final project!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx47U9kwplk

song to go along with montage- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8O7jPsvAjk

its all about the little things in life..

I can relate to what Smith discusses in his article because I too, enjoy the little things in life. I've experienced a lot in my life and I have learned over the years to appreciate every little aspect of my life. Smith tells of how he always had a lot of pets and admired animals, but he later in life became fascinated by the little creatures that reside in ponds. When listing the pets that he has had, he mentions that he has not had an ant farm, and regrets it. There are so many animals worth observing that go beyond the normal eyesight. Just because a creature is small, doesn't mean that their worth is insignificant.

The term "animalcules" was defined by Antony van Leeuwenhoek "to describe what he saw in microscopes"(257). Smith is amazed while observing the life within pond waters because it is such a complex world. He states, " ..I like to spend some time below the world's surface and remind myself just how uncanny and improbably this thing called life really is. It's a good exercise for creatures of habit such as ourselves, who too often neglect worlds other than our own, and forget, too, that there are worlds within worlds nearly everywhere we turn," describing his fascination. I am just as amazed as Smith is at how complex these creates are. When he describes the Daphnia, "..has everything required for life as we humans know it-eyes, heart, breain, muscles, stomach, arms, and legs-all packed into a shell two millimeteres long", I am amazed. I can see why Smith takes so much interest in these little creatures.

and it's all downhill from here...

"The fate of our civilization, and maybe our species, may be determined by the next five generations," says Ehrlich, starts off page 202. This is a scary, but very true statement. It is up to our future generations to make up for what we have screwed up concerning our evolving over the past years. We have created higher levels of technology and found faster and easier ways of doing things, but we don't realize the consequences that coincide with our actions.We are contributing to the decaying of our environment and atmosphere and we aren't thinking twice about it.We are polluting ourselves and future generations, a lot of the time without our knowledge.

Phelan worries about human beings "self-inflicted extinction" and I do as well. We are doing it to ourself and we are the ones to blame for our world falling apart. We aren't taking responsibility for what we do even though everyday we just add to problem more and more. Phelan points out that "the global climate is changing too violently for DNA to respond by fiddling around with heat regulation and hair thickness; forests everywhere are being clear-cut too quickly for their inhabitants to adjust,so food chains are coming undone...." proving our naive nature. We are cutting down trees to make room for houses, just to get more money. But what about those animals that live within that forest? Why is a human anymore important than that animal that has been living in that location for years? We have just stopped migrating and settled down in this one location so it needs to be expanded. People are finding every way possible in order to accomplish this goal.

web 2.0 reaction

I had to watch this video and react to it for my IT 014 class so here is what I submitted..

I would just like to start with the fact that I really enjoyed this video. We have been talking about things like this in my WSC 02 class and I actually want to recommend this video to my Professor after watching it. In my WSC we blog all of our assignments; therefore, allowing our classmates to comment and offer their constructive criticism on our entries. This type of social networking is becoming a huge part of our lives in this generation. Everyday, we as college students check our Facebooks and want to be able to stay connected to the rest of the technological world. I completely agree with Professor Wesch and I really enjoyed the way he went about making his argument. The Machine really is us. It has taken control of our life because we depend on it to do a lot for us. It contains so much information that we use in our everyday life and we don’t even realize how complex it is. As soon as I get assigned a paper to do, the first place I go to research information is the internet. We as, technology junkies, are almost trained to react in that way. Web 2.0 has made using the internet so easy for us and we use that to our advantage. It is amazing that with just one click of a button one can completely edit or format a document. I think that Web 2.0 is revolutionary and it has changed our way of life in such an extraordinary way. We can look up anything on the internet and find any source of information our heart desires. I really liked the part of the video where Professor Wesch had pulled up the CNN website and showed how behind each link on the site there was a whole webpage behind it. It really made me see how structured and complex each site we use everyday really is. Another part of the video I liked was when the Professor pointed out how text was different when written on paper. One really analyzes what he/she is writing when writing on paper rather than typing, because of the amount of time and effort it takes. One must erase if a mistake is made, rather than just highlight the mistake and press backspace. Web 2.0 can be adapted for the business world by offering a one-time fee for the entire company; therefore, everyone working in that company would have access to the internet. Many people coming out of college are prepared to enter the business world so they would already we equipped with the capability of understanding how to work the internet.

the $ market.

Broome brings up a lot of good points within this essay. Before I go into the money market claim, I would just like to address a claim that he made that I completely agree with. Broome argues that the benefits that would derive from making changes to help the climate issue now, would mainly come to people in a couple centuries. He states, " the costs of mitigating climate change are the sacrifices the present generation will have to make to reduce greenhouse gases,"(13) and not too many people are willing to do this. There are a lot of selfish people in America and they are only out to earn benefits for themselves. Some people are not going to want to cut back on things that they are doing only to benefit someone in the future. "Why should they care what happens in the future generations if it isn't happening to me?" is their outlook on life. This needs to change. People need to start realizing that the harmful things that we do now will have a HUGE impact on the future generations and it will be our faults.

Now on to the money market.. Broome states, "the evidence shows that, when people borrow and lend, they often give less weight to their own future well-being than to their present well-being," when discussing if the money market reveals people's ethical judgement about the value of future well-being. He says that most of us are not so foolish as to judge that our own well-being is somehow less valuable in old age than in youth. But then again, we are the NOW generation. We want what we what, when we want it, no matter what the later consequences to us or anybody else may be. We will eat and eat and eat because we like the food, even if we know that down the line we are going to blow up like a balloon from all the food. But do we care? No, because it's what we wanted at that time. Or we will buy that amazing purse even though its $1500, when we can barely afford to pay the $500 a month rent. These kind of decisions are poor ones. These kind of actions show that not only do we not care about others future well-beings, but that many of us don't even care about our own.

the way i feel about blogging

The way i feel about blogging....

is I feel free to express myself. I feel like I don't have to format my writing in any certain way and that I can change up my format at any point in time. I like that about blogging. I like being able to abbreviate words and it to be okay. Also, it is nice to have people commenting on my blog and giving me feedback. I can take their suggestions or constructive criticism and use it to improve my writing. I think that blogging is a very efficient way of responding to assignments and reflecting on things we do in class.

observe&infer.

observe:poverty.lack of luxury.cheating.drugs.fear.

poverty.

-not being able to pay the bills, utilities being turned off.

lack of luxury.

-it was a big deal when a gas station was put into their town, just to be destroyed by hoodlums.

cheating.

-Ray's wife cheats on him with his brother, Ray is cheated out of money everyday by Dirk.

drugs.

-there is a drug lab in the town run by Dirk and Ray's son gets dragged into the business.

fear.

-the town fears Dirk and nobody will stand up to him.

6 questions

1. What is in the box and why does he look in it during almost every scene?

2.Is the son going to tell his father that he is going to go out on a date with the hooker?

3.Why exactly is the wife cheating?

4.Is Ray's son really his?

5.Will the kid find out that the $5 is counterfeit?

6. Why wasn't Ray that angry when he found his wife cheating on him?

am I a writer?

A writer, in my opinion, is someone who puts their thoughts/insights on a piece of paper allowing readers to absorb and interpret his/her piece of work. A person does not that have to be a "certified" writer to consider themselves a writer. I feel that everyone is a writer, if even they do not enjoy the action of writing. We all have opinions, thoughts, feelings and when we right those down, we are expressing them to the general public. One does not have to be an amazing writer in order to be considered a writer. I do not have to publish a book in order to say that I have written something in my lifetime. We write on this blog, we write papers, we write reviews. If we are not writers, then what is that action called? Does our thoughts just appear in front of us? Do we not have opinions of our own we tend to express on paper? I.am.a.writer.

BIG FOOT.

Michael Specter discusses the idea of "food miles" in his article Big Foot. "Food miles" can be defined by Specter as, " the distance a product travels from the farm to your home"(276). I, too, feel like it's not so much the pollution that is caused by the factories making the product, but how the product is transported to us. The trucks that are transporting these products release so much unnecessary waste which is affecting our climate. Not many people take into consideration the process that is transporting these products. They just go to the store and purchase them and think nothing of it. But have you ever wondered what is behind the scenes? What those trucks that are delivering the products to us are really releasing? The ones you see on the highway and are disgusted by the black smoke coming out of their engines. Yep, those ones. I completely agree with John Elkington’s claim: “We are in an era of creative destruction” (292). I do feel like a lot of companies will start falling apart because they will not be able to deal with the change. The whole, "Go Green", idea will not be very helpful to some companies. There will be a change coming into play and it will be up to companies to react in a responsible and sufficient way.

I do in some ways feel personally responsible for global warming as a consumer. I understand that there is a lot of behind the scenes things that we as consumers are not shown. I am guilty to just going to a grocery store and purchasing an item and not thinking anything of it. I hope that things will someday soon improve so that it will not be true that I am indeed personally responsible for global warming. I feel guilty, but at the same time SO many things can be held responsible for global warming. It's like when you are watching the news and you hear that this and this and this are now causes of cancer or another disease. If you listened to all of those things that are causes now, you would live in a box. The way I see it, I can try my best to make things better, to make this environment improve, but it will never be perfect, because nothing is. There will always be causes still out there affecting global warming, we just need to try to improve the environment the best we can as individuals.

do we think for ourselves, or for each other?

“Do we create what we observe through the act of our observations?” (230).

I disagree with this statement. Roebke states, " Most of us would agree that there exists a world outside our minds," supporting my opinion. I feel that we have our own opinions and they are going to come from our minds not our observations. What we believe in may not be the right thing, but it is what we believe. Of course there is people that base their judgements on what everyone else thinks because they do not what to stand out, but those people are not individuals. They are just clones of each other. Someone who thinks for themself, such as I, would probably not agree with the above quote. We do observe the things that are going on in the outside world, but we just absorb them. We do not believe everything that we see.

I think this essay showed more weaknesses then strengths. It was written as a point of view of someone with experience. I, for one, am not a physics major, so I wouldn't be able to comprehend many terms that were used throughout this essay. Roebke needs to take into consideration his audience that he is writing for. This essay didn't really catch my interest, but I did find some points to be true like what I stated before about there being a world outside of our minds.

visit to the writing center.

I definitely found my visit to the writing center useful. I had never been there before I started going for this class. Honestly, I probably still wouldn't have gone to this day if we hadn't had to for this class. I am very glad that I know how helpful the staff is there now.The woman I worked with was very inviting and pleasant. She had very good advice and was able to help me when I had nothing more with me than our assignment paper. She helped me to decide which sonnet would fit best and how to incorporate it into my paper.I took most of her advice and it really did help to format my paper. I like how you can go in there with anything from an assignment, to a draft, to a finish paper and the staff is willing to help you. I am definitely considering working there in the future.

define waste and greed.

Waste is like an unnecessary burden placed on the Earth's shoulders. It is a form of denile by society and an avoidance of what is really going on around us. Waste is like ordering $500 worth of food and then just throwing it out. Greed is like knowing your best friend is going to get fired from his job and not giving him a head's up because you are going to be benefiting from his getting fired. It is selfish, unjust, and unfair. Greed is winning $2 million and keeping all of it even though you are aware that there is that many people in need of help.

WASTE, AVOIDANCE, SELFISHNESS, UNNECESSARY, HURTFUL, GREED, OBSESSED, BLIND EYE.

We don't care who our greed and waste is affecting, as long as it's not affecting us.

why should we care?

In Wendell Barry's article, "Faustian Economics", he discusses how America has become very selfish and naive when it comes to the topic of wastefulness and greed. He argues that "We will keep on consuming, spending, wasting, and driving, as before, at any cost to anything and everybody but ourselves," and I completely agree with him. I do believe that we don't realize how much of what we do can affect another person. Frankly, I think that some people even do realize how bad some of the things they are doing can affect the environment or our surroundings and just don't care because it isn't hurting them directly. He also brings up the fact that we commonly believe in an assumed limitlessness. We think that we can use and use and use and there will be no consequences or shortage. We tend to overlook the fact that this is not the case and we need to consider what we are doing while we are doing it.

A very strong claim that Barry argues is expressed when he states, "the real names of global warming are Waste and Greed." He is bringing up a very valid point when he makes this claim because it is our waste and greed that is worsening the global warming issue. We are driving around, polluting the air, and not thinking twice about it because that car is getting us where we need to be. He labels this activity as foolish and I feel that this word choice is very sufficient. It is the little things in life like this, that seem so simple to correct, but yet so hard to get the world to compromise and participate.

The word free is very ironic when talking about a "free market". Barry brings up the irony when he states, "And yet in the phrase “free market,” the word “free” has come to mean unlimited economic power for some, with the necessary consequence of economic powerlessness for others." When "free market" is looked up in the dictionary, it can be defined as "A completely free market is an idealized form of a market economy where buyers and sells are allowed to transact freely (i.e. buy/sell/trade) based on a mutual agreement on price without state intervention in the form of taxes, subsidies or regulation." This definition is not exactly what our "free market" has turned into nowadays. It is not a fair bargain on both sides anymore. He brings up a story about a man who rents out his land and told Barry that when his renter has good year, he has a good year. If the renter has a bad year, he has a bad year. This "free market" has become relying on the other person within the trade. One side of the trade has become almost powerless.

“Derrida: Fear of Writing”

I feel like Derrida has doubts when it comes to his writing, not fears. He is uncertain when approaching a new topic whether his writing is appropriate or acceptable. This kind of doubt is completely common and normal. It is very common for a writer to be nervous or doubt whether his/her work is well written. I have definitely experienced this kind of anxiety when it comes to writing. I am at times uncertain if I am expressing myself in the way that I want my work to be interpreted. I am also sometimes nervous about how the reader will react to my writing. This doubt is caused by the uncertainty that lies within our self conscious. We will never be completely satisfied with ourselves and whenever the body can insert doubt, it will. We will always doubt whether what we write is good enough for the reader to read.Derrida just expresses himself the best way that he can, with his choice and combination of words. He just takes a chance and hopefully the reader can see his view through his writings.

language and meaning

How do these poems address the nature of making meaning?

Both poems make meaning in similar ways. Jones and Hass both speak to the subject within the poem which makes the subject become realistic and personified. In Jone's poem, he states, " Dance with me, dancer. Oh, I will.", in which the subject, being the tree, speaks back to him. The poem describes the tree and its actions; therefore, giving meaning to the subject. It allows the reader to visualize what the writer is saying and gives the reader the ability to accept the tree as existing. In Hass's poem, he gives meaning the the object "rum". He makes the object into something other than an alcoholic beverage. Hass also manages to give meaning to the beach when he states, "I had waded out about thigh deep.Then a shout from the beach." He makes the reader think that the beach is speaking to him, almost suggesting the rum to him. He doesn't understand how precious the rum is until it is swept back away into the ocean. He has given the rum meaning because he is able to miss it now that it has been swept away; therefore, allowing it to be recognized as a meaningful object.

How is language a slippery vehicle?

Language is a slippery vehicle because if a writer chooses the correct combination of words, it can really express what he/she is trying to get across to the reader. A word can really make a difference within a sentence. One word can change the whole meaning of what the person was trying to say. If proper or an advanced vocabulary is used within a piece of writing, that person may be taken more seriously than a person who cannot format sentences correctly or possess the ability to be an accomplished writer.

collaborative learning

Writing is a way for one to express themselves. It is a way to express their inner thoughts and feelings and share them with the reader. Writing allows the reader to form a bond with the writer.When collaborative learning is put into effect, it can be very helpful. When one works in a group setting, it allows for suggestions. The other people that are reading your writing can give their input or opinions and help to improve your writing skills.

Collaborative writing involving one's peers is the best form of revision there is. Indeed it is helpful and overall sometimes the best guidance as to how to begin correcting your paper, when you are working with your peers it allows input from someone your own age. You may think that everyone understands where you are coming from when you write and not even think twice about writing something that only you have experienced. When a peer is revising it, he/she can let you know that you need to elaborate more on your story.

Collaborative writing should also be organized in some way. The professor should put students in a group according to their differences. If a group of students have a lot in common then it will not allow for various views on the topic. The diverse group of students will be able to share many ideas and help each other out greatly. This could bring many suggestions to each student's paper and then in the end the professor can do the final revision. Collaborative writing is more than just a revision process, it is a social interaction that brings a group of students together in the celebration of writing.

Hofstra Presents "Twelfth Night"

Today I attended the 2:00 showing of "Twelfth Night" here at Hofstra. Overall, I did enjoy it. I found it a lot more intriguing than the book or movie. I think it could be because it was acted out right before my eyes so it caught my interest. I think the actors/actresses that they casted fit the roles perfectly. I was very much amused by the actor who played Sir Andrew. He fit the part very well because he was able to act like a drunken fool who was not worth of Olivia's love. He was very comical. The beginning of the play I will have to admit was not as interesting to watch as I had remembered from reading the play. Although, the second half was quite amusing. The way this play was interpreted impressed me. It was as if it was modernized but still held true to the time period and monologue of the original play. I was very satisfied after viewing Hofstra's production of "Twelfth Night".

working with Shakespeare concordances.

1. What thematic strands have you located?

-pains

-room

-house

-hell

-pangs

-misery

-darkness

-sport

-suffering

2. Where is the data you retrieved found? What is happening in context when Shakespeare employs this particular theme or image?

-pains:

Act I, Scene 2

Act I, Scene 5

Act 2, Scene 2

Act 2, Scene 4

Act 3, Scene 3

In these examples there are two meanings of the word "pains". In one mention of the word, it is referring to the character's suffering such as " taking great pains" to do something. Another is referring to "saving" someone the pain of doing something.

-room:

Act 3, Scene 4

In this mention of "room" it is referred to as being dark.

- house:

Act I, Scene 5

Act 2, Scene 3

Act 2, Scene 4

Act 3, Scene 1

Act 3, Scene 4

Act 4, Scene 1

Act 4, Scene 2

Act 4, Scene 3

Act 5, Scene 1

Throughout these Acts, "house" is always described as being dark. It is also said that the house was "dark as ignorance". In the play, it is Olivia's house that is being described.

-hell:

Act I, Scene 5

Act 3, Scene 4

Act 4, Scene 2

There are a few different meanings when hell is mentioned throughout the play. There was "soul is in hell", "soul to hell", "devils of hell", and " ignorance were as dark as hell".

-pangs:

Act I, Scene 5

Act 2, Scene 4

Act 3, Scene 4

Pangs was used in the play as "pangs of death" and "sweet pangs of it".

-misery:

Act 3 Scene 4

It was used to say "tempt my misery".

-darkness:

Act 4, Scene 2

Act 5, Scene 1

In the play there is a lot of mention of darkness and the dark when describing Olivia's house. Also, it is used to say "hideous darkness" and "keep me in darkness".

-sport:

Act 2, Scene 1

Act 2, Scene 3

Act 2, Scene 5

Act 4, Scene 2

There is a few different meanings when sport is mentioned such as: " danger shall seem sport", "sport royal" and "fruits of the sport".

-suffer, suffers, suffering

Act 2, Scene 4

Act 2, Scene 5

Act 1, Scene 5

These three tenses are used by saying "with such a suffering", "never suffers matter of the world", and "that suffer surfeit".

3. How does the data you retrieved support your first thoughts on Shakespeare's obsessive use a particular image? What can you argue about Shakespeare's figuration?

- I felt that Shakespeare focuses a lot on love in his plays and I figured that when love is involved it would be a joyous play, but I was proved wrong. When discussing such matters as love, Shakespeare uses dramatic and "dark" themed words. It gives the play an aura of misery. There is a lot of mentioning of pain and suffering and hunting for someone to love. Shakespeare's use of words such as:darkness, pains, and suffering could be a subtle message describing his view on love.

4. My group's strand consisted of the theme: downfall of Malvolio. We connected the words pains,hunting, and suffering to searching for the "hart". Throughout the play, Malvolio is begging for Olivia's love and he can see that the love is not returned. He is hunting for love and going through the suffering and pain of trying to find a mate. This can be compared to the hunting of prey. In another sense, Malvolio can be referred to as the prey as well because he is played a joke on. He is the prey because he is being hunted in order to destroy him.

confusion..

Malvolio: "...and yet to crush it a little, it would bow to me.." (II.v.143-145)

- In this scene, Malvolio has just found the letter that was purposely placed for him to find. He believes that it is from his love, Olivia, but in reality it was a counterfeit. Maria has created this counterfeit letter to play a joke on Malvolio to give him a reality check. Maria, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew observe Malvolio while he finds the letter. They find this as a type of amusement and are ecstatic that he fell for it. Malvolio believes this letter to be sincere because he thinks that the handwriting is indeed Olivia's and because it has the wax seal that Olivia uses. The letter had been addressed to "To the unknown beloved". In the letter, it contained her confession of love to an unknown person and foolish tasks for Malvolio to complete, such as wearing yellow stockings. Olivia happens to despise yellow stocks, which was why Maria included that into the letter. In this quote Malvolio is reading the letter aloud. He gets to the part where there are the letters " M.O.A.I". After looking over it a few times, Malvolio decides that it most definitely has to stand for his name. He says "to crush it a little" meaning if he put the letters together, they are each featured in his name. Malvolio branded into his mind that this letter had to be written for him.

"I am the man."

Twelfth Night, Act II and beginning of Act III:

FFW on the lunacy, instability, and delirious musings in Illyria

Viola: "I am the man." (II.ii.25)

- This quote is ironic because it is said by Viola, a woman. Viola says this after Malvio gives her the ring that Olivia claims that she left behind. She didn't actually leave a ring behind, Olivia just wanted a reason for Viola to come back so she could see her again. This is said aside in the play and Viola is speaking to herself, but aloud, about how she has realized that Olivia is in love with her. In the play, "the man" translates to " the one she loves", which is describing the love Olivia shows for Viola. When Malvolio was returning the ring to Viola, he was very unhappy about doing so. Malvolio truly cares about Olivia and can see that she has feelings for Cesario (Viola). He holds a grudge against Viola because he has been the messenger for some stages of this love situation. Olivia has been sending Malvolio to fetch Viola or tell her to return. Viola is stuck in a hard position because she has had someone fall for her because of the fact that she thinks Viola is a man. Viola, in this quote, is beginning to understand how deep she has gotten herself into.

ironic ?

Viola: "Then think you right. I am not what I am."

Olivia: " I would you were as I would have you be." (III.i.148-9)

- Viola is attempting to leave Olivia's home in this scene, but Olivia is attempting to make her stay. Olivia asks Viola what she thinks of her and Viola responds by saying that Olivia is denying what she really is. Olivia then goes on to say that if that was true then she believed that Viola was doing the same.Next is where this quote comes into play. Viola is saying that Olivia is right when she says that she thinks Viola is not what she seems to be. Olivia then tells Viola that she wishes Viola was what she wanted her to be. Viola responds by asking if it would be better if she was what Olivia wanted her to be. She states that right now she is a big fool. Olivia is pretty much begging for Viola's love at this point, but what she doesn't know is that Viola is really a woman. This is what makes this quote so ironic. Olivia is saying that she thinks Viola is denying who she really is meaning denying her love for Olivia. When Viola admits that she is not what she seems to be, Olivia does not realize the context of this statement. Viola is pretty much admitting that she is not a man in this quote, but in a very subtle way. At the end of the scene, Viola says that she will never love a woman, pretty much crushing Olivia's hopes of them every being together. Olivia thinks that she is being denied because Viola doesn't love her, but in reality she is being denied by Viola because she isn't actually a man.

freewriting for shakspeare

In Act II, Scene 3, line 170, Maria calls her scheme to manipulate and embarass Malvolio "sport royal..". What do you make of this?

Maria is expecting great entertainment to come from this scheme. She is very anxious to watch Malvolio make a complete fool out of himself while trying to obey what the letter said to do. She knows that he will definitely go through with it because he would do anything to win over Olivia. This scheme could be considered Maria's revenge on Malvolio for treating her so poorly and acting so cocky. Maria is conducting this scheme to put him in his place. Maria calls her scheme "sport royal" which can mean an event which is worthy enough for even the privileged to want to watch. She is very impressed with what she has come up with for this scheme and cannot wait to watch it play out.

reaction to paper one.

For me, writing the small object/large subject essay was interesting. I wasn't sure if I was approaching it at the right angle but I think I know where to go when correcting my first draft. I went to the writing center with my ideas and I found it very helpful. The woman I worked with helped to organize my ideas and show me where the strong points of my essay were. On my rewrite I realize now that I must include more of an argument rather than just stating facts about my product. I chose the topics of laptops because I found it the easiest to relate to. I, myself, own a laptop and use it every day. As a student, I feel that it is mandatory to have access to one so it wasn't too hard to find an approach to this paper. I will admit that it was hard to write 5 pages about laptops because there is only so much you can say without becoming repetitive. I don't feel that this was my best work, but then again that is what first drafts are for right? I've never written anything like this before so it was new to me. I think it is an interesting concept because one is taking a simple product and expanding so much on it. I didn't realize how many ideas could be derived some such an ordinary product. The most intriguing point I found was that it has become pretty much required to own a laptop computer in college, but in reality not everyone can afford one. Students that have access to a laptop and can bring it back and forth to class with them can be said to have an unfair advantage over the students that do not possess one. I think that this is a very strong argument and I an amazed by how impacting an ordinary product, such as a laptop, has become in our everyday life.

inkshedding activity!

The quote that I have been assigned is spoken by Malvolio. He states, " I may command where I adore. Why, she may command me; I serve her, she is my lady. Why, this is evident to any formal capacity. There is no obstruction in this. And the end--what should that alphabetical position portend? If I could make that resemble something in me! Softly! M.O.A.I." This is found in Act II, Scene 5, lines 119-124. This quote describes Malvolio's reaction while reading the letter he found.He believes that this letter has been written by Olivia, but is unaware that it has actually been written by Maria as a joke. Maria attempted to make the letter seem to be from Olivia and has prepared it as authentic as possible. The letter reveals that Olivia is in love with someone and wants this person to know, but she cannot confess her love for this person to the world. Malvolio is completely fooled by this letter and sincerely believes it to be from Olivia. In this quote, Malvolio is stating that he will be her servant, which is ironic because he pretty much already is. He adores Olivia and is willing to do anything for her. He thinks very highly of Olivia and expresses that he will be nothing but loyal to her. Malvolio is saying that it is obvious that this letter was intended for him and that they will be in love. Malvolio is also convinced that the letters at the end of the letter represent his name, however, I don't see how those letters correspond to his name.

shakespeare act one ?'s

question one: What is Viola's social status and how is she so convincingly disguised as a man?

question two: Why is Olivia in love with Viola if she had only just met her(him)?

question three: On page 21, is Andrew and Toby's discussion of dancing a pun for sex?

question four: On page 17, is Maria's reference to Andrew "quickly have the gift of a grave" if he was in a quarrel foreshadowing something that may happen later in the play?

question five: Does Olivia unveil herself in order to seem more appealing to Viola?

question six: Does Andrew truly have feelings toward Olivia or is Toby just encouraging this interaction to get entertainment from it?

small tree, BIG PROBLEM!

Michelle Nijhuis uses a small Torreya taxifolia tree as her main focus to prove a big point, ironically. This Torreya taxifolia is a representation of the problem of extinction. One main issue I had with this article was that in one instance she discusses an option of ending the extinction issue, "pick up the plants and animals and carry them to better habitat"(183), meanwhile this article is focusing on plants. I feel that if she wanted to make a strong case she should have kept her focus on the plants and show how relocating them, roots and all, would save them from becoming extinct. I guess this is what you would consider the big picture, the destroying of plants habitats and animals surroundings. The idea of relocated the organisms that were in danger was given the name, "assisted migration" (183) thanks to a graduate student by the name of Brian Keel. Nijhuis tells of the suggestions that some other people have come up with. Conservationists, for instance, suggest:" Bigger nature reserves. More protected corridors for wildlife migration and movement. More regulation incentives, and ingenuity in service of greenhouse-gas reductions"(182). Nijhuis argues that even though this is a good suggestion, some species would still not be able to be rescued, such as the before mentioned Torreya taxifolia because of the climate. Printiss, the manager of the Nature Conservancy Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, thinks that it is better to consider the big picture rather than the little object. He doesn't focus his attention on the single Torreya taxifolia species, but instead the land surrounding it. He feels that if that is restored first, then it will be easier to regrow the former plants and acquire sunlight to help them to grow. I think that this is a more suitable way to look at this issue. It is almost moronic to believe that someone could possibly relocate all of the plants and animals that are in danger to a location that suits them better. It has to be taken into consideration how much money,time, and labor would go into that project. Another problem is that Nijhuis assumes that the public is willing to change their ways in order to restore the surrounding environments. I will end this abstract with a quote that sums up this issue in my opinion: " This is the longstanding conservation credo: with enough space, money, and knowledge, we can protect natural places and, in many cases, restore them by stitching them back together"(185).

where my bloggers at?where my bloggers at?where they at where they at where they at.

I am not sure what the other category was since our paper was collected, but I posted what I remembered.

Sue Halpern formatted this article successfully in a way that allowed the readers to connect with the characters in the article and fully understand the purpose of the article.

active verbs:

"...rooting out insurgents and sleeping on the floors of abandoned houses,where they'd often have to remove dead bodies in order to lay out their bedrolls"(116).

"His mind raced"(117).

"...nearly 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are suffering from PTSD or major depression" (118).

"...therapists have been slow to adopt exposure therapy because they worry that it might be cruel to immerse a patient in a drowning pool of painful memories"(119).

"Because numbing and avoidance are symptoms of PTSD, you're asking the person to do in treatment the very thing their mind is avoiding doing"(120).

figurative language:

"...and a nose that looks like it has met a boot or two"(121).

"I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted"(128).

"...they worry it might be cruel to immerse a patient in a drowning pool of painful memories"(119).

quote explaining main theme:

"It showed me that they were motivated to do game tasks and that the more they did them the better they got, and it hit me that there could be a link between cognitive rehabilitation and virtual reality"(123).

the effects of the war on soldiers

In Sue Halpern's article, "Virtual Iraq", she argues how positive of a recovery this new virtual Iraq therapy program can bring to former soldiers. This type of therapy has seemed to help victims of PTSD a lot better than verbal therapy. Victims disliked just talking about their experiences because it didn't help them to get over the post-war depression.This article included a story about a man by the name of Travis Boyd who was a marine. He told of his experiences and things he went through such as " sleeping on floors of abandoned houses, where they'd often have to remove dead bodies in order to lay out their bedrolls"(116). He also told of the worst day when the team leader was shot dead. These such experiences contributed to the development of Boyd's PTSD. Boyd was barely able to continue doing his job and even when he returned home he couldn't complete regular tasks that a individual normally would such as:driving, going out at night, or being in contact with crowds(117). Virtual Iraq was a program in which "patients worked through their combat trauma in a computer-simulated environment"(117). This program involved a head-mounted display, earphones, a scent-producing machine, and a modified version of Full Spectrum Warrior to simulate the feeling of actually being back in combat. A critique of this program was that it would make the victims of PTSD more upset because they would be reliving the fear and emotions all over again but it actually ended up having the reverse effect. Because the victims were experiencing this repeatedly, they were becoming used to this and moving towards the steps of recovery. In one instance, " of the five subjects who had completed treatment, four no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD" (124). The warrant for this article is that this virtual reality form of therapy will work for everyone that is suffering from PTSD when that is not necessarily the case.

small object, LARGE SUBJECT!

so this is just going to be my beginning process of this essay so comments on my ideas would be appreciated:).

paragraph 1: Laptop computers were invented in order to make the access of a computer more convenient. It has become almost mandatory to own one while in college.Many important things can be accessed on a laptop and it provides the same features as a desktop computer with more portability. A laptop was a very essential advance in technology.

paragraph 2+3: A laptop is portable and in a college student's case, it can be brought to class to take notes or to the library to research material. It makes things a lot easier when you have a laptop because it can be brought back and forth to places such as: the cafeteria or even to your home on vacation, and all your files will be right there with you. Even though a desktop doesn't have a certain battery life, the laptop still proceeds the desktop computer because of its convenience. Back in the day, no one would have ever thought that while taking a long trip you would be able to type up homework or watch any movie you would like write at your fingertips. The laptop is almost like a personalized version of the desktop. Nowadays, you can customize the color, size, and almost every feature with a laptop.It is very user-friendly and is a lot smaller in size.

paragraph 4: The warrant about this product is that everyone has enough money to afford a laptop because it is a little more expensive than a desktop computer.

the river shined with the e-waste glistening within it.

I found this article pretty interesting because I am writing my small object, large subject essay on laptops so it kind of went hand in hand.

In Chris Carroll's article titled, " High Tech Trash", his main claim discusses the fact that we are polluting the developing countries with our so-called e-waste. Our used technology is being transported to other countries in order to escape the factor of pollution affecting our country. It is truly a serious dilemma. The reasons that we are discarding our "e-waste" to developing countries is because when we do this, we are not bothered by the effects. We do not have to deal with the impacts that this waste is producing. Although, what Carroll is not considering is that this waste could be being transported right back to us. China, like us, is a big producer and they could be sending their waste to us in return. Carroll gives an example of how many countries are now checking to make sure "e-waste" is not included in the goods that are being transported into that country. Carroll says that "e-waste flows like water" and he is right. What is ironic, is that the "e-waste" is actually ending up in these waters blocking the flow. Carroll discusses how abundant our supply of used technology is becoming and how it is just becoming waste that we cannot seem to find a place for so we ship it overseas. He states that "an estimated 30 to 40 million PCs will be ready for "end-of-life management" in each other the next few years".This leads me to think back to this week in my Information Technology class where we were discussing the new iPad. The Professor was talking to us about how a lot of brands, such as Apple, will make a product that is missing one key feature, such as a camera or the radio, just so that they can put it into the next new product and consumers will want to purchase that one because it has that "new" feature". Because of this, there is so much wasted technology because the public just tosses away their old product. The market deserves a lot of blame when it comes to the topic of e-waste because they are the ones leaving out these little features in order to gain a bigger profit. It is disturbing if I may say so. Chris Carroll's assumes that everyone in America is affected by this epidemic and that the public cares enough to want to intervene with the transporting of our "e-waste" to the developing countries. Although this is a shame, I don't believe that much is going to be done about it.

the internet takes over...

I'm beginning to get used to writing on this blog and I think it's pretty interesting to see my fellow classmates' opinions. I think this is a very creative way to express my views on the assigned topics.On to the analysis...

In "Is Google Making Us Stupid?", Nicholas Carr's main thesis discusses the fact that google is corrupting the way we think and process information.Carr blames the internet for not allowing him to concentrate on books. He feels as if his brain has been taken over by the increased popularity of internet sources. He begins this article by referencing an example from the movie " A Space Odyssey". This movie features a supercomputer replacing the thinking process required of the brain. Carr feels that we have been reduced to relying solely on internet sources to gather information instead of finding information in books. We are trying to find the simple way of doing things and Google is supplying us with that easy way out. Carr discusses how he can no longer focus for a long period of time when reading pages of a book but he has no problem spending endless hours researching material on the internet. He states that "deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle" and many people would agree that they feel the same way. Carr points out that when we are searching the internet, we more than often end up searching a topic that is entirely different than the one we began with. Carr discusses that because Google is so user-friendly we are able to search many things at once which leads to us not being able to focus. This being the reason that we are not able to concentrate on one simple task, such as reading a book. This is reasoning behind why Carr can make the point that Google is making us stupid. He feels that our intention spans are shorting due to the right-at-hand information Google supply's for us. Carr's warrant in this article is that everyone uses Google and it has had this effect on everyone. There is no proof to this but I think that there is many people that this hypothesis could be true for.

is google making us stupid?

Is google making us stupid? My answer would have to be not at all. Whenever I need to find an answer to something I go directly to google. Times have changed and like we discussed in class today, you don't go directly to a book in the library to find the answer to something. I don't feel that google is making us stupid. If anything, is it just making us lazy. America has become too reliant on google for everything when it comes to finding out information. Google has made it very easy for us to find the sources that we need to find the answer to our questions, but it has also become very distracting. I know for myself anyway, that when I search for something on google that has to do with an assignment, nine times out of ten I end up on a completely different search track. I can go from looking up the birthday of our current president to checking my email just because of the fact that it is so user-friendly and a person can change searches within seconds,depending on the speed of your computer that is. Like discussed in the article, searching on google can make a person unfocused.The internet is being blamed in this article for "chipping away the author's capacity for concentration and contemplation". I completely agree with this statement because instead of having to concentrate on what you're reading and comprehend it, you can just go on to spark notes and read the explanation of what you didn't understand.It doesn't take much effort to read through a book anymore and it's a shame.Google may be making us lazy, but no one can deny that is a very helpful source. I am very thankful for google and I do not agree with the speculations that google is not a positive resource.