Willpower. As a high school student, sometimes my willpower is lacking when there are seemingly "better" things to do like go out with my friends, a favorite television show, or a sports game. I have definitely had times of complete motivation and strong willpower and times of bad procrastination. This article caught my interest because what if there was a scientific way of obtaining a strong willpower? I would want to know it especially in that week with three papers and two major tests so I could get them all done. Some of the factors people have proposed to control willpower include biology, amount of glucose, and just a strong mindset. Well in this article's case, only one of these factors is right and it's a strong mindset. If you believe willpower doesn't have a limit, then you will procrastinate less and cut down on excess spending. And those with this mindset would perform well with or without consuming sugar. Amazing!
Greg Walton and Carol Dweck write the informative article "Willpower: It's in Your Head" with a logos appeal to their audience. The authors write of multiple studies conducted on willpower including Linda Bacon's biology control, Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney's glucose proposal, and their own mindset proposal with Veronika Job. This technique appeals to the logos of an audience and proves both authors as credible reporters on the topic. One study that Walton and Dweck write about is on 153 college students and how their mindset affected their willpower which appeals to the audience of anyone who has been to college or is planning on going to college. The two authors' opinions are very obvious in this article when they write of taking the other theories into consideration. They write, "But are these theories correct? We don't think so," (Walton, Dweck, 1). In the New York Times article written by Greg Walton and Carol Dweck, the two authors discover the main controller of strong willpower is a strong mindset.
Source: Walton, Greg, and Carol Dweck. "Willpower: It's In Your Head." The New York Times 26 Nov. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Rapid Spread of Virtual Schools
Online school programs, like K12, are spreading quickly across the country. In the United States, there are 250,000 students attending virtual public school out of 50 million school-aged kids in the country. There are virtual public schools from Boise to one even in our very own state of Massachusetts. This article caught my eye because for the first time this year, I am taking Latin I, a Virtual High School course that I would not have otherwise been able to take. It has so far been a great experience because things are done differently online than in the classroom and there is a lot more of independent learning. However, this article writes about kindergardeners taking full time virtual school on a computer. To me, that just doesn't seem right because when you are in elementary school, you begin to learn the very basis of knowledge that needs to be learned correctly. Also, you learn how to make friends, which you can't really do on a computer. I can see that virtual public school would be a good approach for a couple scenarios. Maybe a victim of bullying, a kid who just can not learn from the approaches of their teachers, or an young athlete who has practice five hours a day. Another variable of this virtual public school is that the parents need to be "learning coaches" to their kids and have an important role in their schooling. If there is no learning coach, the student will fall behind and not succeed. I think the virtual school at a middle school and high school age is good because the school can offer courses that the public school doesn't have and it can also get students used to online resources.
Lyndsey Layton and Emma Brown both utilize research specific rhetorical strategies that appeal to the logos and ethos of their audience. The organization of their article "Virtual schools are multiplying, but some question their educational value" is broken down into headings of "Seizing an opportunity", "No need for the bus stop", "Mixed performance", "Cost to taxpayers", and "Targeting rural counties". This organization helps the audience follow all of the aspects of the K12's virtual public school program. Layton and Brown write of the history of K12 and its political allies throughout the years. There are the differing costs of attending a K12 virtual public school from different counties in one state to different states, where it would cost $3,728 in Florida, $5,000 in Massachusetts, and $6,200 in D.C. This appeals to the audience's logos and how much money they would be willing to spend for their child's virtual public school. Another technique that Layton and Brown use is that they write about the Hirata family and how their two children are enrolled in the K12 program and why they enrolled. This appeals to the audience's ethos and allows them to compare their situation to the Hirata's. In The Washington Post's "Virtual schools are multiplying, but some question their educational value", Lyndsey Layton and Emma Brown appeal to their audience well as they fully report their research on the K12 virtual school program.
Source: Layton, Lyndsey, and Emma Brown. "Virtual schools are multiplying, but some question their educational value." The Washington Post 26 Nov. 2011, sec. POST Local: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.
Lyndsey Layton and Emma Brown both utilize research specific rhetorical strategies that appeal to the logos and ethos of their audience. The organization of their article "Virtual schools are multiplying, but some question their educational value" is broken down into headings of "Seizing an opportunity", "No need for the bus stop", "Mixed performance", "Cost to taxpayers", and "Targeting rural counties". This organization helps the audience follow all of the aspects of the K12's virtual public school program. Layton and Brown write of the history of K12 and its political allies throughout the years. There are the differing costs of attending a K12 virtual public school from different counties in one state to different states, where it would cost $3,728 in Florida, $5,000 in Massachusetts, and $6,200 in D.C. This appeals to the audience's logos and how much money they would be willing to spend for their child's virtual public school. Another technique that Layton and Brown use is that they write about the Hirata family and how their two children are enrolled in the K12 program and why they enrolled. This appeals to the audience's ethos and allows them to compare their situation to the Hirata's. In The Washington Post's "Virtual schools are multiplying, but some question their educational value", Lyndsey Layton and Emma Brown appeal to their audience well as they fully report their research on the K12 virtual school program.
Source: Layton, Lyndsey, and Emma Brown. "Virtual schools are multiplying, but some question their educational value." The Washington Post 26 Nov. 2011, sec. POST Local: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Talent Matters More Than Practice
The rhetorical techniques that Hambrick and Meinz use to appeal to their audience are very effective. The write with a large appeal to the logos of the audience because Hambrick and Meinz write about three different scientific research studies: one conducted by Florida State University, one conducted by Vanderbilt University, and one they conducted. This technique establishes Hambrick and Meinz as creditable authors with the audience. The descriptions of the studies prove that they know what they are talking about and that they did their research before compiling it all into the article. This article really makes the audience think about practice and intellectual ability when it comes to talent. One particular line that showed the authors' opinions was "None of this is to deny the power of practice. Nor is it to say that it's impossible for a person with an average I.Q. to say, earn a Ph.D. in physics. It's just unlikely, relatively speaking. Sometimes the story that science tells us isn't the story we want to hear," (Hambrick, Meinz 1). David Hambrick and Elizabeth Meinz write a convincing informative article about the need for intellectual ability to have a specific talent.
Source: Hambrick, David Z. , and Elizabeth J. Meinz. "Sorry, Strivers: Talent Matters." The New York Times 19 Nov. 2011, Sunday ed., sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The congressional war on childhood nutrition
We all know America has a problem with obesity, specifically childhood obesity. How many different fast food restaurants can you find in our area? McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, and Taco Bell to name a few. They are cheap, no doubt about that, but they are anything but healthy. Sometimes there may be a salad or a menu item that seems like it would be healthy, but in the large scheme of things, it really isn't. The worse part about childhood obesity is that this past Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that will block any future attempts to make food healthier at school lunches. What I don't get is why they would even consider blocking health improvement bills. I mean, does the House of Representatives like knowing that there are 12.5 obese American children? How about that one in five children are currently living in poverty? If I were a political leader in the United States, childhood obesity or childhood poverty would be one of my top priorities, not issues that I would be trying to block.
Mary Elizabeth Williams writes her article "The congressional war on childhood nutrition" with an appeal of pathos and logos to her audience. One of her techniques is that she recounts her own personal story about her daughter's school's loss of a Wellness in the School program. This allows the audience to emphathize with Williams and make connections to their own lifes in regards to cuts with nutrition. In my school, we no longer have a Wellness class, and while there was a lunch improvement last year and there are healthy options today, there are still those unhealthy options. Another technique that Williams uses is statistics that appeal to the audience's logic. The 12.5 million obese children, one in four children living in poverty, and one in four going hungry today were a few. These statistics help the audience get the big picture of how serious childhood nutrition is. Williams also writes about the counter point of view, of who is benefiting from the block of improving nutrition. She writes about the American Frozen Food Institute, ConAgra, and McDonald's and how all these fast food suppliers will benefit from the block. This technique gives the audience both points of view on the issue. Finally, she includes a few important political figures of today and the past that have been involved with childhood nutrition at the national level, including Ronald Regan, Michelle Obama, and George W. Bush. One particular line that really shows Williams' opinion and gets her point across is, "Our government was created to serve its people -- even those not of voting age. But while one in four American children will go hungry today, Congress seems more concerned about the companies that make fries for McDonald's," (Williams 1).
Source: Williams, Mary Elizabeth. "The congressional war on childhood nutrition." Salon.com 18 Nov. 2011: n. pag. Salon.com. Web. 19 Nov. 2011.
Mary Elizabeth Williams writes her article "The congressional war on childhood nutrition" with an appeal of pathos and logos to her audience. One of her techniques is that she recounts her own personal story about her daughter's school's loss of a Wellness in the School program. This allows the audience to emphathize with Williams and make connections to their own lifes in regards to cuts with nutrition. In my school, we no longer have a Wellness class, and while there was a lunch improvement last year and there are healthy options today, there are still those unhealthy options. Another technique that Williams uses is statistics that appeal to the audience's logic. The 12.5 million obese children, one in four children living in poverty, and one in four going hungry today were a few. These statistics help the audience get the big picture of how serious childhood nutrition is. Williams also writes about the counter point of view, of who is benefiting from the block of improving nutrition. She writes about the American Frozen Food Institute, ConAgra, and McDonald's and how all these fast food suppliers will benefit from the block. This technique gives the audience both points of view on the issue. Finally, she includes a few important political figures of today and the past that have been involved with childhood nutrition at the national level, including Ronald Regan, Michelle Obama, and George W. Bush. One particular line that really shows Williams' opinion and gets her point across is, "Our government was created to serve its people -- even those not of voting age. But while one in four American children will go hungry today, Congress seems more concerned about the companies that make fries for McDonald's," (Williams 1).
Source: Williams, Mary Elizabeth. "The congressional war on childhood nutrition." Salon.com 18 Nov. 2011: n. pag. Salon.com. Web. 19 Nov. 2011.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
"Billions Wasted on Billing"
Every time you go to the hospital for whatever reason, do you see your parents filling out multiple forms and signing papers? I know I have. I have watched my mother tediously fill out form after form about my medical history, insurance information, and signing off permission on other forms. Ever think about how much paper gets wasted for the multiple times you have to fill out the same forms over and over again? Well, Ezekiel J. Emanuel does his research in his New York Times article "Billions Wasted on Billing". The United States could be saving $32 billion dollars a year if we could just transform the physical labor of filling out medical forms to an electronic system. Not only that, it could provide patient history guidelines. The example that Emanuel uses is that if a doctor sees a patient with frequent back pain, the doctor could just prescribe physical therapy instead of ordering an MRI. Sometimes its the little things that we never really notice that if changed could make a huge difference. I believe that the United States could be using that $32 billion for better reasons than medical forms. Besides, we are in the Information Age...why not continue to use the amazing technology we have?
Ezekiel J. Emanuel uses a large amount of statistics with logos and some pathos in his opinion article "Billions Wasted on Billing". The statistics appeal to the logos of the audience and some of them are quite shocking. In all the costs of health care, fourteen percent is spent on administration or in the grand scheme of things, $360 billion per year. Ezekiel also breaks down the percentages of where the money is going and uses research from a Harvard economist, David Cutler. The statistics and percentages both establish Emanuel's creditability on the topic and show that he did his research. The pathos technique that Emanuel uses is that he describes his personal situation with filling out medical forms four times in three days with his frustration. This technique allows the audience to emphasize with Emanuel and make connections to their own experiences of filling out multiple medical forms. The author also proposes suggestions and problems that would be solved with a universal technology system that kept all these medical administration records. The "Billions Wasted on Billing" article discusses the waste of health care money on administration and how it could change with the switch to a technology system.
Source: Emanuel, Ezekiel J.. "Billions Wasted on Billing." The New York Times 13 Nov. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.
Ezekiel J. Emanuel uses a large amount of statistics with logos and some pathos in his opinion article "Billions Wasted on Billing". The statistics appeal to the logos of the audience and some of them are quite shocking. In all the costs of health care, fourteen percent is spent on administration or in the grand scheme of things, $360 billion per year. Ezekiel also breaks down the percentages of where the money is going and uses research from a Harvard economist, David Cutler. The statistics and percentages both establish Emanuel's creditability on the topic and show that he did his research. The pathos technique that Emanuel uses is that he describes his personal situation with filling out medical forms four times in three days with his frustration. This technique allows the audience to emphasize with Emanuel and make connections to their own experiences of filling out multiple medical forms. The author also proposes suggestions and problems that would be solved with a universal technology system that kept all these medical administration records. The "Billions Wasted on Billing" article discusses the waste of health care money on administration and how it could change with the switch to a technology system.
Source: Emanuel, Ezekiel J.. "Billions Wasted on Billing." The New York Times 13 Nov. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gately
Today I finished Roberta Gately's first novel, a work of fiction called Lipstick in Afghanistan. It tells a story that neither begins nor ends in that completely happy way. Elsa Murphy lives a harsh childhood in Dorchester, MA, becomes an emergency room nurse, and has a desire to help refugees anywhere that needs help. She gets that call for duty, after 9/11, to report to the Bamiyan village in Afghanistan. While there, Elsa finds herself in the middle of a war-zone with a completely different culture and the Taliban fighting against any foreigners or resistance. Elsa charms the strong-willed people of Bamiyan as a worker in the clinic and makes many friends along the way in a life that is much worse than her life in Dorchester.
After finishing this novel, I had to know if any of the characters, plot, or culture aspects of it were true. Roberta Gately establishes herself as a creditable author in her Author's Note. Gately has been a nurse and humanitarian aid worker in many war zones, including Afghanistan. She worked in the village of Bamiyan and her first work of fiction is based on the people she met in Afghanistan and the stories she was told, both the good and the bad. With that, the cultural aspects of this book are really what made it stand out to me. In a male dominated society, where males arrange marriages, rely on wives to produce sons, physically beat their wives if no sons are produced, and hold the power over the family. Women are expected to hid their hair under their veils and keep to themselves. Gately even writes about the society rules for single men and single women. There are disturbing stories about the actions of the Taliban and the lengths they will go to in order to uphold their views, from murdering twenty Bamiyan men to beating and burning an eight year old girl. The stories Gately was told and how she incorporates them into the novel provide the adventure and tragedy. She combines the tragedy and adventure with forbidden romance and the strong bond of friendship that all kept me reading. The tragedy and adventure of this antithesis society appeal to the pathos of the audience as the Taliban perform formidable acts of murder and abuse. The forgetfulness of Elsa that Bamiyan is a dangerous place and the lengths that the Taliban will go to are what make the ending incompletely happy. The diction of Roberta Gately is direct and plainly to the point as it should be. There is nothing extensive or complicated about a war or murder and its consequences. The story of Elsa Murphy, though it was fiction, and the village of Bamiyan has given me a new perspective on how much I have in my American life and made me realize that I don't even begin to understand what real tragedy is.
After finishing this novel, I had to know if any of the characters, plot, or culture aspects of it were true. Roberta Gately establishes herself as a creditable author in her Author's Note. Gately has been a nurse and humanitarian aid worker in many war zones, including Afghanistan. She worked in the village of Bamiyan and her first work of fiction is based on the people she met in Afghanistan and the stories she was told, both the good and the bad. With that, the cultural aspects of this book are really what made it stand out to me. In a male dominated society, where males arrange marriages, rely on wives to produce sons, physically beat their wives if no sons are produced, and hold the power over the family. Women are expected to hid their hair under their veils and keep to themselves. Gately even writes about the society rules for single men and single women. There are disturbing stories about the actions of the Taliban and the lengths they will go to in order to uphold their views, from murdering twenty Bamiyan men to beating and burning an eight year old girl. The stories Gately was told and how she incorporates them into the novel provide the adventure and tragedy. She combines the tragedy and adventure with forbidden romance and the strong bond of friendship that all kept me reading. The tragedy and adventure of this antithesis society appeal to the pathos of the audience as the Taliban perform formidable acts of murder and abuse. The forgetfulness of Elsa that Bamiyan is a dangerous place and the lengths that the Taliban will go to are what make the ending incompletely happy. The diction of Roberta Gately is direct and plainly to the point as it should be. There is nothing extensive or complicated about a war or murder and its consequences. The story of Elsa Murphy, though it was fiction, and the village of Bamiyan has given me a new perspective on how much I have in my American life and made me realize that I don't even begin to understand what real tragedy is.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
"Girls Just Want to Go to School"
 I think most high school students can agree at one point or another, we have had a strong dislike for attending school, taking a test, or doing homework. Or maybe its just my high school. A teacher you don't like, homework that takes to long, over-protective parents scheduling extra conferences, or parents who don't attend conferences at all. Well, one fourteen year old Vietnamese girl named Dao Ngoc Phung has a very strong dedication to her school work. One that our country sometimes lacks. This article from The New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof tells of the perseverance and love of education as Dao fills the mother role to her two younger siblings, takes care of a household, and works hard at her schoolwork. Her day begins at three in the morning and ends sometimes as late as eleven at night. For only a fourteen year old, that is absolutely incredible. Her love for school consumes her when she is not preparing a meal or performing a chore and that strong willed attitude in such a poor family will take her so far. After reading this article, I admire Dao so much for her optimistic attitude on life and how she uses that in her education. Nicholas D. Kristof uses a variety of rhetorical techniques in this pathos article. To begin with, there is already the emotional appeal when he writes about the loss of Dao's mother to cancer. His diction just overall speaks the truth behind the story and audiences can sometimes really love to read these true, heartbreaking stories and how the people they are about have such strength. Kristof's overall approach to writing the article, in the sense of a daily schedule for Dao was very effective. It described all the aspects of how she went about her day. He also explains the culture in Vietnam and the values of Confucianism to help inform the audience of Dao's culture. Kristof quotes Dao and her father about their approach to education, which proves effective. He also includes some statistics that bring in the United States. One statistic is that the United States is 23 out 27 in high school graduation rates. One quote that shows Kristof's opinion is, "I wish we Americans, especially our politicians, could learn from Phung that our long-term strength will depend less on our aircraft carriers than on the robustness of our kindergartens, less on financing spy satellites than on financing Pell grants," (Kristof). Nicholas D. Kristof writes an emotional article about how high the value of education should be in "Girls Just Want to Go to School." Source: Kristof, Nicholas D. . "Girls Just Want to Go to School." The New York Times10 Nov. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag.The New York Times. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. |
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Unchanging Bystander Nature of Humans
Remember when we read the Patterns story about Kitty Genovese and the thirty six people who watched murder and didn't say anything? Well, things haven't changed because the same thing happened to Jayna Murray recently in Lululemon while two Apple Store workers listened against the wall joining the two stores. They heard her cry for help and did nothing. After 331 wounds, Murray was dead. And those two employees heard it and did nothing. The security guard was too busy listening to his iPod to take notice. This act of human nature now has a name. The "bystander effect". I just don't get how those two employees could simply stand there, listening, and not act on a cry for help. Maybe alert the security guard they have or just pick up one of the many iPhones sitting in the Apple Store and call 911. What caused them not to call? One thought it was just drama and the other heard Murray say, "Talk to me. Don't do this. God help me. Please help me." They did nothing! How hard is it to pick up the phone and dial three numbers just for safety even if you don't know the situation?
Jenna Johnson writes her article "The bystander effect: Why those who heard the Lululemon murder didn't help," for the Washington Post with an appeal to pathos and ethos. One effective technique she uses is her own account of being attacked by three boys and not receiving any help. She was a lucky surviver, but also a victim of the bystander effect. Her story, although differing in outcomes, was similar to Jayna Murray's in the lack of human response. This technique really pulled the audience in and also established Johnson with some creditability on the subject. Another technique that Johnson uses is that she makes the common connections of Jayna Murray's case to those of Kitty Genovese and Yeardley Love, which allows her audience to make references of common knowledge. The ethos behind the article is just the logic. One ethos line is when Johnson says, "The sounds coming from Lululemon that night in March alarmed an Apple employee enough for her to listen at the wall, to sense that something might be wrong, to reach out to another employee for his opinion," (Johnson 2). That line really appeals to the audience in a logical sense. Jenna Johnson writes a powerful article on the bystander effect and the murder of Jayna Murray.
Source: Johnson, Jenna . "The bystander effect: Why those who heard the Lululemon murder didn't help." The Washington Post 4 Nov. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
Jenna Johnson writes her article "The bystander effect: Why those who heard the Lululemon murder didn't help," for the Washington Post with an appeal to pathos and ethos. One effective technique she uses is her own account of being attacked by three boys and not receiving any help. She was a lucky surviver, but also a victim of the bystander effect. Her story, although differing in outcomes, was similar to Jayna Murray's in the lack of human response. This technique really pulled the audience in and also established Johnson with some creditability on the subject. Another technique that Johnson uses is that she makes the common connections of Jayna Murray's case to those of Kitty Genovese and Yeardley Love, which allows her audience to make references of common knowledge. The ethos behind the article is just the logic. One ethos line is when Johnson says, "The sounds coming from Lululemon that night in March alarmed an Apple employee enough for her to listen at the wall, to sense that something might be wrong, to reach out to another employee for his opinion," (Johnson 2). That line really appeals to the audience in a logical sense. Jenna Johnson writes a powerful article on the bystander effect and the murder of Jayna Murray.
Source: Johnson, Jenna . "The bystander effect: Why those who heard the Lululemon murder didn't help." The Washington Post 4 Nov. 2011, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Teen Drug and HIV Screening at Doctor's Appointments
A trip to the doctor's office can always be so fun for some people...Screaming kids, little babies, shots, colds, flu, pneumonia, and swine flu are your everyday encounters at a pediatrician's office. But, it gets even better (not really). Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics is suggesting that doctors ask teenagers sixteen and older for HIV tests and questions about drug use. How much more awkward can a trip to the doctor's office get? Any community with over 0.1 percent HIV is being asked to test teens for the virus. This suggestion of these tests being performed at routine check-ups is not an original idea, but the support for it is inevitable. Drugs can affect the developing brains of teenagers, permanently damage them, and cause teens to acquire tolerances and addictions. So is this new approach that Mary Elizabeth Williams reports on a good idea? I personally think it is, especially for parents who are unable or unwilling to confront their kids on the issue. Having a doctor face the problem is an intermediate for facing these problems not from a parenting view, but a health view.
Mary Elizabeth Williams establishes her creditablitiy to both types of audiences of parents and teenagers in the Salon.com article "Should teens be screened for drug use?". She writes of her parent status and her fears for her own children establishing a pathos with the parent audience. However, she also writes of her past teen years and how these tests are what she calls "massive adolescent eye rolling" (Williams 5). In that sense, Williams is right, but she is also writing about a hard topic to reach teenagers on. The author writes about reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics and their proposals for this new policy along with Dr. Sharon Levy who is an author on a statement from this topic. The policy for asking about drug use and HIV testing at doctors is going to cause annoyance from teens everywhere.
Source: Williams, Mary Elizabeth. "Should teens be screened for drug use?." Salon.com 1 Nov. 2011: n. pag. Salon.com. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
Mary Elizabeth Williams establishes her creditablitiy to both types of audiences of parents and teenagers in the Salon.com article "Should teens be screened for drug use?". She writes of her parent status and her fears for her own children establishing a pathos with the parent audience. However, she also writes of her past teen years and how these tests are what she calls "massive adolescent eye rolling" (Williams 5). In that sense, Williams is right, but she is also writing about a hard topic to reach teenagers on. The author writes about reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics and their proposals for this new policy along with Dr. Sharon Levy who is an author on a statement from this topic. The policy for asking about drug use and HIV testing at doctors is going to cause annoyance from teens everywhere.
Source: Williams, Mary Elizabeth. "Should teens be screened for drug use?." Salon.com 1 Nov. 2011: n. pag. Salon.com. Web. 3 Nov. 2011.
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