RA: “Computer Game Addiction.”

In this article, Joe Ahn and George Randal of Clemson University take a look at online gaming addictions to see if this is a real problem. The short article reports several statistics done on 8th and 9th graders showing that those who are addicted seem to get in more fights, argue more with teachers and allude that they do worse in school than non addicted students of the same age. The problem with this is that the researcher gives no indication that bias due to background has been accounted for—ie. their family stability, socioeconomic level, etc. This is one of the major problems in this article. It’s never really said how the research was collected or why it is supposed to be accounted for as true. It’s strange because the paper seems to be only interested in informing an unfamiliar audience (I’m not sure exactly what the target audience is). The paper states in the beginning that the authors will address ways to prevent or stop addiction. However, by the end of the article, the authors have merely stated both sides of the issue and end by saying “Let’s learn to use (online games) responsibly.” Development of every idea would be very helpful in this paper.

FW: Umlat's new found economy

It was a fascinating time for the Umlats as things began to pick up. Denmare started small, giving the younglings tasks to do, such as polishing the golden ware, washing plates after dinner and the sort. This eventually turned into more Umlats youth desiring to work and receiving silver pennies and bronze chipums. The parents, who at first regarded their children’s newfound wealth as a silly thing, soon found that they were brining the most extraordinary things back with them. Gifts of every kind, all bought under the careful scrutiny of Denmare who feared reprisal from the council, yet he could not deny letting the younglings purchase a small fancy here and there. To him it was nothing, common goods bought and sold everyday; but the younglings it was magic! Rich aromas and perfumes for the girls; exotic bunches of fur and fine linen; spices and savory meats; toys and trinkets and even small Yult brought home a tiny dagger. Not that the children were rich in any way, but their token chores brought them enough money to trade for something out of the ordinary. Such a secret was not to be kept as the council found out and severely reprimanded Denmare. Yet the whole village was a flare with wonder and soon the Umlats came asking if they could work for the Denoir. Seeing such a sight with hordes of eager men and women willing to work for next to nothing, and seeing they had been received with such hospitality, the council eventually gave clearance to hire out the Umlats for a fair wage. Denmare’s altruism was eventually forgiven and he was one of the finest Masters, as the Denoir began to call themselves.
The Umlats had never had such a thing as money to trade for goods. Instead, they operated on a tiny barter system with trading at times crops and other wares for the same, though most everything was home produced. Imagine the great joy upon receiving a wage and the fine things this could buy! Immediately the younglings were pushed aside for the older workers, though they could still find a ready story and an odd job or two from Denmare.

Notes to me-Class distinction always? Cheap labor always wins? Abuse of the poor man--social classes, divided by opportunity for learning and for wealth, crime and insentives to rob? Mixing cultures, buidling the Umlat city, organizing into councils in Umlatva, greed and pride to take over, settling of the Denoir as a viable force, inovative Denoir with wisdom and architecture etc. with hard working Umlats.

TA: WATCOs and audiences for the Media paper

What are the consequences of overplaying massively multi-player online role playing games on the social life of gamers?
The target audience are online gamers of MMORPGs. I would have to define overplaying MMORPGs, though with would probably mean just saying it depends on every person. It would be essential to illustrate what the consequences are of playing way too much. I’m sure that a lot of gamers who are addicted realize that they are addicted and so arguing that they should stop if addicted might not do anything as they know they should! Here I could do two different papers, one to casual gamers and those who are thinking about gaming, and those who are already addicted. For the already addicted, a better WATCO might be what are the consequences of continuing to play MMORPGs on the social life of addicted gamers?

What are the consequences of existing gold farms on the profits of World of Warcraft (ie. Blizzard)?
The audience would be the leaders of Blizzard and I would be arguing that secondary markets are a good thing as it helps create jobs and gives people a chance for a living, albeit a poor wage. I could also argue that Blizzard is losing money and should work on creating its own secondary market inside World of Warcraft.

RA: Online Gold Farming (WoW)

This rhetorical analysis deals with a video on MTV’s website which reports online mining in China. This is where companies (a lot of US) will hire out groups of low paid workers to play online games, harvesting money, which will then be sold to gamers who desire to simply purchase gold on the web (a big game for this is World of Warcraft).
The audience is mostly to views of the MTV website. However, I found other articles that linked to this site meaning that their audience is more expanded than just their own website. Primarily their purpose is to educate the masses on the “supposed” gold farms and the hundreds of thousands of Chinese who work there. The report goes through several different interviews, the most important being an interview with the head of one of the main virtual gold brokers (IGE), a manager of a gold farm and individual workers.
The rhetoric is very persuasive to the audience as it shows footage inside of the farms with tired and poor looking Chinese teenagers. The personal interviews have the greatest impact as the workers state that it’s a decent job but hard as they have to play every single day for long hours and it’s not good on the eyes. There is a really great juxtaposition where they ask the head of IGE if they exploit their workers in China to which he replies, “There is no exploitation.” The scene changes to the manager of one farm who states outright, “There is exploitation.” It makes the audience believe the poor Chinese manager and the personal interviews of low paid farmers against the belief of the rich, money making White President of IGE.
The clip has a lot of information but is done in short, rapid-fire segments which fits perfectly to their audience.

nothing to do with English: Umlots #1

Many mighty and important things have happened in the village of the Umlats (pronounced Umlots). Since their great founding the Umlats have strived for industry and diligent working. The first village raised by noble Umlats searching for a new life was that of Umlata. It was a chilly day when the first folk finally settled in the hazed expanse. The landscape is green, though the soil is dry, rock hard and unforgiving of any settlers. Despite the harsh conditions and the bitter chill, Umlata was destined to be a safe haven for the Umlats.
That however all began to change three generations after the Umlats first settled. It was a sleepy village that welcomed the first Denoir traders, rich merchantmen from far off in the East, far enough away that old Umbler, the town sage, had never heard of such a place. Yet come they did, and with them a whole caravan of goods headed off to some other destination. Umlata appeared to be a quant village, with the people hospitable enough to share the winter with them. The Denoir were warned of the fearsome blizzards and so took refuge for the season on the outskirts of Umlata.
At first the tradesmen stayed to themselves mostly and remained somewhat an enigma to the villagers. Eventually curiosity got the best of the younger Umlats and they trudged through half frozen mud to reach the impressive array of wagons and exotic animals. Never before had the young Umlats seen such a sight! Impressive rugs woven in red silk and furs adorned each wagon. Rich spices soothed the senses filling the mind and mouth with wanton desire! Here was rich gold, ornaments and jewelry shaped like moons with round stones that put the dull sun to shame! Thick and beautiful robes were brought out to show the curious ones the grandeur of the tradesmen. Soon, stories were being told of far away city states where the buildings, tall and built of amber, stretched past the horizon. Palaces built in sun scorched deserts, crystal throne rooms with dances and merriment, lands filled with lakes and green fields dripping with harvest!
The poor parents of the younglings could barely understand what their children were shouting and screaming about when they returned. Finally it was understood that they had been to the Denoir much to the dissatisfaction of the elders who were somewhat suspicious of the outsiders.
This proved some grief as well on the part of the Denoir who were, for the most part, a noble people. Living among the Umlats was especially hard on Denmare a young merchant traveling alone with the company. Denmare was not a greedy man, though in comparison he was living in riotous lavish compared with these folks who didn’t even know what a regular bath was. He had told stories describing the various places he had been to. The children loved it, yet it pained him to see them in such conditions without much opportunity for progress.
Finally Denmare decided to try and help some of the Umlats with some money which he hoped might help some. This is generally opposed by the Caravan Council as the majority thought the Umlats would only ask for more. Yet Denmare decided he had to help in some way and so decided to secret some funding to the Umlats for work he needed to be done. This of course would be a dangerous plot, but Denmare thought himself clever enough to succeed.

Does money corrupt? What happens when we try to help people?

poems

Ode to Rho

When I first heard of thee,
I thought what splendid name!
What shape wilt thou take?
But I found my hope vain.
What great use could you be?
This treasure called rho.
Then I found out you were only a p
What great wo!

Poor sweet rho, still the name calls on.
The majestic, the powerful, the fearsome,
A worthy name to be found,
On some mighty warrior in some distant star,
But yet again you are only a p.



What are we coming to,
In worlds that fit on screens?
It is asleep, dead and gray,
Then alive, brave and bold!
Who is man that enters such a box?
He is whomever he desires
Whomever he wills,
Whomever he shall be.

Yet the life of flair dies with the plug,
Ending in a different life.
Can existence be perpetuated into the screen?
Many have tried and find life better on the web.
There is so much more to see.

But again remember, that when the computer goes out
Our life, our true life, is all that will be.

TA: Make up Introduction specific to audience (with note)

Hey Nicole! For some reason this blog got posted in a different version of my own blog. I'm not sure what's going on with that, but I might be able to find the other blog. I posted it Saturday night for a make up of a previous TA I missed.

Raising children and educating is probably on of the most important things to a parent. While I am not yet a parent (nor married), I have great hopes one day being one. This means that educating my future children and preparing for that is very important to me as I’m sure it is to you. One hears often, including myself, of some of the problems facing the current school system, one where myself like many of you, were educated. Problems such as drugs, early drinking and other vices are fairly apparent. It also seems that there are even more school shootings, with each shooter getting younger. What other option is there to parents to educate their children? While more expensive, private institutions can provide children with a great education in a safe environment. But again, this alternative is beyond the financial scope of many. One option that many are choosing is home schooling but with that come a host of questions that need to be addressed. All the issues regarding home schooling are important, but the one that seems to be brought up most is the effect home schooling has on a child’s social development. Does home schooling actually stagnate important social skills developed in the public system?

RA: Home Schooling and the Question of Socialization

For tonight I read “Home Schooling and the Question of Socialization” by Richard G. Medlin. Very importantly, his audience is a scholarly one, meaning that his specific style is very different from that which might be written for a public one. I personally found the article was very boring, but informative which is perfect for his audience. There are no from mothers who are beaming about their home taught children as I have seen in other papers. This is much research driven, focusing on a lot of different research and pointing out the various problems and conclusions that each researcher makes. This is effective with Medlin’s audience because that is probably the only way to make a good argument—through fact and research. Medline lists out the arguments of those against home schooling and those in favor of it (mostly parents).
His stance isn’t really too obvious, but he does side with those in favor of home schooling giving a variety of reasons why. However, he is not fully committed to this side as he points out the inherit flaws in the manner of collecting such data and how limited the research actually is. The effect of this on his audience is to slightly persuade them of the benefits of home schooling, but no real big push is made. I believe it is his main purpose to be informative rather than persuasive. He does argue well though, that more research is needed before any real sort of conclusion can be reached.

FW: Some more poems

This one goes with some song that goes
du-nuh. pause du-nuh- pause-du,dun,dun,dun,Du-uhn.


Softly, and slowly, and gently rises the morn.
Carefully, and thoughtfully, it brings to pas the dawn.
Glowing, emeralds flowing, the earth begins to wake
Breathing, its fist breath, of the day that’s to partake.

Gently, and softly, it rises from the shadow
Cheery, yes cheery, the gloomy world awakes

Beaming, its steaming, the sun begins to break,
Shining, its brightness upon a sleepy world.



My favorite color
My favorite color is sleep,
It is something painted on black canvas,
A black canvas that hopefully stretches for miles.
The brilliance of light comes from the contrast of color on dark.
Dream globes arise, manifesting worlds yet unseen, lands yet unexplored.
And best of all is the scent of the paint as it dries and refreshes all.

Yes my favorite color is sleep,
Though I don’t paint with it much,
I’ll have to learn to spend more time at it,
Or just get a blowtorch.

TA: Intros with contracts

With somewhere over 700,000 illegal immigrants entering the country every year, this has become an issue which deals with every aspect of society. It is estimated that there are at least 8 to 12 million illegal immigrants currently living within the country, while other think tanks estimate them at over 20 million. Many policies have been mentioned which you are well acquainted with: we can increase our borders, grant amnesty to the illegal immigrants, introduce a huge deportation program, etc. In looking a these policies, one must weigh the costs and the benefits, short term and long term. Deportation is something which often comes up as a means to getting rid of the illegal population, but at what cost is this implemented? If the job is done right and the cost is low the United States should pursue a more aggressive deportation policy. But what really are the costs of deportation on the United States? Would a more aggressive deportation policy be detrimental or would it be something of great benefit?

First they came in small numbers, and then they came in droves. The history of illegal immigration to the United States is a long one with various policies and government plans to curb the influx of illegal aliens. Over the years massive amnesty has been granted, major deportation stints have been utilized, but the fact remains that there are at least 8 to 12 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States. Some have argued that massive deportation is the best method to getting rid of the large illegal population. However, what are the costs of implementing such a method, both to the economic and moral fiber of America?

RA: Deportation

Today I am doing a rhetorical analysis on Ann Carr’s article “Targeting Illegal Immigrants for Deportation Is Unfair and Inhumane.” The specific audience for this article is the general American public, “who she believes, should be made aware of the hardships created by immigration policies.” More over, her audience is more focused to the general public who are more morally aware (religious people) and those who care on families. Most likely, the audience consists of non-Hispanics who don’t have much experience with deportation.

Carr uses a lot of emotional arguments in her article, especially focusing on the family. She relates at least two stories based on illegals who were deported when they had a legal spouse living in the United States. These stories provide a basic argument that deportation laws are illogical—why deport the breadwinner of a family expecting a new baby? Specifically mentioning the hazards of deportation with its physiological damage to young children definitely strikes a cord with those in support of families. She also advocates the right of people migrating to find better living to support the family. She has one part of pure questioning which anticipates her audience’s reaction.

While Carr doesn’t include many statistics or figures, hardly any really—the stories she tells could just be small cases—she does a really good job at arguing through the emotions. Adding to her credibility also is her occupation as a lawyer, working with immigrants.

FW: Poetry

"Hope falls down from heaven"


Scarred earth,
Harrowed by the beating rays,
Gapping earth, chap lips reaching upwards,
Mocked by spiteful skies all the day long.


Yet on drop falls from the heaven,
With gray clouds threatening storm.
A single bullet falling from above,
Falls on earth below.

Sklorsh! beams the drop, fallen onto stone.
Seeping bunches of broken rain, seep in and are sown.
Thunder crackles, heads arise towards the boom.
Unaware of what was planted which is soon to bloom.

Pristine water, finds the pores,
Rough soils is no wall.
Into holes, into cracks,
Rushes the rains fall.

Now into earth, and in the heart,
Beating red and bright,
Surrounding the pulsing giant,
Giver, master of light.

In its core rushes the cool,
Blue upon the red.
Searing steam, and wailing scorn,
But the drop moves on ahead.

Finding home in once red glow,
Now burning bright and blue,
Pulsing life, echoes the water,
Spewing it out anew.

Up through the rock,
Up through the pores,
Up to the roots once dead.
Flowing from the inside core,
Changing all that died before.

Sweet blossoms grow,
Sweet cherries bloom,
Life is come again.

From one sweat drop of heaven,
One breathe of life divine,
The earth once old and barren,
Now bears the Master’s sign.

TA: Contract Human trafficking

This is an attempt to work on contracts for papers, which go in the introductions. My understanding of this is that contracts are definitely not thesis statements—the stance of the author is not given away all at once. This is where I get mixed up. The contract is a promise to the reader but not exactly a statement of where the paper will eventually wind up. From Sinclair Lewis’ article his contract is fairly straightforward: I am rejecting the Pulitzer Prize and this is why I am doing it. For Brand’s article, the contract is much less obvious. Hence, the contract is probably best put in taking into regard the audience the article is written for.

Argument: There needs to be more effort to stopping human trafficking in America
Target audience: Voters in California, and other border states who probably are not happy with illegal immigration.

Imagine for an instance that you are invited by a friend or a good acquaintance to take up a job over the summer. You’re excited—you get to move to a different place, make some good money and have a great time. You arrive and what you thought would be a dream job becomes a living hell—something you hear about happening in other parts of the world but never imagined it would happen to you. You are forced to work twelve hours a day sewing dresses in a tiny room with no shower, measly food and under constant guard. Every night you are threatened and abused emotionally and otherwise so your courage to escape is beaten out of you. This is the life that many immigrant workers face every day. The terrible thing is that these conditions are happening right in our own country. The extent of the problem begs an answer to the question, what are we doing about human trafficking in the United States, and what can be done to help those forced into the awful reality of hidden slavery.?

RA: Immigration “Economic and Moral Factors in Favor of Open Immigration”

Target Audience: Students in attendance at the Santa Clara Student Debate Conference

Alexander Tabarrok put forth numerous ideas in support of open immigration, beginning his argument by citing a group of well known economists who all agree that immigration helps a country more than hurts it. Tabarrok holds a lot of authority as he is most likely a teacher of the students he is addressing. He touches on a lot of issues that are brought up by the opposition. He spends a lot of time meeting these arguments head on with logical thought but doesn’t provide much authority rather than his own methodology and a few quotes. One example of this is that he states that immigrants use less of the welfare system than do natives. While he provides a link to a study done on this, he does not include any hard evidence in his papers. This seems like it would be sufficient to his audience of students who hold him in respect but certainly not for another audience. Tabarrok’s tone appears slightly condescending to the audience as he implies that those who don’t agree with him are illogical and immoral. He appeals to the audience’s emotional side saying that the US failed to help those immigrants who came as a result of the holocaust due to stringent immigration restrictions. Thus, such barriers are seen to foster world wide suffering. Tabarrok uses much Christian phraseology and citation, which would be well with his target audience.

FW: Poems

Boundless Day
Sunlight dips in shadowed rays,
Nighttime falls in bended ways,
Still and silent reigns the night,
Loving moon shines pale and bright.

What hides beneath the darkened haze?
What hides behind the azure gaze?

Who is watching on all the earth?
Who stokes the furnace of our hearth?

Out of darkness, into light,
Plunges night, into flight.

Golden hues, on golden dews,
Emerald eyes, from leafy spies,
Watch the day, unfolding fray,
Turning night, into light,
Silence into stark defiance.
Life begins anew.
The earth again renewed.
Daniel Honey 10/30/2007

Volcano
Rock, rock, pound, pound
Throws the ever red,
Burning deep and ever on,
Ever on ahead.
No man to stay its path;
No thing that may withstand;
Fire, fire everywhere! Burns the volcan’s chant.
Daniel Honey 10/30/2007

TA: Style Work, etc. on Rejoice!

I’ve been pondering over the past few days how to be happier. Life isn’t bad, but deadlines and projects make stressful bunkmates. At FHE we discussed Elder Uchtdorf’s talk on enduring joyfully to the end. He related his own story living as a child in post war Germany under terrible conditions. It was during this time that his family accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ which became a beacon of hope. In our group, we talked about why the gospel brings such joy. For one thing, the gospel provides an eternal perspective. The little problems faced in every day life are in the end, not of great consequence--rather how we love and serve each other and God is the ultimate goal. God will not leave us alone to grope in the dark but will aid us to become happy. He has given us agency and happiness is a choice we can make; it is possible through the enabling power of the Savior’s Atonement to be happy regardless of circumstance. Though our outward conditions may not have not changed, the inward man can still be happy.
It is with these thoughts that I realize I must rejoice for I have great cause to. I have cause to rejoice in compliments and not turn them down. I have cause to rejoice in temporal and spiritual blessings. I have cause to rejoice in school, in work, in grades, in my family and in my friends. Learning about God whose love can fill us with hope will enable us to joyfully endure to the end, not in pain or passiveness, but in marvel! Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! Let ye solid rocks weep for joy! How glorious is the voice proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvations, and honor, and immortality and eternal life! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for the Lord doth reign and He is our God! (Doctrine and Covenants 128:22-23)

FW: Rejoice!

I’ve been pondering over the past few days how to be happier. Life isn’t bad, but deadlines and projects seem to take a bit out of life. A few things have begun to change in my thinking as I have relearned them. At FHE I gave the lesson from Elder Uchtdorf who spoke on enduring joyfully to the end. He related his own story living as a refugee child in post war Germany. It was dark times, however, it was during this time that his family found and accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ which was to them as a beacon of hope. We talked about why the gospel is something of such great joy. For one, it gives eternal perspective. All these little problems are in the end, not of great consequence, but rather how we live in love and in serving each other. God will not leave us alone to grope in the dark but is always there to aid us that we may be happy which is the gift of life. God has given us agency and happiness is a choice we can choose to make. Through the enabling power of the Savior’s Atonement we can be made happy and joyful. Though our outward circumstances have not changed, the inward man can change.
It is with these thoughts that I realize I must rejoice for I have great cause to. I have cause to rejoice in compliments and not turn them down. I have cause to rejoice in temporal and spiritual blessings. I have cause to rejoice in school, in work, in grades, in my family and in my friends. Learning of Him who’s love can fill us with hope will enable us to joyfully endure, not in pain but in marvel! Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! Let ye solid rocks weep for joy! How glorious is the voice proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salavations, and honor, and immortatliy and eternal life! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for the Lord doth reign and Christ is His name! (Doctrine and Covenants 128:22-23)

RA: Chief Justice John Roberts

When Chief Justice John Roberts came to B.Y.U., I was not expecting to do a Rhetorical Analysis on his forum address. However, I soon became very impressed with the manner in which he spoke and addressed himself to the audience. His tone was something of genuine love and respect towards the B.Y.U. student body. One of the most impressive things was how he seemed to admire the Church and what it has done in the past. Much of his speech used elements from the Mormon community. For instance, he referenced the pioneers and likened the founding fathers as a type of pioneer. He began his remarks by highlighting an address given by President Samuelson, praising him on his “inspirational speech,” (or something like that). He glowing spoke of the example and the lessons of optimism he learned from prior B.Y.U. President Rex Lee who also worked in law. He spoke directly to the audience in a warm and friendly manner, and also very importantly spoke to his audience using terms they would know and love to hear, citing examples that had pertinent and significant meaning to them. His attitude towards his subject was one of equal passion and he included phraseology akin to religion which also made the subject much more real to his audience. Overall, this was a masterpiece of rhetoric. While he didn’t necessarily speak out to have us do anything drastic, he did carry his message in probably the best manner for his given audience.

RA: I Have a Dream

Target audience: Black supporters, White supporters, legislature, the whole of the United States of America.

The following is a description of various ways Dr. King used to make his convey his argument. He refers to Abraham Lincoln several times throughout the speech as well as the Declaration of Independence. Dr. King speaks in warm honor of America in general—he calls the Lincoln memorial a “hallowed spot,” and speaks of the greatness of the American dream and founding fathers. He points out that this day “will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom.” This really excites people to be a part of something larger than themselves.

In many instances Dr. King addresses himself to specific groups though his main audience comprises those in attendance and the general public. In one paragraph, he acknowledges the White presence, more or less thanking them for their participation and telling the audience of the need to trust other races and not resort to violence. He also addresses those who have come through persecution, saying that he knows of their pains.

To emphasize his points and to really get the people to take them in, Dr. King uses repetition. Examples of this are repeating that “One hundred years later…” Blacks are still being repressed after the Civil War. “We refuse to believe…” that America cannot pay out justice and equity. “Now is the time …” to fix these issues. “We can never be satisfied as long as…” Blacks face inequalities. “I have a dream.” “With this faith we will be able to …” do great things and make great changes. “Let freedom ring from…” every place. Dr. King also uses religious tones and words which highly adds to his speech. Dr. King is bold, unwavering and yet shows that he means peace and change. This is one of the great speeches ever given in the United States of America and the impact has been far reaching.

TA: Audience Awareness, home schooling and immigration

In writing my paper on the effect of home schooling on children’s socialization skills I’ve come to the realization that audience awareness is extremely important. Knowing the audience is extremely important. For instance, my paper is directed more towards middles class (probably conservative) people. Talking about families and the impact home schooling has on them can be very effective with this group. If I were writing to a Christian audience I would have included an emphasis on scriptures and what the Bible says about teaching your children. If I were writing to Latter-day Saints I would include quotes from General Authorities on the subject. Writing to liberals would be a very different story and I would need to do research to see how exactly I would need to write to them.
With the next paper coming up on immigration, here are some ideas as to how to talk to specific audiences. Writing to policy makers I would use a lot of facts, use a lot of logical arguments and work more at establishing credibility. The general public of those who aren’t yet decided on immigration would be reached much better persuaded with emotional feelings such as the American dream, the hope of a better life, our responsibility to our fellow man, etc. Audience awareness also involves location. For instance I could write to Utahns with a more religious feel. Including scripture might be effective if writing to the L.D.S. population in Utah. I would write differently to Californians or other border states showing the evils of over immigration and how it is hurting the common American man—in reality the common Texan, or Californian, etc. All this points to the importance of being aware of the intended audience and then developing arguments and reasoning that will impact them the most.

FW: The Pain The Easy Way and the potato

One of my favorite talks in General Conference was during the Priesthood Session. I don’t remember the speaker but I do remember what he said. He grew up in Hawaii, or lived there or something to that effect, and one day was driving down the road when he saw a sign that enlightened his mind. The sign read, “Easy Street” and he knew he had at last found the easy way in life. What joy! He took a picture of the sign and then realized that right underneath it was another sign that read “Dead End,” a worthy description of where “Easy Street” is. He used this example to urge us to sacrifice and work hard for our goals and to not take the easy way.
I’ve been thinking this, especially as it pertains to Statistics 336 because this is a hard class (yet again I’m doing my blog from a school computer, taking a break from stats). The pain is definitely worth it, as it is a learning pain. I’m sure millions of people in the world would love to be suffering getting an education because it will be of a great value to them in the end. So too should I look upon this work and the emotional, physical, spiritual (and probably social) pain as a blessing. I remember the Prophet Joseph Smith’s definition of meekness. I paraphrase “You will never here me complain of the hospitality of anyone.” Therefore I ought to seek to not complain in any situation in which I find myself, especially the hard way which will prove to my greater blessing.

TA: Intro to Home Schooling

Since the time I can remember, my parents have stressed the importance of getting a good education. Working hard, getting good grades, doing homework, it all was for my ultimate success and happiness. As I grew I learned that the much of their value for education was instilled in them by their parents. It was often the case that their parents received little instruction but instead were forced to work long hours to support a family. Seeing education as one of the greatest opportunities, this vision was distilled from my grandparents to me. Similarly, most Americans see the great importance of getting an education to survive and prosper in today’s difficult times. However, education is also one of the hottest debates that there is as it involves America’s most precious assets—it’s children. The growing problems in public schools, as well as dissatisfaction with current programs and standardized testing, has led many to seek different methods to train up their children. Many have gone to private schools or various other institutions. Many others, and the numbers are increasing, have chosen to home school their children to secure for their kids valuable education and a safe environment to grow in. It is not the intent of this paper to portray home schooling as the only right education—there are again many options for education. However, it is my purpose to show that home schooling is a viable method for educating children and helping them to reach their best potential. While home schooling is not for everyone, it can be a valuable tool for many, instilling in their children a love of learning and the foundations for a successful adult life.

FW: Poem

There is a place, far far away,
Where children are happy, children can play.

A place of joy where only fountains weep,
And light burns and moves in the deep.

The only shadow is that of shade,
Where grows billowing meadows of grassy blade.

Dwindling breezes push the rose,
And snowflakes sing as they flow.

All is beauty, all is light,
Far far away where there is no night.

Only starshine and profound hue
And diamonds beams inside the dew.

Sundrops melt the tears away,
Nectar sweet in gold array!

There is a place, far far away,
Where peace knows no bounds.
A place where I long to be found.

Somewhere, far far away,
Over the rainbow we might say.
Where no one cries!

Somewhere, over the rainbow
Where blue birds fly!
Somewhere, over the rainbow,
When, oh when, will I?

Tribute to feelings listening to Iz's version of Somewhere over the Rainbow

RA: All those fun hoax emails!

I think all of us email users can attest to receiving some bogus email declaring great prizes or happiness by passing along the received email. In accordance with this, I’ll be analyzing my most recently received hoax as well as all looking generally at all the emails that follow the same basic rhetoric.
The main question here is what are the consequences of passing on this email to other people on my economic welfare? Easy! Passing on this email will skyrocket my economic welfare because passing on this email will guarantee that I receive hundreds of Bill Gates’ money. Obviously, the implicit assumption works! Of course anything that guarantees my receiving Bill Gates’ money will improve my economic welfare. These type of emails mainly focused to whoever anyone without much technical knowledge or those hopefuls who desire to reap the “guaranteed” results–really, these emails are aimed at the naive nice people of the world. The emails generally appeal to lots of authoritative figures such as Microsoft, Intel, “real lawyers,” big newspapers or any other thing which gives authority to the argument. The biggest argument here is the chance that this email is actually legitimate–you might actually win big or a new virus might fry your hardware if you don’t delete something off your computer. Especially in this specific email the logical argument is made, what have you got to lose! Just try it! Which is very appealing because, it’s a true statement! The argument is not sufficient (no evidence), it’s the normal typically grandiose (either in benefits or mayhem) style email, the information is definitely not accurate and the relevancy is good–normal people got money. Why even my brother’s girlfriend got money!
In the end the best thing these emails have going for them is the logical statement, what if this were true and what have I got to lose to pass it along? In this manner they can be quite effective, especially to the naive (virus warnings are particularly good against these). For myself, I had to learn how to discern between hoaxes and legitimate emails. Just google the part about whatever their authoritative figure said and you’ll get ten different anti-hoax websites. However, until more people are aware of how to spot these, I’m positive I’ll be getting a lot more of them!
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/ms-money-giveway-hoax.html

TA: Introductions for Home School

Some say that young students must be tested according to a standardized exam to ensure that their learning is sufficient for them to move on. Some say that there isn’t a need for this type of testing, that it ultimately damages the students. Others say that standardized tests are widely accepted in the entire world and therefore are part of our culture. While opinions range from the ideal to the practical what is not widely debated is the actual benefit of home school versus the normal pattern of public schooling. This paper will discuss the benefits of being home taught showing that this method gives the student a real chance at a rich education.

Children’s education has always been under wide debate. The problem presented was and is how to measure the students learning? First, there were no standardized tests. Children went through the education system being tested by personalized exams without regard to a state wide or nation wide standard. However, it was hard to measure students learning against other schools and states. Thus was born standardized testing in an attempt to raise all children to the same level of education. Thus problems came—teaching to the test, incentives leading to teacher and student cheating and a whole host of other problems which prompt the question are children really getting a good education? Do standardized tests really help kids learn or are they just making them good test takers? The most important in all of this is the students’ learning. Having already attempted various methods to educate children, and having not of yet reaped the full consequences, there must be another way to train and give a good education to the rising generation. This new method is nothing more than putting more responsibility on parents to teach their children in home settings with the public school system as a support. Exploring the facets of how to implement such a program will yield the discovery that together parents and schools co-teaching children will provide them with the best education possible.

Disclaimer--I have yet to really believe this!

FW: Haikus and Stat 336

Wednesday plus Thursday
Sitting in stats lab
Working for twelve hours on this
Longing to go home.

Stat 336 Drudgery
Hoping I can leave
Latex, R and then S-weave
Why won’t my code work?

Revised Haiku.
If I only knew
How hard this might be.
I’d probably cry even more.

Friends forged in Statistical Pain
Friends in pain in stats
Dinner breaks to conversate
Makes meaningful class.

So what is the point of giving students a homework assignment that takes them somewhere over ten hours to complete? While statistics can be fun, learning to understand and do your homework while trying to put it in a beautifully represented pdf. file for all to see is even harder. I appreciate the ideal of learning cutting edge technology in the statistics world but please give me more time! I feel sort of like a hamster on a wheel, running and running and coding and coding but never really learning too much. Not that it won’t sink in eventually though. I am finding that learning is coming more quickly. I can certainly do a lot more than I could a week ago, or even yesterday. My class has been described as “taking a drink from a fire hose.” But at least that means I get a drink!

RA: Short Story--"Sin of Omission"

One short story I’ve revisited is “Pecado de omission” (“Sin of Omission”) by Ana Maria Matute. The story is of a young orphan taken under wing by his uncaring uncle who makes him work as a shepherd. Over the years Lope becomes no more than a slave and a beast of burden to his uncle. Upon realizing this, he murders his uncle and is lead off to jail while the villagers rant of how ungrateful Lope was to his uncle for giving him work.

Matute asks, are the consequences of damning a child’s progress worse than death? The resounding answers she cries, is yes! Stunting the progress of a child is worse than letting them die because stunting their progress makes them subhuman, it destroys their humanity. She writes to those who do not realize or who do not see the terrible circumstances of the poor working class, primarily made up of underprivileged children. Matute drives her point home mostly through the emotions of the reader as well as logical arguments through juxtaposition. She shows Lope as an intelligent child who could have easily become successful in life had he only had the chance. While starting off bright, he becomes no more than a slave for his uncle, calloused and hardened. Matute shows that Lope could have been successful, juxtaposing his roughness a less intelligent school friend who is now becoming a successful lawyer. Obviously if his not so bright friend could be successful Lope would have done better. Matute has the reader discover along with Lope just how much he has changed and what he could have had … if his uncle had given him a chance. Lope himself wishes he had been left for dead than to live a life as some sort of half man. While Matute’s point is not clear at the beginning, reading in context of the title helps reveal the argument. Lope’s sin of commission (murder) is contrasted with his uncle’s sin of omission (forcing Lope to be his worker for life). The title speaks out that the reader ought to focus on the sin of omission because the sin of commission sprang from that first sin. While Matute might not actually be saying Lope’s murder wasn’t worse than the uncle’s sin, she is certainly directing the reader to the gravity of damning a child’s progress.

TA: Audience Awareness

Continuing my efforts to better analyze the rhetoric and audiences of larger articles, I read “Why they should stay” from The Economist. The author’s main question is what are the consequences of immediately pulling out troops out of Iraq on Iraqis? This in answered by the view that pulling troops immediately out of Iraq would decimate any hope for stability because pulling out of Iraq would withdraw the security forces needed to protect the people. The target audience are educated people against the war in Iraq, who desire a quicker troop withdrawal but are open to discussion. This is where the article really shines as it constantly keeps in mind its audience.

The Economist spares no trouble disarming the optimistic report of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker’s optimistic report on Iraq’s progress. The author seems to be one of the readers, with all the same assumptions and concerns regarding Iraq. This greatly builds the author’s credibility.

The main thrust of the argument is carried out by logic. This is because the specific audience wouldn’t accept any emotional-laid stories, or any authoritative quotes coming from General Petraeus or other leaders. Instead, pure reason is used to convince the reader that “the strong case (for staying in Iraq) is that if America leaves, things will get even worse.” Logic is where the audience can be persuaded.

The author also looks at other sides of the issue, anticipating concerns that the reader might have. For instance, the paper discusses that America will probably not “support an indefinite war whose sole remaining purpose [is] to prevent the situation in Iraq from becoming even worse.” However, it’s pointed out that it is still much too early to know if “Iraq can be mended.” Statistics and polls are also used to drive the author’s point home by logic.

The entire argument is brilliantly tailored its audience. The rhetoric is sufficient for the reader, uses logic typical for an intelligent reader and has accurate information. The most impressive thing is how relevant everything is to the audience—everything from the statistics, to the conclusion is made for an audience that is already against the war in Iraq and wants it to end. The author is very successful in the above rhetoric and I would say that this is a beautiful example of both knowing one’s audience and making everything relevant to them.

(Thanks to The Economist September 15th 2007, pp. 13)

RA: Guernica

I had the opportunity to see Guernica in person at the Prado in Madrid last month. Thus it is my choice for rhetorical analysis. The painting asks, what are the consequences of war on society and more generally on all humanity? The obvious answer is that war destroys humanity because bombing innocent victims creates nightmarish chaos in the otherwise normal lives of common people. The target audience for this piece of art is the apathetic public: those generally unaware of the terrible tragedy at Guernica as well as those who knew about the bombing and did nothing. The implicit assumption is easily accepted by the audience—anything which creates nightmarish chaos in an otherwise normal life destroys humanity. Picasso uses a variety of methods to convey this to his viewers. There is much emotion in the painting as all the painting is done in dark colors with abstract and freakish figures. People are being burned alive; a horse cries out with a wild and maddened look; a woman weeps over a dead child with a howl of unreal pain on her face. Pity and despair are shown by a woman leaning out the window holding a simple candle which illuminates the horror all around. And above the chaos floats an on looking eye with a light bulb as its pupil, perhaps a symbol of a world viewing the mayhem through the lens of the media, but doing nothing to stop it. The fact that Guernica was created by Picasso adds to the authority of the argument. He is a famous painter well known throughout the world. Also adding to this is the fact that Picasso is himself a native Spaniard making him well acquainted with the misery of the bombing and the civil war in his own homeland. Though Picasso’s work is generally chaotic, his depiction of Guernica makes logical sense to the reader that war is chaos—never before has the abstract made so much sense because war is indeed a black nightmare. Through his rhetoric Picasso succeeds to a great measure in convincing his audience of the horrors of war.
To see a copy of the painting visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(painting).

FW: Personality Tests

I wonder about all these personality tests that get flung about the internet. It seems that a lot are attributed to the Dali Lama but there is never any evidence to back up this claim. While some of these are fun and just involve the sharing of little known information with your friends, others require you to make a wish and promise you its fulfillment if only if you send the email out to a certain number of people. And I quote (from the most recently received one), “[if you send this to] 0-4 persons: Your life will improve slightly. 5-9 persons: Your life will improve to your liking. 9-14 persons: You will have at least 5 surprises in the next three weeks. 15 or more persons: Your life will improve drastically and all that you wish will come true.” So why do I have to send it around to people to get my wish?

A few of my friends have done big personality tests going to a clinic of sorts (it sounded like some fun). I wonder if the symbols used in such tests truly do describe a person. For instance, there was something in one of the tests about going through a forest seeing an animal and being asked to describe it and how you would confront it. This is supposed to describe how you see your problems and how you deal with them. Then there was also something about a cottage, maybe a gnome with a key and a body of water all which are symbolic of one’s own personality. The funniest test I found out there on the internet (my whole five minutes of searching) was drawing a pig, which tells you all about yourself.

Not that I’m discrediting the tests however. Just why send them in the first place and then condition the promise on sending the same email to more people? I’ve talked with my brother about the science of reading other’s handwriting which I found to be a fascinating subject: crossing the letter t up high reveals lots of confidence while a low cross on the t shows lack of confidence. Maybe the way we view symbols really does show our personality. That, at least, I can believe. (So is the glass half full or half empty?)

TA: The Dreaded A1 Term!

Here are some musings to refine my A1 skills (yes, I must work on seasoning my steak with that oh too delicius liquid amber!) .
What are the consequences of using discovery methods on students understanding of mathematics?
Using discovery methods to teach students will improve their understanding of math because calculus students have learned mathematics better by learning the material on their own and working together with other students in an effort to synthesize and utilize math.

The implicit assumption here is that anything which helps students to learn the material on their own and work together in groups with other students will improve their understanding of math.

The A1 term here is a specific group of calculus students who will be used to show that in all reality discovery methods worked to increase understanding. By doing so, this same conclusion can be generalized to the most (if not all) mathematics students. The A1 term is not necessary but using the specific example gives some clarity. It also refines our statement that discovery methods will be useful towards math students, instead of students in all fields. This could also be more specialized towards just applying to upper division math students or just those that are in calculus. However, doing so would throw out the need to have an A1 term.

Another example of what might work for the A1 term is the following.
Playing bagpipes destroys other’s peace because playing loud music with high pitched notes harms the ear drums of those without earplugs.

This is a much better A1 term which clears up the A term greatly. “Playing loud music with high pitched notes” definitely falls under the umbrella of “Playing bagpipes.” Thus this is an example of an enthymeme where an A1 term is greatly needed.

FW: Poetry-What is Man

A poem dedicated to God.

O what is man that Thou art mindful of him?
Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels.
Thou art King, Ruler, Master and God
Yet choosest the name Father?

“How oft have I called you,” ye say,
“Called you by the mouth of my servants,
By the voice of tempests, of lightnings, of natures blows
Of mercy, glory and the riches of everlasting life
But ye would not!”

What is man that Thou art mindful of him?
To be patient with him, entreat him and show him grace?
That Thou wouldst command him to call upon Thee,
To seek Thy aid and give Thee praise;
Shouldst Ye not have else to do?

What is man that Thou art mindful of him, dear Lord?
That Thou wouldst pay his sins and bear his pains?
Which cost so great a price; even the blood of eternity?

Yet Thou hast promised that in some day,
We shall see as we are seen.

We see through a glass darkly; But then face to face:
Now in part I know the why;

But then shall I know, even as I am known.
In essence the matter lies: A son of God am I.

RA: Gold's Gym Double Strike

I went to Gold’s Gym and was sold to by two different people. The first guy argued that joining Gold’s Gym would increase my manliness because the gym would bulk me up. His assumption didn’t go over very well (anything which would bulk me up would increase my manliness) because it seemed to imply I wasn’t manly enough. He came off as a strong macho man who knew what he was doing (he would help me bulk up by taking some sort of legal drug that had gained him twenty pounds in one month!). He was probably attempting to appear as great guy or role model for me to follow. His arguing was typical in describing the greatness of Gold’s Gym (employee sacrifices, the best machines in the U.S., etc.). Gold’s Gym was hands down the very best gym out there and if I thought differently that meant I didn’t know jack about anything. He continually referred to himself as a trainer and not a sales representative but it certainly didn’t feel that way. His argument was a little too sufficient—too much information I didn’t care about. He had mostly accurate information in explaining the why their machines were so good and the strange weight gaining pill. However his relevancy towards me was lacking (too much extra information and too little personal information)—I wanted to gain some muscle but not become a macho head.

The other salesman, Matt, was much more relevant in his argument. He tried to make the whole argument relevant to me, even pointing out a machine to build up my left arm for the bagpipes. To him, joining the gym would be a good thing for me. He established credibility by talking like a normal person (we seemed to have a lot in common) who found the gym to be a great place for health, increasing strength and becoming better. He also made really good comparisons with Gold’s gym others without cutting them down. Matt was persistent in getting me to join but when I declined a few times he let me go. Overall the biggest difference was his approach and the relevancy of his argument. I felt bad rejecting the offer to go to the gym and who knows I might end up going there just because of how he used rhetoric!

TA: Enthymeme practice--TEACHER CHEATING!

As a citation note most all of this argument is based from the book Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. I’m working on analyzing arguments in the format of an enthymeme (using a great example I might add) and expanding it to what I might do if this were a paper I were to write.

Enthymeme: Imposing penalties and benefits for schools that attain certain scores on issued standardized tests extinguishes student’s learning because having these incentives breeds cheating from both teachers and students.

The implicit argument here is that anything which fosters teacher and student cheating will also stagnate student’s learning. This is a solid assumption which would click with the target audience; the specific audience being the CEO of the public school system of the area. This same enthymeme could also be expanded to use with teachers however it is more effective to persuade those who can change the actual test policies. The reasoning of the argument is typical in that most people believe that cheating hurts students more than it does them good. I would have to construct an argument which included sufficient information on the subject with accurate information (for instance utilizing various studies which have been done on the effect of teacher cheating in Chicago, etc.). I’m not sure to what extent this is a current problem in Provo schools but it has been in a problem in Chicago and I imagine in many other places. I would have to do a lot of research to make sure which issues are relevant and which are not. For instance giving $25,000 to the teachers who have high scoring students will probably not be an issue today but there will be other more relevant incentives that ought to be looked at.

RA: Wendy's is Serving Breakfast?

This is an effective advertisement that persuades people who are busy but care about eating good quality food to eat at Wendy’s for breakfast. Wendy’s does this through their wording and display of colors and layout. Listed in bold, the advertisement says “Just because you’re pressed for time, doesn’t mean you should be pressed for quality.” This speaks directly to those who are in a hurry but who would rather eat a good quality meal. This also implies that eating at other fast food places means sacrificing quality for time. Wendy’s’ previous repertoire of good food, in addition to their current emphasis on quality serves to persuade the reader that the breakfast at Wendy’s will be just as good as their lunch and dinner. Thus logically satisfied customers of Wendy’s food will be happy and full customers with their new morning menu. The fact that Wendy’s is now serving breakfast draws the question out to many (myself included) “What are they serving? And will it be like the rest of the fast food junk served in the wee hours of the day?”

The add repeats that breakfast at Wendy’s is “fresh,” “right,” “made the way (breakfast) ought to be” implying that other fast food restaurants don’t have good food. The layout is swabbed with bright colors of yellow and orange, denoting the horizon of a new dawn with the sun just lighting up the earth. The pictures of food have bursts of light coming out of them emphasizing early morning time, a time to eat! “FREE” is written all over the coupons leading readers to actually want to go to Wendy’s to try their breakfast—in addition to this it seems that the coupons are easily redeemable for actual free food! Wendy’s serves only “Custom Bean Coffee by Folgers Gourmet Selection” adding to their authority as a restaurant who knows good breakfast. However the pictures of the food itself is reminiscent of McDonald’s and other fast food and does not denote that there is higher quality breakfast food at Wendy’s. Overall however, with the emphasis good eating (backed by the experience of previous customers and Wendy’s current advertisement), the aesthetic presentation and the offers for free food, this is a persuasive piece of paper which will draw most readers to try Wendy’s breakfast or in the least to think of them when they’re hungry.

FW: Why Pants?

I must first add a disclaimer that I had never before begun to think of these things till I went into bagpiping. I remember donning my first kilt and walking around in it thinking, This is quite fun! It was after I had done a few parades and had been seen in public in my kilt, that I began to ask myself, why do men wear pants? And in addition why do women wear skirts?

Luckily my querying landed me in a conversation with a good friend of mine. I asked him what he thought about the subject pointing out that many Scottish still wear kilts (though I’m not too sure how commonplace this is). He replied that he had his own skirt he wore at night to bed, something he picked up from the Orient. Many men in Asia wear a loose robe or something of a skirt to sleep in or even to walk around in. We came to the conclusion that wearing pants is, in all actuality, barbaric. The Romans wore skirts (togas as well) while the barbarian tribes wore pants. My friend informed me (and this is unconfirmed as of yet) that the Romans actually passed a law banning all pants from Rome to keep the Barbarians out! But alas, Rome fell, the Barbarians triumphed over the civilized culture of the day and pants emerged victorious. Thus it is my belief that pants is more of a cultural norm inherited from Barbarian tribes than anything else.

One can take a look at those still donning the skirt such as in Scotland (kilts), in Malaysia (sarongs), Japan, the Middle East, the Islands of Polynesia and in all sorts of places to see examples of the man-skirt. Not that I’m calling for a skirt revolution (though some would—I found some funny and very strange websites while doing some google research on this subject). I don’t believe that just as pants have become acceptable for women that the skirt will someday be acceptable for men living in the United States. No not all—nor would I necessarily endorse such a change! What does the future hold for the man-skirt? I don’t know nor do I care much about it, though I still do like to pull out my kilt for a parade or two every now and then.