle of mass where we shake the hands of the people around you and say, “Peace be with you” to them. So I turn to my right, then to my left, then I turn around and...here’s the good part,...there was Joe Paterno right behind me, and I didn’t know the whole time until then. So, at first I said, “Hey!”, then I shook his hand and said, “Peace be with you”. I then shook his wife’s hand too. I would have never thought that football coaching legend, Joe Paterno, would be behind me in church! It was crazy! At the end of mass I turned around and shook his hand again and said, “Happy Easter”. Only a few people noticed that he was there because he went out the back door. I was really happy that I decided to go to church at 9:30am and not 11:00am. See, I told you, you wouldn’t guess what happen today.
| 4/12/06 |
Free Response:
Today I saw outside of the Forum building at Penn State that you could vote if you want the most popular flavor, at the legendary creamery on the Penn State campus, "Peachy Paterno" to not be made anymore. My question is why would you want them to stop making that flavor? Not only does it taste good but it’s named after one of greatest coaches in the history of football. You know you're somebody when you get an ice cream flavor named after you. Not that Penn State coach Joe Paterno needs ice cream to solidify his legacy, but he's got it. I admire this man. Not because he's got a flavor of ice cream, I admire him, because at 79, he puts as much energy into his job as he did 55 years ago when he was an assistant for the Nittany Lions. I admire him because even in recent years when some of his most loyal supporters called for his resignation, Paterno responded with perseverance and got the Nittany Lions a Big-10 title and to the Orange Bowl. He's the epitome of what hard work and determination can accomplish...even at 79. He's got a passion for the game, and a passion for life, the world needs more of that...three scoops of Peachy Paterno please.
| 4/10/06 |
Free Response:
Last years Penn State football team was awesome. We finished third in the AP standings and we won the FedEx Orange Bowl in triple overtime, with a final score of 26-23. Although our seniors left, such as Michael Robinson, Tamba Hali, and Alan Zemaitis, I hope this year our team will do just as good or even better. Maybe we could go undefeated. We do have a solid schedule in the fall of 2006; we play Notre Dame at home! So, it’s probably going to be an exciting year for Penn State football. On Saturday, April 22, there is going to be what they call a Blue and White game, where the new Penn State football team will play a scrimmage against each other. I guess there we will see if our team is good enough for the, easier said than done, upcoming schedule. Also, I can't wait to see the best coach in country.......Joe Paterno!
| 4/9/06 |
Free Response:
Lately I’ve been doing the Sudoku’s in The Daily Collegian, and I noticed that they are very addicting. For those of you who don’t know what Sudoku is, it’s a logic-based placement puzzle. The aim of the puzzle is to enter a numerical digit from 1 through 9 in each cell of a 9×9 grid made up of 3×3 subgrids, starting with various digits given in some cells. Completing the puzzle requires patience and logical ability. I did some research on what year it was first made and I found out that although first published in a U.S. puzzle magazine in 1979, Sudoku initially caught on in Japan in 1986 and attained international popularity in 2005. A lot of students on campus have been doing Sudoku, including me. I’ve been doing it so much that I noticed it gets harder as the week progresses, with Monday being the easiest and Friday being the hardest.
| 4/7/06 |
Final Project Proposal:
| 4/4/06 |
Free Response:
Read this and post what you think:
The moon was high in the sky, shrouded by misty clouds. Darkness had earlier descended like a big blanket. The night air was laden with the imminent hatching of something ominous. The swirling wind picked up some loose dirt and scattered it all over the street. Under a street lamp, stood a mysterious man clad in a black tuxedo with a suitcase in one hand, a cigar in another. Minutes and seconds ticked by and there were still no sign of any changes. Only the rhythmic chirping of crickets and the rustling of the leaves could be heard. "Dong! Dong!" the hour of two clanged through the darkness, falling onto the empty streets below where the man stood waiting. From the distance, faintly but surely, the tapping sound of footstep were increasingly audible and a pale silhouette of a figure could be seen walking closer every moment. The man seemed too aware of the figure's presence even without even surveying the surrounding, apparently expecting his arrival. The figure stopped. He kneeled down, paying respect to his superior.
"You are late,"
"Sorry, boss,"
"Is the job done?"
"Boss, we chased him through the alley and cornered him. We almost got him, but he..."
"Don't beat around the bush. Did you get him?"
"No boss, but..."
A gunshot shattered the silence of the night.
| 4/1/06 |
Response to \"A Modest Proposal\":
In 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote "A Modest Proposal", which satirically showed the trouble of the Irish people. Swift shows the readers his proposal mainly through irony and sarcasm. The whole proposal is satire. Even the title is satire itself. He calls it "modest" yet he knows eating babies is not very modest! Using satire, Jonathan Swift was able to make social critiques without directly criticizing the English government. It also exposed the harsh and inhuman treatment of the Irish at the hands of their English oppressors. He points out this treatment by casually referring to stereotypes of the Irish throughout the essay. Swift speaks of the uses of the children of the Irish. It turns out that he is proposing cannibalism. He uses grotesque irony to make people see the logical solutions to any problems with the Irish and to improve, over time, the lives of the Irish people. The story itself is ironic since no one can take Swifts proposal seriously. It would be rather absurd to. Using irony, he attacks the proprietors of the Irish people. They have demolished the Irish. He computes in very calm terms the costs and benefits of eating babies. Only in places like this does he let his anger show through. Such cracks in the facade are necessary, or people will think that Swift is really making such a proposal. As knights protected the innocent with their swords, Swift choose to protect the Irish with his pen. He strove to bring to light the conditions of the Irish.
| 3/30/06 |
Free Response:
Finally! The weather is getting better! It was in the low 60s today, and it’s supposed to go to the low 70s tomorrow. Today everyone was outside, doing something. They were either outside playing tennis, shooting some hoops, playing catch, or just relaxing in the sun. If you weren’t outside, I think that’s a sin. Hopefully the weather stays like this. I’m glad the weather got better after my second set of stressful exams. So today the weather was nice and I went outside to play some basketball, but then I had to do some work, of course. I was also thinking about what my final paper for English 015 should be on. I haven’t come up with one yet, but I’ll get an idea eventually. Also, I noticed that this semester is almost over, there’s a little more than a month left. It really went fast; I can’t believe that my freshman year is coming to an end.
| 3/29/06 |
Thanks for the links. I watched the clips. I suppose that South Park is an acquired taste! TheKemBlog
| 3/27/06 |
Free Response:
Now that everyone's NCAA Men’s Basketball bracket has been folded, spindled and mutilated, it's time for a moment of reckoning. After two of the most stunning, suspenseful and spellbinding weeks in the history of the sport, this is what we have learned: everything we believed to be true about this college basketball season has been false. The smartest Patriots coach is not Bill Belichick, its Jim Larranaga. And America's team is George Mason. We believed the Big Ten to be the second-best conference in the land, deserving of its six bids and three top-four seeds. Yet, the Big Ten might as well have been the MAC, failing to advance a single team to the Sweet 16. We believed there was a chance all four No. 1 seeds could make the Final Four for the first time ever. Yet, none of them made it for the first time since 1980, but a No. 11 seed did, tying the record for worst seed to get there. Make way for Mason, who shattered the Cinderella ceiling by dispatching three of the top-10 programs in America: Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut. When a No. 11 seed from the Colonial Athletic Association makes the Final Four, the tournament really is an open conquest. All things really are possible. Five of this year's eight Sweet 16 games went down to the final seconds, and three of the four regional finals either went into OT or sustained their drama into the final minute. We believed in November that LSU, Florida and UCLA were probably a year away from serious contender status. That's why the preseason AP poll had the Bruins 19th, the Tigers 32nd and the Gators 41st. George Mason? Please. The Patriots got one fewer preseason poll vote than Hawaii, Houston and Notre Dame, which is to say, none. That’s the chaos we’re going to leave behind, now we have to see which one of those four walks off with the nets of the RCA Dome a week from tonight. (This is from an article on espn.com…I guess it isn’t a free response then.)
| 3/25/06 |
Final Proposal Paper:
| 3/25/06 |
Rewriten definition of Stigmergy:
Stigmergy is a technique of communication in developing systems in which the individual parts of the system communicate with one another by modifying their local environment. Stigmergy was first observed in nature, for example ants communicate to one another by laying down pheromones along their trails, so where ants go within and around their ant colony is a stigmergic system. The term was introduced by French biologist Pierre-Paul Grassé in 1959 to refer to termite behavior. He defined it as, "Stimulation of workers by the performance they have achieved." Stigmergy is not limited to eusocial creatures, or even to physical systems. The term is also employed in experimental research in robotics, multi-agent systems and communication in computer networks. In robotics there exist two types of stigmergy: active and passive. The first kind occurs when a robot alters the world so as to affect the sensory input of another robot. The second occurs when an action of a robot changes the world in such a way so that the effects of the actions of another robot changes. A typical example of active stigmergy is leaving behind pheromones for others to pick up. An example of passive stigmergy is when robot-A drains all the water in a pool, while robot-B tries to swim to the other side.
| 3/23/06 |
Free Response:
When is this weather going to get nicer? March 21 was the first day of spring and I haven’t seen any spring weather since the week we got back from spring break. That week it got up to 70 degrees! From then on it’s been around 40 degrees and with cold winds making it even colder. It’s like Mother Nature is messing with are heads. It was even snowing yesterday; not a lot, but it was flurries. I’m getting tired of this cold weather. I can’t wait until I could wear shorts again and not be cold wearing them. I’m sure I’m not the only one that wants warmer weather at Penn State. Here’s a corny weather joke that I know: What is the Mexican weather report? Answer: Chili today and hot tamale. I hope that’s how it’s going to be like that soon…chilly today and I want it to be hot tomorrow.
| 3/21/06 |
Proposal for the Proposal Paper:
Over the past couple of years technology has been increasing by leaps and bounds especially over the internet. One of those new technologies that is causing big headlines is the ability for internet users to access and download streaming and mp3 format music online. As soon as mp3 files were introduced to the internet, software companies, consumers, and the music industry have struggled to establish rules for the game that is online music. There is an unlimited amount of resources on the web to take part of online music through file sharing and specified web sites. This is a great advantage for the consumer but the music industry is hurting over this new development. There are many legal issues concerning this that many just don’t care about or are totally uninformed of. If you ask the general population if they feel downloading music off the internet is a crime you will get a resounding answer of no. Of those who believe file sharing and music downloading is a legal act it is easy to identify with them. I think the way to benefit both sides of this issue is that record labels could have their own sites where for a small cost you could download an artists CD or the songs you desired. This way both parties would get what they want: The consumer gets the music they want easily and efficiently and the music industry get the money from sales that they deserve.
At least one way to restate the problem or need is to note that the music industry seems largely to hang on to an outmoded technology, or perhaps kinder is that they're not quite embracing a new distrubtion form, namely, mp3. One thing to think about is that a few weeks ago a report came out that stated CD sales had actually increased, a finding which, of course, belies the music industry's claim that downloading is hurting sales! Finally, you may want to read the essay in the book on this topic. It's EA, pp. 233-237. TheKemBlog
Sources:
*Borzykowski, Bryan. “A Wild Ride.” Canadian Business Feb. 2006: 54.
*Garofalo, Reebee. “From Music Publishing to MP3.” American Music Oct. 1999: 339.
*Jones, Steve. “Music and the Internet.” Popular Music Apr. 2000: 221.
*Milmo, Dan. “Media business: Young 'need lessons' in legal downloading.” The Guardian Nov. 2005: 22.
*Romer, Paul. “When Should We Use Intellectual Property Rights?” The American Economic Review May 2002: 214.
*Strahilevitz, Lior Jacob. “The Emergence of Cooperation on the File-Swapping Networks.” Virginia Law Review May 2003: 534.
| 3/18/06 |
Response to the Communist Manifesto:
The Communist Manifesto was first published in 1848, and is one of the world's most influential political tracts. When I read the Communist Manifesto, I learned that it ensures, "Equal obligation of all to work". How will the government ensure that everyone works? The Communist Manifesto states that "It has been objected that upon the abolition of private property, all work will cease, and universal laziness will overtake us". I agree with this conjecture. What will keep a person from being lazy? How will the government ensure that every individual does their fair share of work? Why would a person spend years in college to be a doctor if they will get the same salary as a bus driver? Some people might say that this will lead to more caring doctors, that are not working for the money, but because they want to help people. But, because there is no reason for people to spend years in college, there will be significantly fewer amounts of doctors.
| 3/14/06 |
Final Causal Paper:
| 3/14/06 |
Free Response:
I am a big fan of “The Sopranos”, an HBO series, that’s about this mob boss named Tony Soprano, whose troubles are wrapped up in his two families. Season sixes, first episode of the HBO series, “The Sopranos”, was shown on Sunday. And because I just got back at Penn State, I wasn’t able to watch it; because of course we don’t have HBO over here. I was upset but there was nothing I could have done. I would really take having only HBO right now, instead of the 70 channels we have now. I did find out, however, about what happened in the episode on Sunday. I heard it ended with a shock, but I wont say what happened, just incase I might spoil it for the person who is reading this. Yet, I could tell you that the sixth season opens with Tony worrying about Johnny Sack's RICO trial and the effect it is having on both the New York and New Jersey families. It looks like this season is going to be a good one and I think I might have to buy the 6th season and watch it once the season is over.
| 3/13/06 |
Free Response:
Spring break is over and I’m back to doing school work in my little dorm room at Penn State. Spring break was decent for me. I didn’t go anywhere crazy like Cancun or Miami. All I did was go to New York City for 2 days, even though it’s not very far from where I live. I only stood around Time Square. The first thing I did when I got there was, I went to the taping of NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien, which was cool, because I was sitting in the front row and when Conan came out before the show to talk to the audience, he shook my hand. Then, I went to see a Broadway show, called “Jersey Boys” with my parents and their friends. And I have to admit that, even though I not a big “play guy”, it was really, really good, and I enjoyed it. If you’re in NYC and want to see a show, go see that one, I guarantee you’ll like it. Another thing I did in NYC was go to Madame Tussaud's New York Wax Museum. They have about four floors of waxed people, and almost all of them look real. They also had a frightening House of Wax trail for any one who wanted to get a scare. So I went of course and it was indeed spine-chilling. That was basically what I did on my two-day vacation to NYC. Now I can’t wait for the semester to end, and summer to begin.
Well, that's cool. Question: are the tickets free, and if so, how do you get them? TheKemBlog
| 3/3/06 |
Proposal for the Casual Paper:
In our lazy nation today, most of the American citizen cast their vote on what they see on the news. It is safe to say that the media primarily control people’s opinion on political issues. Unfortunately the worlds most developed nation doesn’t have time to carefully pick their leaders in any level. While vast opportunity of research is available to the American citizen to carefully pick their candidates, they choose to go along with what the media tells them to do. It is the media that controls the nation, it is the media that selects the agenda, and it will be the media that selects the president. Media also gives vast amount of information to keep us up to date with the changing world. It is important to watch the news, because news allows us to be up to date on current events. Our nation is controlled mainly by the media, our opinions, our stand on issues are more likely parallel to the ones in the media. Media plays an important part in our society. Since the majority of the American people don't research on things, they rely heavily on the media to bring them the story, however different sources of media is important if one wants to excel and gain more knowledge on cretin issues. It is the media that controls the nation, it is the media that selects the agenda, and it is the media that keeps us educated about the world around us.
Two questions/comments: Does the media control the populace on purpose? That is, do they have an agenda? Second, who are the media? Do you mean the big owners, or the reporters on the ground? Those aren't the same. Perhaps you can determine the interests, for example, of those persons owning media outlets. Do those interests somehow influence the media which in turns influences the average American? TheKemBlog
Sources:
*Ragsdale, Lyn. “Incumbent Popularity, Challenger Invisibility, and Congressional Voters.” Legislative Studies Quarterly May1981: 209.
*Weaver, David. “What Voters Learn from Media.” The Media and Politics July1996: 37
*Levy, Dena. “Television Markets and the Competitiveness of U. S. House Elections.” Legislative Studies Quarterly May 2000: 315.
*Robinson, John P. “The Press and the Voter.” Role of the Mass Media in American Politics Sep. 1976: 97
*Mondak, Jeffery J. “Media Exposure and Political Discussion in U.S. Elections.” The Journal of Politics Feb. 1995: 68
*Cho, Jaeho. “Media, Interpersonal Discussion, and Electoral Choice.” Communication Research June 2005: 295
| 2/28/06 |
Response to Political Leanings in Politics:
I found the reading on, Thinking about Political Leanings in Rhetoric, to be unbelievably interesting, because from what I can gather, on the political spectrum, I would neither be on the left-wing politics or the right-wing politics. I looked up what I would be called and it turns out that, because I’m landing in the middle of leftists and rightist, I would be a centrist. The reason why maybe you and I never heard of this is because the term is not widely used in the United States. Centrists usually take up a "middle ground" regarding government control of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on the issue, they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes support individual freedom of choice. Centrists pride themselves on keeping an open mind, tend to oppose "political extremes," and emphasize what they describe as "practical" solutions to problems. I was never really sure where I was on the political spectrum, but I guess now I know, and I agree that I am indeed a centrist.
| 2/25/06 |
Response to Genocide:
Genocide in Rwanda and Darfur, Sudan still goes on as we speak. I think this is absolutely ridiculous. Has the world learned nothing? How many more races have to be annihilated, how many more people have to die for people to realize? I think that the United Nations should set up a volunteer based anti-genocide militia, under independent hierarchy which sole purpose should be to stop genocides from occurring around the world, as soon as an independent and internationally recognized body of specialists recognizes genocide or a large scale ethnic cleansing crime. The number of soldiers: I don’t think is important, just as long as its existence serves as a restriction to tyrants around the world. America was wise enough to announce that what it was was genocide; announce and do nothing. Well, let us not blame America, and let we all feel responsible for genocide, because we are all responsible that there is hate in this world.
| 2/25/06 |
Final Evaluation Paper:
| 2/23/06 |
Free Response:
Everybody has played video games at some point in there life. Recently, there was the release of the Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and soon the Sony PlayStation 3 will release sometime in the spring. Many gamers are arguing over which one will be better. I enjoy video games, and I personally think the PlayStation 3 is going to beat the Xbox 360 as the PS3 is an essential in most homes. It might be because I have PS1, PS2, and now I want PS3, but besides that, I think that many eager gaming fans will prefer the PS3 as Sony have spent more time developing it carefully where as Microsoft released theirs early to increase sales at Christmas. Xbox 360 is probably good but PS3 will rule the roost. Xbox is heading for more PC graphics and game play whereas PlayStation are sticking to their roots, with smooth graphics and better game play. PS3’s new Cell processor could well be the beginning of a performance revolution in home entertainment systems. Also, the style of the new PlayStation 3 has a more futuristic look to it. I know that I'll be buying Sony’s PlayStation 3; adrenaline flowed when I was reading about it. I’m just waiting for the release date, they keep on postponing it. Overall, I'm sure the PlayStation 3 will dominate the digital world, let's hope, that the price is not too high.
| 2/20/06 |
Free Response:
I’ve been watching the Olympics lately and there are many different sports that countries compete in, but I would have to say that my favorite sport in the Olympics is curling. I think its one of the most interesting sports in the Olympics. The basic components of the 500-year-old ice sport known as curling are delivery of the stone, sweeping along its path, and strategy. The object of curling is to push this rock, with a handle at the end of it, on ice. You have to get this rock to the other side in this target. You can hit the other team’s rock out or try to score higher than the other team. When the stone is delivered there are two other teammates sweeping the ice in front of the rock, either to speed it up, slow it down, or change its direction. This sport looks easy when you see it, but I’m sure that it takes a lot of skill. If you have no idea of what I’m talking about you should check it out and I promise you that you will enjoy it.
| 2/18/06 |
Free Response:
A few days ago I got the Penn State gym pass, because my roommate had one and he wanted someone else to go with him. So I was like, "why not", might as well keep yourself in shape. So yesterday we went to the IM (intramural) building to check it out. We walked around for a while, because the building was so big and we weren’t sure where the weight room was. During that time we got to see everything they have over there. The building has basketball courts, located in the middle and on both ends of the building. It also has a track on the second floor that goes around the center basketball courts. But, my personal favorite court that's in the building would have to be the racquet ball courts. There are about 12 racquet ball courts, 6 on each side. Finally, we found the weight room on the bottom floor, and they basically have every type of weights and machines that you need. We stood in the weigh room for a while and I did enjoy it. After, we left we were thinking about going back today to play some racquet ball and then after that go to the weight room. So guess what, we did, and now I’m exhausted.
| 2/16/06 |
Proposal for the Evaluation Paper:
There are many well-known sports in America which all people watch, and talk about how good a certain sport is or how much skills a professional in that sport has. But, not all people in America think that the sport of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is as entertaining or enjoyable as the other sports people watch. People say, “NASCAR is dumb. There are too many cars on the track and too many crashes. It’s pathetic.” You can say NASCAR is dumb, but you'd think otherwise if you knew the difficulty it takes a racer to race, driving a 7,000 pound car, door to door, a few inches apart from other cars at speeds of 120 miles per hour and more, for 500 miles. Most people don’t know what the professional NASCAR drivers have to do to win a race. With the pressure the drivers have on them, they have to learn their car and each track they go to. Also, the drivers are putting themselves in one of the most dangerous sports known to man. Just five years ago a legend in NASCAR named, Dale Earnhardt, died on his last lap of the Daytona 500 (the Super Bowl of races). But, it’s not only the driver who does all the work, there is also his team, and pit crew. The team has to make sure that the 7,000 pound car could turn on a dime. The pit crew also has to train to be the fastest pit crew on the track and be able to fix any problem that the driver reports. There is more to NASCAR than just cars going around in circles.
Interesting, but very close to a definitional argument. I take it that the claim is that NASCAR fans are smart, contrary to a wide-spread opinion. Maybe it'd help to give some thought about what people consider to be a "thinking" person's sport. Or maybe you'll want to change the thesis a bit, for example, "NASCAR racing is one of the most interesting and exciting sports in today's America." Then, the large audiences actually become a piece of data to support the claim. TheKemBlog
Sources:
* Gailer, Lennce. “Why are Black Colleges Toadying to This Profoundly Racist Organization?” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education Jan. 2000: 58.
* Hinton, Ed. “Speeding toward a safer sport.” NASCAR safety five years after Earnhardts death Feb. 2006: 1
* Hurt, Douglas A. “The New NASCAR: Tradition, Nationalization, and Regional Identity.” Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers May, 2005: 150.
* Rassenfoss, Sam. “Why is NASCAR so great?” Sports Spin Oct 2005: 3
* Robertson, Dale. “Danger remains racing's appeal.” Houston Chronicle Feb 2001: 7
* Ryan, Joan. “Racing's Driving Force.” Tremendous growth for NASCAR May 1996: 1
| 2/13/06 |
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It represents the official first step toward the separation of the 13 colonies from the control of Great Britain. The document was written by Thomas Jefferson in seventeen days. Although the Declaration of Independence was not officially signed until August 1, 1776, Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Perhaps no document in history has undergone as much scrutiny as the Declaration of Independence. I think the Declaration has been used to justify other political and social movements. While the Declaration is an important historic document and incorporates many of America’s most basic beliefs, I feel it has no effect of law in 21st Century America. I also believe that the Declaration was used as a propaganda tool, in which the Americans tried to establish clear reasons for their rebellion that might persuade unwilling colonists to join them.
| 2/11/06 |
Final Definition Paper:
| 2/9/06 |
Free Response:
From the beginning of the semester I've been having at most two assignments to do over the weekend. Yet, this weekend it is going to be the hardest weekend for me so far, because I have so much homework to do and I have to study for an exam that I have on Monday. I don't know if I'm the only student at Penn State this is happening to, but I find this weird. Maybe its because now is around the time of exams. All my classes I have gone to this week have assigned homework, and they are all due on Monday. I would have started some of it today but I had to finish my draft for the Definition paper. So tomorrow, around 3:30pm, I will be able to start. From then on I will be doing homework until Monday. It’s going to be an extremely stressful weekend..................(2/13/06) It wasn't as bad as I thought, I finished my exam and homework on time.
| 2/7/06 |
Comments on proposal for Definition paper by TheChipBlog:
Claim: There are many different types of love.
Reasons: The love between a husband and wife is different from the love between a mother and child as well as love differs in other various relationships.
Warrants: Love is an emotion, and emotions affect the way people act. People do not show the same emotions in all of the relationships in which they love someone.
Possible Counter Arguments: (1.) In order to feel one of the different types of love for a person you have to have had sex with them. (2.) Can the definition you provided from the English Oxford Dictionary really apply to "something" as opposed to someone?
I don't think that your proposal paper could become an evaluation paper unless you start making opinions about love between the same sexes and go in that direction. I don't see any way in which it can become a proposal paper.
I think you have a lot of good information that will lead to a really well written paper. I hope I evaluated your claim and reasons correctly, and I hope I helped you out a little bit. I wanted to comment on yours because I almost did my paper on "love" as well. Thanks for the comments you wrote on my blog, and good luck with your paper!
| 2/6/06 |
I commented on TheChipBlog's proposal for Definition paper.
| 2/4/06 |
Proposal for the Definition Paper:
Without love what would life be like? Some people say that in order to be in love with someone you have to have had sex with that person. That is certainly not the only way someone could feel love. Millions of people say, “I love you.” But what is love? Love can be defined as a strong liking for someone or something. Love is affectionate feelings for different people including husband, wife, children, friends, co-workers, and God. However, the love for each of these is completely different. Various types of love exist. Love is an intense feeling of affection, an emotion and even affects the way a person acts. Love is usually strong between a husband and a wife but that type of love is different than love for a child. Love for a husband can be different than love for one’s God. Love can be romantic or it can be described as lust sometimes. As you can see there are many different types of love. Yet, can love be between the same sexes, or can we say that if you are in love with someone you are willing to die for that person? Oxford English Dictionary's definition of love is, that disposition or state of feeling with regard to a person which (arising from recognition of attractive qualities, from instincts of natural relationship, or from sympathy) manifests itself in solicitude for the welfare of the object, and usually also in delight in his or her presence and desire for his or her approval; warm affection, attachment. Is this what love means?
Sources:
* Bahr, Howard M. “Families and Self-Sacrifice: Alternative Models and Meanings for Family Theory.” Social Forces June 2001: 1232.
* Cancian, Francesca M. Love in America: Gender and Self-Development. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
* Grodal, Torben Kragh. “Love and Desire in the Cinema.” Cinema Journal Dec. 2004: 26.
* Mackey, Harold. “How Do I Love Thee?” The Family Coordinator Apr. 1969: 123.
* Oxford English Dictionary. Love. Oxford University Press, 1989.
* Yeung, King-To. “What Does Love Mean? Exploring Network Culture in Two Network Settings.” Social Forces Sept. 2005: 393.
| 2/3/06 |
Free Response:
A couple of days ago I was surfing the web and came across this webstie called The Million Dollar Homepage. This website is a page that holds 1,000,000 pixels and it’s a dollar a pixel for any person or company who wants to advertise something on the Internet. If every pixel is bought then the creator of this homepage will be a millionaire. It was created by Alex Tew, a 21-year-old student from London, and soon he will be banking the final cents of revenue totaling more than one million dollars, earned since he created the website last summer. He started this website hoping to earn enough to support his education. When I seen the site for myself, I was amazed and I thought this guy was a genius. I was also saying to myself, "Why didn't I think of that." The homepage is just a collage of ads, which you can click on to go to other different websites. You should check it out for yourself.
| 1/31/06 |
Response to topic in the USA Today:
The Bush administration has asked Google for its records to prove in federal court that the 1998 Child Online Protection Act is more effective than Internet filters. The government already has data from Yahoo and Microsoft's MSN. The only reason the administration needs all the data is that it is 'fishing', which means the government wants to seek what people search online and gain access to intimate details about the user. There is no excuse for this. It's simply wrong. Google is the only major Internet search engine that has refused to provide this information. And if Google does supply its records to the U.S. government, then the people of America wont have the freedom and privacy to search online. Therefore, “Google is right”.
| 1/27/06 |
Defining Terrorism:
To me, terrorism means, a use of violence and intimidation to achieve political ends. Yet, when I read the definition of terrorism from Wikipedia, I was amazed by how many different definitions this word could have. Also, I was shocked by how many people argue over this “politically or emotionally charged” term. I guess I never thought about it much, and I not at all noticed that news sources never use the term, terrorism, because of the fact that different people have unlike meanings for the word. After reading Wikipedia’s version of terrorism, I guess I learned, from the words of M. Cherif Bassiouni that, "'Terrorism' has never been defined..."
| 1/26/06 |
Response to President George W. Bush's Address to Congress:
U.S. President George W. Bush addressed Congress and the Nation on Thursday, September 20, 2001 concerning the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and on the Pentagon building in Washington D.C. that occurred on September 11, 2001. The nation looked to its president for leadership, and Bush provided it. In this address President Bush’s rhetoric, which was comforting and purposeful, possessed a persuasiveness previously lacking in his earlier speeches. I was surprised that the person who delivered this speech was in fact President Bush; he usually has distaste for detail and lack of tone. This speech certainly came from the heart, with Bush using emotion such as fear, and sympathy. Overall, it was an outstanding speech, delivered with passion and conviction.
| 1/23/06 |
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948, outlining a view on basic human rights. John Peters Humphrey of Canada was its principal drafter, aided by Eleanor Roosevelt of the United States, René Cassin of France, and P. C. Chang of China, among others. More than 50 years have elapsed since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted and the Declaration was one of the first major achievements of the United Nations. In my opinion, after all these years, it still remains a powerful instrument which continues to put forth an enormous effect on people's lives all over the world. I was amazed by how the human rights and fundamental freedoms were set forth in such detail. I feel that the Declaration was certainly a world highlight in the extended struggle for human rights. The year 1998 marks the fiftieth anniversary of this "Magna Carta for all humanity", as referred by Eleanor Roosevelt. The theme of the fiftieth anniversary, "All Human Rights for All", demonstrates the universality, the indivisibility and the interrelationship of all human rights. It reinforces the idea that human rights (civil, cultural, economic, political and social) should be taken in their entirety and not disassociated from one another.
| 1/21/06 |
Response to FDR's \"The Four Freedoms\" speech:
On January 6th, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt gave a speech to the US Congress which outlined the fundamental principles for a peaceful and democratic world. Known as the 'Four Freedoms' speech, Roosevelt proclaimed the following as necessary attributes for mankind: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. It seems that one point of the speech was to draw the attention of a modern audience, most of who were not even born before January 6, 1941, to a very historic speech. I think the speech has contemporary importance, as well as historical significance. The Four Freedoms speech was certainly in the minds of presidential speech writers, and the President, when he delivered his speech following the September 11 attacks.
| 1/19/06 |
Claims from a USA TODAY Snapshot:
The USA TODAY snapshot that I used to make these claims is entitled, "Luck at casino gambling". You can view this snapshot by going to http://www.usatoday.com/news/snapshot.htm and then clicking the second slide in Money. The snapshot states that "among the 30% of Americans who went to a casino during the past year, more than half say they came out even or won more than they lost". The snapshot shows statistical evidence that 43% of Americans who gambled at a casino during the past year lost more than won, 33% came out even and 20% won more than lost. From this particular snapshot there are certain claims or statements you can put together. There are even claims that might make opposing points, such as claims 4 and 5. Here are a few different claims I came up with:
- Claim 1: When you gamble you have a better chance of losing than winning. Forty-three percent of Americans who gambled at a casino during the past year lost more than won and only twenty percent won more than lose.
- Claim 2: Most gamblers have gambling problems. Forty-three percent of Americans who gambled at a casino during the past year lost more than won. Therefore, they might have won, and they wanted to win more, yet they lost and lost and lost.
- Claim 3: Not many Americans go to casinos. Thirty percent of Americans went to a casino during the past year.
- Claim 4: Most Americans who gamble are unlucky or have no skill in gambling. Forty-three percent of Americans who gambled at a casino during the past year lost more than won.
- Claim 5: Most Americans who gamble are lucky or have skill in gambling. More than half of Americans who gambled at a casino during the past year came out even or won more than they lost.
| 1/17/06 |
Rewritten Narrative from TheChipBlog:
My name is Michael Cantatore. I live in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, which is south of New York (go Jets)! My favorite thing to do in high school was swimming. I loved going to meets to compete against other great swimmers. I didn't do any traveling out of state for swimming, I only went to the county championship and got forth place. I come from a very Italian family with plenty of good cooks, mostly my grandmother. I have only one younger sister and no brothers. Needless to say everyone in my family received Penn State gear for Christmas, which they loved.
| 1/14/06 |
Monday is Martin Luther King Day! I just finished reading the very long, and famous letter which Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote from his cell in the Birmingham Jail. I feel that King's letter was an important response for civil rights to continue as a mass movement in Birmingham and beyond. It also demonstrates the performance of rhetorical change. Such as the change in King's rhetorical character and presence. King does criticize the white clergymen but basically he is trying to tell them that they should stop this segregation and that the black are not to be mistreated. When most people read this letter they will notice that Martin Luther King was one of the foremost champions of civil rights in the 1960's.
| 1/12/06 |
Personal Narrative:
Hello. My name is Michael, you could call me Mike, and I am majoring in computer engineering here at PSU. I used to live across the Hudson River from NYC, but then my parents decided to move, in September, to Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. Which is about 15 minutes away (by car) from where I used to live. They moved there because thats where most of my family lives. So it’s not so bad. I always liked pro football (had season tickets to the NY Jets), but when I came to PSU, I learned that college football is way better. Particularly when your in the student section screaming your head off.
