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.