No one really even knows about this thing at all actually. It was started up for my English 101 class and that's been almost a year ago.
Life is going well. I'm living in Colorado now. Moving to Greeley here in a couple of weeks. I have a boyfriend again for the first time since I was dating Everett back in 2005 and it feels so amazing to be cared about again.
Not much else to report. Making more money than I ever though I would and it's still barely enough for the bills. It'll get better once I'm out of this mess though.
Hope all is well.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Banning Cigarette Smoking?
No. Just no. And yes, I'm biased because I'm a smoker. But no. I really don't think the government has the right to ban smoking cigarettes. If they make smoking cigarettes illegal, they might as well make alcohol illegal too, and we've been there, done that.
It's my vice. The government has already taken away marijuana, so they better not taking away cigarettes too.
And really, I don't want to piss anyone off, but that's my honest opinion.
It's my vice. The government has already taken away marijuana, so they better not taking away cigarettes too.
And really, I don't want to piss anyone off, but that's my honest opinion.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Chapter Five - Thesis Statements
oo3. Say whether you think the following statements fit the definition of a thesis. Why are why not? If they could be improved, what would the writer have to think about?
a. I want to write my paper about sports and society and how it should be changed.
No, that definitely doesn't fit the definition of a thesis. It is poorly written and looks like a 6th grader came up with it. The writer would need to completely re-word the sentence in order to make it make sense and not sound so childish. Maybe...This paper is regarding sports in our society and how it could be changed. Or something. I honestly don't even know whether the writer is referring to changing sports or society or both!
b. Some people just don't know how to take a joke.
This could pass as a thesis statement in my book.
c. I wish people would stop bugging me about what I'm going to do with my life, so I can find out.
I don't think so. I think it would be better worded like this: 'So I can find out what I want to do with my life, people should stop bugging me about it.' It clearly defines what the writer wants to actually find out about.
d. The widespread use of surveillance cameras in public places has increased people's fear.
This one seems pretty good to me.
e. The use of he and man to refer to both men and women is sexist.
I think that one is pretty good too.
f. The Federalist Papers should be read by all students before they graduate from high school.
The writer needs to have why they feel that students should read The Federalist Papers instead of just stating that they should.
g. All teaching will someday be done by computers, leading to a more effective education for all students.
And finally, I think that sounds pretty good. I may be wrong though!
a. I want to write my paper about sports and society and how it should be changed.
No, that definitely doesn't fit the definition of a thesis. It is poorly written and looks like a 6th grader came up with it. The writer would need to completely re-word the sentence in order to make it make sense and not sound so childish. Maybe...This paper is regarding sports in our society and how it could be changed. Or something. I honestly don't even know whether the writer is referring to changing sports or society or both!
b. Some people just don't know how to take a joke.
This could pass as a thesis statement in my book.
c. I wish people would stop bugging me about what I'm going to do with my life, so I can find out.
I don't think so. I think it would be better worded like this: 'So I can find out what I want to do with my life, people should stop bugging me about it.' It clearly defines what the writer wants to actually find out about.
d. The widespread use of surveillance cameras in public places has increased people's fear.
This one seems pretty good to me.
e. The use of he and man to refer to both men and women is sexist.
I think that one is pretty good too.
f. The Federalist Papers should be read by all students before they graduate from high school.
The writer needs to have why they feel that students should read The Federalist Papers instead of just stating that they should.
g. All teaching will someday be done by computers, leading to a more effective education for all students.
And finally, I think that sounds pretty good. I may be wrong though!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Chapter Three - Martin Luthur King Jr.
I read through his letter from the Birmingham Jail and I was appalled. I just, really can't put words into what I thought about it. I just think it was really sad that he had to go through so many things and had to convince people that SHOULD have been on his side to begin with (if they considered themselves brothers in Christ) to believe what he did.
I'm sorry it's so short, I just really can't think of much else to say!
I'm sorry it's so short, I just really can't think of much else to say!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Chapter Four - CNN Crossfire
I read several transcripts on the CNN website for the show Crossfire. Until today, I had never actually heard of the show called Crossfire.
Anyway, I read several of the transcripts and really had no idea what I was reading so I decided to do a search for 'cnn crossfire' on youtube.com. And the one that I found was this one:
And I guess there were several different arguments in that episode. The main one was that Jon Stewart felt that the entire show Crossfire was detrimental to America. He argued throughout the entire episode regarding this fact and he said several things that I found very amusing and that showed his point very well:
"I thought Lincoln was good." - In regards to whether or not he thought John Kerry was the best democratic candidate for the 2004 election.
"This is what I wanted to tell you guys...stop." - Regarding the fact that he disagrees with the fact that they have the show.
"I didn't realize that the news organizations look to Comedy Central for their queues on integrity." - When they told Jon that he was sucking up to John Kerry.
"You're doing theater when you should be doing debate."
I think that I was supposed to, what's the word, give examples of places in which the participants engage in what you consider to be ethical argument. Explain why.
I think that my quotes do justice :)
Anyway, I read several of the transcripts and really had no idea what I was reading so I decided to do a search for 'cnn crossfire' on youtube.com. And the one that I found was this one:
And I guess there were several different arguments in that episode. The main one was that Jon Stewart felt that the entire show Crossfire was detrimental to America. He argued throughout the entire episode regarding this fact and he said several things that I found very amusing and that showed his point very well:
"I thought Lincoln was good." - In regards to whether or not he thought John Kerry was the best democratic candidate for the 2004 election.
"This is what I wanted to tell you guys...stop." - Regarding the fact that he disagrees with the fact that they have the show.
"I didn't realize that the news organizations look to Comedy Central for their queues on integrity." - When they told Jon that he was sucking up to John Kerry.
"You're doing theater when you should be doing debate."
I think that I was supposed to, what's the word, give examples of places in which the participants engage in what you consider to be ethical argument. Explain why.
I think that my quotes do justice :)
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Chapter 2: Critical Reading
oo1. Have you ever read something that someone told you was bad for you? Was it? How do you know? How about something that someone said would be good for you?
I guess the main thing that I read growing up that several people were against was the Harry Potter series. I began reading the books at the age of 11, and most of the people that I went to church with told me that if I read those books, it would sway my beliefs and make me a 'sinner'. Well, as all 11 year olds would react, that made me want to read it even more. And I fell in love with the books.
Did it sway my religious beliefs? Of course not! Did it make me a sinner? Not in my opinion. But to this day, most Christians are blatantly against these books just based on the fact that they have witchcraft in them.
I was once visiting a very conservative Christian family. Their 16 year old son's favourite pastime was playing video games. When I asked him what type of video games he preferred he answered very plainly, "shootem' ups", and continued playing his game.
I then broached the subject with the boy's father and made the following statement: 'If your son is playing these video games and killing these men in a game world, how is that any better than someone reading a fantasy book about children going to a school of witchcraft? According to the Bible, killing is a sin. According to the Bible witchcraft is a sin. In both instances, according to your logic, these activities would be sinful. Yet you have no problem allowing your son to play these video games. Explain to me why.'
The man couldn't say anything. He changed the subject, but also never mentioned anything about my reading of the Harry Potter books again.
The only time someone has told me to a read a book that would be 'good for me' has been a cheesy Christian 'spiritual renewal' type book that I have never had an interest in. It is true I was raised in a Christian environment, but this doesn't mean that I necessarily am required to believe in it.
oo2. Can you think of any ideas that you agree with only to a certain degree? What has your agreement to do with the quality of the reasons you have heard in support of these ideas?
The one thing that came to my mind when reading this question was the subject of abortion. This is a very touchy subject, and I don't want to cause any arguments or anything between classmates. But I honestly can't think of anything else I could write about regarding this question.
When a friend of mine asked me whether I was pro-choice or pro-life, I told them I was both. They looked confused and said it was impossible to be both, but I stood firm and didn't sway my opinion.
In what way am I pro-choice? I believe that every woman who gets pregnant on this earth has a choice in whether to keep their child or not. It is not up to me, their mother, the mayor, the president, or anyone to choose for that woman. Everyone has a choice in everything they do, no matter whether they think they do or not.
If abortion was made illegal, it would continue to happen. Women would find alternate ways to abort their unborn children. One possible future of this would be that it would go underground. Needles would be shared for one thing, and other unsafe, unregulated practices would be performed for women who wanted it done. I believe that this would lead to more diseases and more issues than the US is aware of.
Abortion should be legal so that the government can regulate the practices, make it safe for the women who want it done, and because every woman should have the choice what to do with her body.
But why am I pro-life? Because I feel that taking away the life of a child is one of the worst choices a human can make. The emotional turmoil that woman goes through after an abortion is unreal to those of us who haven't experienced it.
I understand that if you were raped and got pregnant, you might not be ready for a situation with a baby. But why on earth would you kill that child because of someone else's stupidity?
Honestly, I am pro-life mainly for myself. I would never get an abortion because I believe that all lives are important. And I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror again if I knew I had killed an unborn child who never had been given a chance.
oo3. In general, how would you define a good reason? Find examples of good reasons and bad ones to illustrate what you mean. Does everyone in your class agree?
This is going to be a hard question to answer. A good reason? I suppose I would consider a good reason to be one that was clearly thought out with several ways to back itself up.
For example, a good reason to move would be:
a. a higher paying job offer in a new city
b. better school districts to raise children
c. closer to family than your current location
A bad reason to move would be:
a. to run away from your problems
b. to live with your online boyfriend/girlfriend that you've never met before in real life
c. because everyone says that's where you should go
Of course, I believe that pretty much everything is relative. And what I believe a good reason to be might not be someone else's. That's the fun in being a human! :)
I guess the main thing that I read growing up that several people were against was the Harry Potter series. I began reading the books at the age of 11, and most of the people that I went to church with told me that if I read those books, it would sway my beliefs and make me a 'sinner'. Well, as all 11 year olds would react, that made me want to read it even more. And I fell in love with the books.
Did it sway my religious beliefs? Of course not! Did it make me a sinner? Not in my opinion. But to this day, most Christians are blatantly against these books just based on the fact that they have witchcraft in them.
I was once visiting a very conservative Christian family. Their 16 year old son's favourite pastime was playing video games. When I asked him what type of video games he preferred he answered very plainly, "shootem' ups", and continued playing his game.
I then broached the subject with the boy's father and made the following statement: 'If your son is playing these video games and killing these men in a game world, how is that any better than someone reading a fantasy book about children going to a school of witchcraft? According to the Bible, killing is a sin. According to the Bible witchcraft is a sin. In both instances, according to your logic, these activities would be sinful. Yet you have no problem allowing your son to play these video games. Explain to me why.'
The man couldn't say anything. He changed the subject, but also never mentioned anything about my reading of the Harry Potter books again.
The only time someone has told me to a read a book that would be 'good for me' has been a cheesy Christian 'spiritual renewal' type book that I have never had an interest in. It is true I was raised in a Christian environment, but this doesn't mean that I necessarily am required to believe in it.
oo2. Can you think of any ideas that you agree with only to a certain degree? What has your agreement to do with the quality of the reasons you have heard in support of these ideas?
The one thing that came to my mind when reading this question was the subject of abortion. This is a very touchy subject, and I don't want to cause any arguments or anything between classmates. But I honestly can't think of anything else I could write about regarding this question.
When a friend of mine asked me whether I was pro-choice or pro-life, I told them I was both. They looked confused and said it was impossible to be both, but I stood firm and didn't sway my opinion.
In what way am I pro-choice? I believe that every woman who gets pregnant on this earth has a choice in whether to keep their child or not. It is not up to me, their mother, the mayor, the president, or anyone to choose for that woman. Everyone has a choice in everything they do, no matter whether they think they do or not.
If abortion was made illegal, it would continue to happen. Women would find alternate ways to abort their unborn children. One possible future of this would be that it would go underground. Needles would be shared for one thing, and other unsafe, unregulated practices would be performed for women who wanted it done. I believe that this would lead to more diseases and more issues than the US is aware of.
Abortion should be legal so that the government can regulate the practices, make it safe for the women who want it done, and because every woman should have the choice what to do with her body.
But why am I pro-life? Because I feel that taking away the life of a child is one of the worst choices a human can make. The emotional turmoil that woman goes through after an abortion is unreal to those of us who haven't experienced it.
I understand that if you were raped and got pregnant, you might not be ready for a situation with a baby. But why on earth would you kill that child because of someone else's stupidity?
Honestly, I am pro-life mainly for myself. I would never get an abortion because I believe that all lives are important. And I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror again if I knew I had killed an unborn child who never had been given a chance.
oo3. In general, how would you define a good reason? Find examples of good reasons and bad ones to illustrate what you mean. Does everyone in your class agree?
This is going to be a hard question to answer. A good reason? I suppose I would consider a good reason to be one that was clearly thought out with several ways to back itself up.
For example, a good reason to move would be:
a. a higher paying job offer in a new city
b. better school districts to raise children
c. closer to family than your current location
A bad reason to move would be:
a. to run away from your problems
b. to live with your online boyfriend/girlfriend that you've never met before in real life
c. because everyone says that's where you should go
Of course, I believe that pretty much everything is relative. And what I believe a good reason to be might not be someone else's. That's the fun in being a human! :)
Friday, June 29, 2007
Chapter One: Writing and the College Community
***Sorry it's so long! I didn't mean for it to be!***
oo1. Think about your own attitudes toward your education and honestly ask yourself whether you generally seek challenges on your own or whether you mostly look for an easy way out of an assignment. Perhaps you can describe situations of each kind. What made the difference?
Honestly, when I was in high school, I would dig and search for the easy way out of EVERYTHING. For essays that I wrote, I would just wait until the last minute and pretty much write a bunch of non-sense because I never knew what to write about in the first place. In science, when we would have a 'science project' to do, I would choose the one thing I already knew about so I wouldn't have to study and learn about something new. I was quite pathetic when it came to school work when I was in high school. I have no idea how I made it through with such good grades. I guess that goes to show you how pathetic schooling these days can be.
Now, I can say that I seek challenges on my own to improve myself and to learn. For example, when I found out I was required to read Plato's Apology for my Philosophy class, I didn't just skim through like I would have a few years ago. No, I didn't understand it at all at first, and had no idea who Socrates or Plato even were, so I went to Wikipedia and did a search on both of these philosophers. By going through on my own and doing research on them that wasn't required by the class, I was able to understand what was required and therefore be able to learn more.
Now what made the difference? The only thing I can think of is I went from feeling 'forced' to go to school to actually wanting to go to school and learn. I could even go as far as saying that maturity and age were factors in that as well.
oo2. In what discourse communities do you participate? What shared characteristics and values define each? Because of these shared characteristics and values, are there differences in the language you use in each? What areas of overlap or potential intellectual conflict exist between them?
Like everyone, I participate in several different discourse communities. I am a student, therefore I speak in a way that other students will understand. I am a daughter, therefore I will speak with my parents in a different way than I would my friends or fellow students. I am a part of an online community that over the past ten years has developed its own sense of language one might call 'webspeak'. No, this doesn't mean that I use the letter u in place of you or the number 2 in place of to, but I do speak in a completely different way when typing online than I do if I were speaking with my parents or instructor at school.
Each member of each type of 'community' will find that they share some of the same characteristics. For example, when I am around my mother, grandmother and aunt, we all speak in a different way. They all grew up in east Texas and have a very strong accent. Not only that, but they use different words to explain things. They say y'all instead of you guys, they say they're 'fixin' to do something instead of 'about' to do something, etc. And it's kind of amusing in a way, because when I'm around them for a long period of time, I find myself slipping into those habits as well.
Another example is when I'm typing online to my friends, I will use different types of smiley faces, or word things differently. One common face that I use instead of just saying I'm surprised is this: o.O If someone who had never used the internet were to see that, they would have no idea what it represented. But anyone who was a member of the online discourse community would know exactly what I meant.
One of the 'potential intellectual conflicts' I could see between the different discourse communities is like I mentioned above. If I were to bring in something I would have typed say, in my online journal for my friends to read, neither my parents, work colleagues or fellow students would understand fully of what I was trying to say.
oo3. Based on your experience as a reader, how do writers earn your respect? What qualities of writing do not earn your respect?
In order for a writer to earn my respect, they have to be able to write in a coherent way. If they use punctuation properly, capitalize what should be capitalized and use correct English, they can pretty much earn my respect.
I could go on for days about what doesn't earn my respect when writing. Don't abbreviate with the letter u instead of you, or 2 instead of to. Spell things correctly. KNOW WHEN TO USE THEY'RE, THEIR and THERE. (That's my main pet peeve, honestly.) Just, basic grammar. Your and you're...there's a difference. If someone just can't figure out how to use correct grammar, it makes it nearly impossible for me to read and understand what they're trying to say.
Not only that, but if you're trying to make a point and capture an audience...don't just write everything in one huge paragraph. If it's not broken up at least by throught patterns, I can't make myself just sit there and read three pages of never ending sentences. It makes the reader overwhelmed in a sense.
But I think that's enough ranting from me for the night. I hope I didn't offend anyone! And maybe some of you will understand where I'm coming from :)
oo1. Think about your own attitudes toward your education and honestly ask yourself whether you generally seek challenges on your own or whether you mostly look for an easy way out of an assignment. Perhaps you can describe situations of each kind. What made the difference?
Honestly, when I was in high school, I would dig and search for the easy way out of EVERYTHING. For essays that I wrote, I would just wait until the last minute and pretty much write a bunch of non-sense because I never knew what to write about in the first place. In science, when we would have a 'science project' to do, I would choose the one thing I already knew about so I wouldn't have to study and learn about something new. I was quite pathetic when it came to school work when I was in high school. I have no idea how I made it through with such good grades. I guess that goes to show you how pathetic schooling these days can be.
Now, I can say that I seek challenges on my own to improve myself and to learn. For example, when I found out I was required to read Plato's Apology for my Philosophy class, I didn't just skim through like I would have a few years ago. No, I didn't understand it at all at first, and had no idea who Socrates or Plato even were, so I went to Wikipedia and did a search on both of these philosophers. By going through on my own and doing research on them that wasn't required by the class, I was able to understand what was required and therefore be able to learn more.
Now what made the difference? The only thing I can think of is I went from feeling 'forced' to go to school to actually wanting to go to school and learn. I could even go as far as saying that maturity and age were factors in that as well.
oo2. In what discourse communities do you participate? What shared characteristics and values define each? Because of these shared characteristics and values, are there differences in the language you use in each? What areas of overlap or potential intellectual conflict exist between them?
Like everyone, I participate in several different discourse communities. I am a student, therefore I speak in a way that other students will understand. I am a daughter, therefore I will speak with my parents in a different way than I would my friends or fellow students. I am a part of an online community that over the past ten years has developed its own sense of language one might call 'webspeak'. No, this doesn't mean that I use the letter u in place of you or the number 2 in place of to, but I do speak in a completely different way when typing online than I do if I were speaking with my parents or instructor at school.
Each member of each type of 'community' will find that they share some of the same characteristics. For example, when I am around my mother, grandmother and aunt, we all speak in a different way. They all grew up in east Texas and have a very strong accent. Not only that, but they use different words to explain things. They say y'all instead of you guys, they say they're 'fixin' to do something instead of 'about' to do something, etc. And it's kind of amusing in a way, because when I'm around them for a long period of time, I find myself slipping into those habits as well.
Another example is when I'm typing online to my friends, I will use different types of smiley faces, or word things differently. One common face that I use instead of just saying I'm surprised is this: o.O If someone who had never used the internet were to see that, they would have no idea what it represented. But anyone who was a member of the online discourse community would know exactly what I meant.
One of the 'potential intellectual conflicts' I could see between the different discourse communities is like I mentioned above. If I were to bring in something I would have typed say, in my online journal for my friends to read, neither my parents, work colleagues or fellow students would understand fully of what I was trying to say.
oo3. Based on your experience as a reader, how do writers earn your respect? What qualities of writing do not earn your respect?
In order for a writer to earn my respect, they have to be able to write in a coherent way. If they use punctuation properly, capitalize what should be capitalized and use correct English, they can pretty much earn my respect.
I could go on for days about what doesn't earn my respect when writing. Don't abbreviate with the letter u instead of you, or 2 instead of to. Spell things correctly. KNOW WHEN TO USE THEY'RE, THEIR and THERE. (That's my main pet peeve, honestly.) Just, basic grammar. Your and you're...there's a difference. If someone just can't figure out how to use correct grammar, it makes it nearly impossible for me to read and understand what they're trying to say.
Not only that, but if you're trying to make a point and capture an audience...don't just write everything in one huge paragraph. If it's not broken up at least by throught patterns, I can't make myself just sit there and read three pages of never ending sentences. It makes the reader overwhelmed in a sense.
But I think that's enough ranting from me for the night. I hope I didn't offend anyone! And maybe some of you will understand where I'm coming from :)
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