Horror in Kandahar

After reading this article from the New York Times's Editorial Board, I am ashamed to be an American. This past weekend, one American soldier stationed in Afghanistan shot at least 16 Afghanistan civilians execution style from three different villages. Oh ya, and of those 16, nine were children. First, the soldiers release a video of them urinating on corpses in January and last month different American soldiers burned Korans. The soldier who did this was a father. How can you shoot innocent children and have children of your own? Reading this article was terrible for the United States who is trying to make a peace agreement with the Taliban. I just don't understand how soldiers can shoot innocent civilians on purpose, especially execution style. This is going to make the United States question the mental capacity and mental illness of who they accept into the armed forces.

The rhetorical techniques of the Editorial Board appeal to logos and a strong opinion against what the soldier did. The logos is shown when the author quotes the background on the soldier including his age, family relations, and past tours in the armed forces. However, the name of the soldier has not been released. The author also cites the past recent issues of American soldiers disgracing the United States with rash and disappointing actions. The Editorial Board shows the number of soldiers in Afghanistan when they write, "There are roughly 90,000 American troops in Afghanistan now, with 22,000 scheduled to leave by this fall," (Editorial Board 1). The strong opinion of the Editorial Board in their view of a solution is shown when they write, "The punishment must be swift," (Editorial Board 1). Honestly, I couldn't agree with them more.

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Sack the NFL bounty hunters

Most of us will agree that football is a violent sport to begin with. Professionals in the NFL can end up with endless injuries from brain damage to torn ACLs to career-ending injuries. If you have read some of my past posts, from Thank You Teddy Roosevelt!, some 18 players even died playing football in 1905 back when the sport was first starting. However, now a new aspect has been introduced to the game to make it even more violent: cash rewards for giving an opposing player an injury. Coach Gregg Williams, defensive coach of the New Orleans Saints, has been offering his defensive players cash rewards for injuring opposing players. Sidelining: $1500 and being carried off the field: $1000. And both the head coach and the general manager knew of these dealings. As if that isn't bad enough, Coach Williams used this system on past teams of Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills. Football players already have enough drive to protect their QB and injury anyone who threatens him, they don't need an added bonus.

The Editorial Board of the Washington Post expresses a strong opinion and does their research to establish credibility. The author believes that the NFL officials need to send Coach Williams and the receivers of his bounties a message with suspensions, fines, and other punishments. The Editorial Board shows this opinion when they write, "The NFL must send a resounding message that there is no place for such savagery even in a violent sport," (Editorial Board 1). Their effective research shows in how they questioned past players from not only the Saints, but also the Redskins and the Bills. They even questioned the head coach and general manager about the bounties. This technique shows the author's credibility of knowing who and what to ask. I have to agree with the Washington Post that these bounties are not necessary and should be punished profoundly.

Source: Editorial Board. "Punish football's bounty hunters." The Washington Post 8 Mar. 2012, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.

Changing the Chemistry of Earth's Oceans

                        

Last year in AP Chemistry, my class read the book Seasick by Alanna Mitchell. The book talked about all the ways that the carbon compounds, burning fossil fuels, and the other ways we are destroying the planet are affecting the ocean. Though at times dense, it was a very well researched and written detail of many different research institutions and scientists on the state of Earth's oceans. The book wrote about phytoplankton, coral reefs, pH, and dead zones. In this article by the Editorial Board of the New York Times, the author writes of the acidification of the world's seawater and how the ocean is becoming more acidic in the span of a couple of decades, what may the fastest in the past 300 million years. Obviously, this is another environmental issue, that as the author says "with no signs that we have the political will to slow, much less halt, the process," (Editorial Board 1). The saddest part of the change in the ocean's chemical composition for me is the destruction of the beautiful coral reefs which are beautiful ecosystems that house many organisms. The calcium carbonates on the coral reefs are slowly wearing away so much that even the Great Coral Reef will soon be destroyed of its beauty.

The Editorial Board uses some efficient techniques to convey a message in a short article. The author writes of the cause of the chemical change and explains what acidification is, obviously appealing to a very general audience that may not know much about chemistry. The logos appeal is found in the citation of research at Columbia University by paleoceanographers that the ocean's pH is the fastest acidification in the past 300 million years. An opinion is also revealed in the article when the author writes, "with no signs that we have the political will to slow, much less halt, the process," (Editorial Board 1), which shows that the author is obviously in favor of trying to prevent further acidification. However, they know that the political support will be to low to make enough of a difference. I really hope that the political support does arise in order to preserve the beauty underneath the surface of the oceans.

University of Texas Admissions Controversy

The University of Texas at Austin has a unique admission factor consideration system that promotes diversity. About seventy five percent of their student body comes from students who graduated in the top ten percent of their class because the university grants any student that falls under this category automatic admission to the school. In the remaining twenty five percent, the admissions at University of Texas at Austin evaluates prospective students not only based on GPAs and SAT scores, but also on their family living conditions and the number of languages spoken in their house. These factors help promote the school's diversity, but Abigail Fisher found fault with this. She did not get accepted into the school in 2008 and brought to the Court the belief that the system "offended the Constitution's promise of equal protection" (Editorial Board).

The article "Editorial: Race-based admissions" uses strong justice diction and formulates an opinion. Some of the justice diction includes "Supreme Court", "admonition", "appeals court", "precedent", "circuit split", and "ruling". The opinion formulated by the Editorial Board in this article is shown in the line "If the court finds fault with UT's unique approach, it should keep its ruling narrow to address only those instances in which the university may have overstepped existing law," (Editorial Board). They believe that University of Texas at Austin should correct their wrongdoings but keep their system to promote their diversity. If the system helps the school become diverse, then a few cases should not erase that system.

Source: Editorial Board. "Editorial: Race-based admissions ." Washington Post 3 Mar. 2012, sec. Opinion: n. pag. Washington Post. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.

Valedictorian Fights Deportation

In Miami, Florida, Daniela Pelaez is fighting the judge's ruling of having her and her sister Dayana Pelaez deported back to their home country of Colombia. Daniela and her sister have been in the United States for fourteen years and their brother was even permitted to become a citizen, who is now serving in the United States Military. Daniela is a senior at North Miami Senior High School, valedictorian of her class of 823, and has a 6.7 GPA. She has applied to many prestigious schools and was looking forward to choosing in April which college she will attend. Honestly, if the justice system allowed their brother to become a United States citizen, why wouldn't they allow his two sisters? The article implied that the two girls were both good kids with no records of trouble. It would be a terrible disappointment if they were shipped back to Colombia with all that they have achieved in their journey of the American dream.

John Couwels uses a heavy pathos appeal and quotes a credible source in his CNN article "Miami valedictorian fighting deportation". Couwels believes that Daniela and her sister should be allowed to stay in the United States and that it would be a disappointment for such a smart, hard-working person to be forced to leave. This is shown by how Couwels lists off her class rank, GPA, and the amazing colleges she applies to. Another technique that Couwels uses is that he quotes Michael Wildes who is a professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law about the case and how he is in disbelief with the United States justice system. Wildes is a credible source and the audience would be able to trust a professor's opinion from a law school. I agree with Couwels and Wildes with their hope that Daniela and her sister don't get deported.

Click here to read the article

Source: Couwels, John. "Miami valedictorian fighting deportation – In America - CNN.com Blogs." In America- You Define America What Defines You - CNN.com Blogs. CNN, 2 Mar. 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2012. <http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/02/miami-valedictorian-fighting-deportation/?hpt=hp_bn1>.

Girl Scouts of the USA's 100th Anniversary

                                       

Many girls can remember being Daisies, many moving on to Brownies, and some moving on to Girl Scouts. I know I was a Brownie for a couple of years and can remember some of the field trips and the selling of the infamous Girl Scout cookies. This month, Girl Scouts celebrates a century of its history. Beginning back in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia with Juliette Gordon Low gathering the first troop. The interesting thing I found after reading about the history of Girl Scouts was there was a mixture of religions from the start including Jews, Catholics, and Protestants, along with integrated groups of African Americans, Caucasians, Asians and other ethnicities. There were, however, about 1500 all-black Girl Scout troops found mainly in the South back in 1952. Today, the organization continues to be accepting of all races, ethnicities, and recently of gays and a transgender.

Russ Bynum's "Girl Scouts mark 100 years of narrowing the gender gap" writes of a logos appeal and the history of the Girl Scouts. The logos appeal is found with his quotations of credible and relative sources including a current Girl Scout Kathryn Hoersting to talk about what she does in her troop today, Mary Rothschild who is a historian who studies the Girl Scouts from Arizona State, Anastatia Sims who is a history professor at Georgia Southern who studies the life of Juliette Gordon Low, and Milly England who is one of the earliest Girl Scouts still alive at age 111 from her troop in 1914 in New Bedford. Another logos appeal that Bynum uses is statistics including registration numbers over the years, number of integrated versus all black troops, and number of Girl Scout cookie boxes sold and the income for Girl Scouts. Bynum also appeals to the audience by writing of a few famous celebrities who were Girl Scouts in their youth including Hillary Rodham Clinton, Venus Williams, and Mariah Carey. Bynum writes an interesting history in the celebration of the Girl Scouts's 100th anniversary.

Source:  Bynum, Russ. "Girl Scouts mark 100 years of narrowing the gender gap." The Boston Globe 4 Mar. 2012, Sunday ed., sec. Metro: B4. Print.

Flight Seatmate Profiling

Anyone who has had to travel by airplanes to go somewhere for work or vacation knows how much they fear the screaming kid or the needy passenger that needs to stand up and stretch every fifteen minutes and is sitting at the window seat. Who doesn't get a headache from their fellow passengers? Well, a Dutch airline has decided to introduce a system where passengers can choose who they sit next to based on Facebook and other social network profiling. Considering the last flight I took home from February vacation included a special package of three screaming children and another one who was kicking my seat from behind me, this new system doesn't sound too bad. But, let's be realistic. A profile for flying character? This could include qualities of "cracking my knuckles" or "humming constantly" (Weiner). I think the system could work, except there could be a lack of honesty from those high maintenance passengers that need to ask, talk, and do everything in the squished passenger area of an airplane.

Juli Weiner's "That Seat Is So Taken" is a comic profiling article with an unique structure and ability to make the audience laugh. Weiner starts out with the facts and informs her audience of the what, who and how the Dutch airline KLM is going to introduce this seatmate profiling system. Then, with a sense of humor, makes the ideal profile of who not to sit next to and somewhat mocking the system. With categories of name, birthday, occupation, relationship status, interests, favorite quotes, and views on religion and politics, Weiner puts the most antagonistic qualities on the profile. From a favorite quote of "Sorry, do you mind moving your hand just a bit? I think you're technically touching my side of the armrest," to an interest of "stretching" and an occupation of "Perfume, cologne, and bathroom-spray human test subject," (Weiner), the audience can laugh and relate to past obnoxious and needy seatmates that they have had in the past. Weiner sure did know how to get a chuckle out of her audience when she wrote this one.

Click here to read the article

Source: Weiner, Juli. "That Seat Is So Taken." The New York Times 4 Mar. 2012, Sunday ed., sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 4 Mar. 2012.

Should home-schooled students be allowed to join in public high school activities and sports?

                          
An editorial by The Washington Post raises a valid question for the state of Virginia: should home-schooled students be allowed to partake in activities and sports of public high schools? The requirement for students at public high schools to be eligible to play a varsity sport is to be passing five core classes in their process of receiving a diploma. Meanwhile, if this Tebow Bill passes would only need a report from parents saying that their child has satisfactory progress in one to two subjects. I don't think that seems fair. Parents have their reasons for home-schooling their children and I respect that, but with that decision, the child is choosing to withdraw from the access to school community activities. If they want to play a sport, find a club/AAU team to play on. If they want to join a club like an art or music group, then find one in the community. At first, before reading this editorial, I had an antithesis of an opinion, but the article changed my point of view. Why should students only having to take one to two classes be allowed to play with students who have to juggle five courses?

The editorial "An unfair playing field for the home-schooled" utilizes logos, and a defined opinion. The logos is used when the author explains the political figures and controversy surrounding the Tebow Bill, along with an explanation of the bill itself for the audiences who don't know about it. the defined opinion of the authors can be found with their "no offense intended" lines to parents who choose to home-school their children, and quoting opposition against the bill. The author writes, "But this bill -- no matter the allure of Tim Tebow -- is not the answer. Being on a team or in a debate club or working on the yearbook is part of being a member of a school community," (1). After reading the editorial, I couldn't agree more.

Click here to read the article

Source: "Editorial: An unfair playing field for the home-schooled." The Washington Post 17 Feb. 2012, sec. Opinion : n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.

Medical Aftermath of 9/11

                                    

Every American alive back in September 2001 will never forget that horrible day that the terrorists attacked our country and flew two planes into the World Trade Center towers. But, now over ten years later, the medical aftermath on the police and firefighter responders in taking its toll. The United States created the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act was created after a police detective who helped on 9/11 died in 2006 to improve and expand officers protection and services who helped our country on 9/11. However, this act does not include coverage for cancer and 65 officers have died from cancer that were present at 9/11 and 300 more have been diagnosed. I strongly believe that those who risked their lives for us on that terrible day should be receiving some of the best medical coverage we can offer, INCLUDING cancer. They did our country a great service on that day, and if their health is being affected because of the work they did, we should be able to help them.

The author of "Police Union Seeks Data for Cancer Links to 9/11", Colin Moynihan writes with a lot of logos and understanding of his audience. The logos appeal in this article is found with his citation of relevant people on the issue including Police Officer Alonzo Harris, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Patrick J. Lynch the president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, and Al O'Leary a union spokesperson. The understanding of his audience in this article is shown with his explanation of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, along with the past history of medical effects of 9/11. I do hope that cancer gets included in the medical coverage of the officers who were at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Click here to read the article

Source: Moynihan, Colin . "Police Union Seeks Data to Cancer Links to 9/11." The New York Times 12 Feb. 2012, sec. N.Y./ Region: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 17 Feb. 2012.

Cancer Drug Supply Running Extremely Low

Ever wonder if the world ran out of a drug we have become reliant on? Motrin? Advil? Well, right now the United States is running extremely low on preservative-free methotrexate, a drug that treats acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of cancer that strikes children ages 2 to 5. Our country is running so low, that our supplies could possibly run out within the next two weeks. Can you imagine being one of those families that needs this drug for their child? There are at least hundreds of families that have come to need this drug in order for their children to survive. Now, the supply is depleting and what are they supposed to do without the drug? We currently have the four remaining suppliers of preservative-free methotrexate that are trying to increase production and we may even have to appeal to a foreign supplier. However, even more interesting was that there are currently at least 180 drugs that are imperative to treating childhood leukemia, colon cancer, breast cancer, and other diseases. At least 180 drugs! Honestly, I think after reading this article that the United States should be making this a top priority of increasing the supplies of these important treatments.

The author of "Supply of a Cancer Drug May Run Out Within Weeks", Gardiner Harris utilizes a lot of logos, pathos, and understandable diction to appeal to the audience. The logos Harris uses is when he quotes relevant people on the issue, including Valerie Jensen, associate director of FDA's drug shortages program, Dr. Michael P. Link, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and Erin Fox, from drug information service at the University of Utah. The pathos Harris uses is the personal story of Jackson Schwartz, age 6 who is diagnosed with A.L.L. and his dad. This appeal allows the audience to have an emotional insight of what it would be like to be one of the families that needs this drug. The understandable diction Harris writes with is the explanations of what A.L.L. and preservative-free methotrexate are in a way that is comprehendable for most audiences. I really hope that the United States can find a way to get production back on track for this drug that helps cure a form of childhood leukemia.

Click here to read this article

Source: Harris, Gardiner. "Supply of a Cancer Drug May Run Out Within Weeks." The New York Times 10 Feb. 2012, sec. Health: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.

Chancer, The Wonder Dog

I have always wanted another dog ever since my first dog died in kindergarten. But, my brother became highly allergic so I probably won't have another dog for awhile. But, this article "Wonder Dog" by Melissa Fay Greene highlights how dogs can be so much more than just pets and companions. For a now thirteen year old boy named Iyal Winokur, his golden retriever Chancer has changed his life. Iyal was adopted by the Winokurs from Russia in 1999 and was diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome. FAS is a form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders where because the mother drank alcohol during her pregnancy, her child's brain and nervous system were severely and permanently damaged. Iyal was explosive with tantrums caused by the tiniest things, urgency, attempts to jump out of moving cars, and rages in the middle of the night. After trying everything, the Winokurs called 4 Paws and went to Ohio to receive a dog that changed their family's life. Chancer has the ability to keep Iyal anchored in the world with full night sleeps, disrupting tantrums and providing the emotional companion that Iyal could never find in his family or humans.

Melissa Fay Greene writes an amazing article with pathos, logos, and ethos. The pathos is just the story she reports in its entirety about how a dog was able to change a boy's life with FAS and prevent his mental state from completely declining to schizophrenia or psychosis. The logos involved are the numerous different statistics and quotations from organizations and doctors, like Alan G. Weintraub, Dr. Jacquelyn Betrand of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. general surgeon, and Alan M. Beck, the director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine. The ethos appeal is established with Greene's credibility of knowing which people to talk to and quote on Iyal's story, including his family, Karen Shirk, and Jeremy Dulebohn. Another interesting technique that was used was "Before Chancer, B.C." and "After Chancer, A.C." for how situations have changed. Honestly, I highly recommend this article; it was truly a wonderful story.

Source: Greene, Melissa Fay. "Wonder Dog."The New York Times 2 Feb. 2012, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 6 Feb. 2012.

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Thank You Teddy Roosevelt!

                        

Wonder what America's sports culture would be like if we didn't have the NFL? Well, one things for sure...today would be a different day, probably just treated like any old Sunday in February. However, all of us Americans who are getting ready for the Super Bowl right now, make sure you thank President Theodore Roosevelt. Without his influence back in 1905, the excessive violence of football back then (18 deaths in 1905 alone from the sport) would probably have banished from the United States. It's pretty cool how President Roosevelt was able to influence and change the rules of football so the game was safer, and able to stay as a part of America's culture.

The rhetorical techniques Bob Greene uses in his article of "The president who saved football" relys heavily on the logos appeal for his audience. Throughout this article, there is a logos appeal of historical events and references, including President Theodore Roosevelt's accomplishments, and influential football figures at the time like Charles W. Eliot (Harvard's president). Also,  Bob Greene cites the authority of Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller researched and wrote the book "The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football", therefore, ethos is established as Miller is obviously a knowledgeable source on this topic. This article was a great way for me to get in the spirit of the Super Bowl. Now let's go watch some football...

Source: Greene, Bob. "The president who saved football - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. N.p., 5 Feb. 2012. Web. 5 Feb. 2012. http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/05/opinion/greene-super-bowl/index.html?hpt=hp_c2.

Do-It-Yourself Deportation

One of the many controversial questions in the United States today is pertaining to the children of illegal immigrants. Should they be allowed to stay? Or should we deport them back to their home countries? Everyone has their own opinions, but this is mine: these children help make the United States the melting pot it is. Without them, our country wouldn't be this amazing mixture of cultures, languages, customs, and people. The diversity we have makes us such an amazing place. Honestly, this article made me cry for Antonio Alarcon, the author. His parents were not only not making enough money in the United States, but another son left in Mexico without any guardians to care for him, has made them return to Mexico and leave Antonio alone with his uncles in New York City. One line that really spoke to me was when Antonio says, "Now that they are in Mexico, I wonder who will be at my graduation, my volleyball games, or my birthday? With whom will I share my joy or my sad moments?" (Alarcon 1). His words made me realize that having your parents there for you, no matter what, isn't a guarantee. Those of us who do have them, think about how much you count on your parents for whatever reasons you have. Maybe it's a sports game, a celebration, taking pictures at a dance, or simply confiding in them about a bad day. They do so much, and the pain without them would be overwhelming.

The rhetorical techniques Antonio Alarcon utilizes in this pathos based article are very convincing and appealing to the audience. First, however, the interesting thing about this article was that it was originally submitted in Spanish and was translated into English for publication. This article is heavy on the pathos appeal because Alarcon really draws his audience in emotionally with his story and what deportation has done to his family and how it affects him. Another technique Alarcon uses is his citations of political figures and news involving deportation, like Mitt Romney's suggestion for "self-deportation", and the Dream Act. This technique establishes reliability with the audience, that immigrants do have an understanding and care about the politics in our country. Finally, Alarcon asks his audience a lot of rhetorical questions, including the ones previously cited and this one: "Does Mr. Romney really think that this should be America's solution for immigration reform?" (Alarcon 1). These questions really question the audience's previous opinions and how Antonio's story has affected them. Honestly, Antonio Alarcon's "Do-It-Yourself Deportation" article was one of the best articles I have read, full of truth and a new perspective on immigration.

Source: Alarcon, Antonio . "Do-It-Yourself Deportation." The New York Times 1 Feb. 2012, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 5 Feb. 2012.

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Memoir #2: Warriors Don't Cry

For my second memoir, I am going to read Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals. 

Exercise Might Be Able to Help Fight Alzheimer's

                               

With my personal hopes of becoming a doctor someday, the title of this article immediately peaked my interest. A study by The Archives of Neurology promoted Professor Denise Head to begin an experiment at Washington University in St. Louis. The experiment gathered 201 patients who had not shown any clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's with some who did have a family history. In the experiment, the scientists scanned their brains for amyloid plaques (flashing red lights for Alzheimer's), a variant of the APOE gene, which is involved in cholesterol metabolism, called e4 (multiples the risk for Alzheimer's by 15%), and asked for a history of exercise habits. The reports came in that people who exercised at least 30 minutes for five times a week had less amyloid plaques than those who didn't exercise. Another result was that those he did have the APOE-e4 variant gene had a lot of amyloid plaques, unless they had a history of exercise. The exercise by those who had the variant gene had equal levels of amyloid plaque to those negative e4 variants. This is good news for those patients who know they have a family history of Alzheimer's.

The author of "How Exercise Might Be Able to Help Fight Alzheimer's", Gretchen Reynolds, uses a lot of logos appeals. One of her logos appeals was how well she reported on the experiment performed, its process, its location (Washington University in St. Louis), and its results. Reynolds explained the difficult scientific jargon so that anyone who was not from the science field or didn't know anyone with Alzheimer's could understand difficult things like the amyloid plaques and the APOE-e4 variant. Another logos appeal that Reynolds uses is her quotes from the most relevant person in the experiment, Dr. Denise Head, who conducted the study. The audience can definitely rely on her words and Reynolds for knowing who to talk to. The diction of this article is mainly that of medicine and genetics, such as "amyloid plaques," "APOE," "e4," and "positron emission tomography". However, unlike previous articles that I have read, Reynolds made her article "How Exercise May Keep Alzheimer's at Bay" understandable for most audiences about another positive step in the fight against Alzheimer's.

Source: Reynolds, Gretchen . "How Exercise May Keep Alzheimer's at Bay." The New York Times 18 Jan. 2012, sec. Health: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.

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Abortion: Worldwide Rate Stopped Falling After 2003

         

In Donald G. McNeil Jr.'s New York Times article "Abortion: Worldwide Rate Stopped Falling After 2003", McNeil writes about the controversial issue of abortion and how there has been a leveling off in the rate. Since 2003, the rate of abortion was 29 out of 1,000 women and has since leveled off. For some countries, access to birth control is limited. In others, the need to fight more deadly issues like AIDS and malaria are more important to purchase medication and protective tools for than abortion. One interesting thing I found from this article was that the United States contributes the most support in money and medication to birth control to other countries, but that has decreased since the influx of money towards AIDS and malaria. Another interesting fact from this article was that abortion rates are higher in countries where abortion is illegal than in countries where it is legal. Definitely human nature...

The rhetorical techniques McNeil utilizes in this article are an excellent source of logos that gets the point across to the audience. The first appeal of logos is his citation of the study where his facts and statistics came from, the Lancet by World Health Organization and Guttmacher Institute in New York. With that citation, the audience gives McNeil credibility. His statistics included the abortion rates of 1999 and 2003. Another logos appeal that McNeil uses is quotations from relevant people, one of whom is Gilda Sedgh. Sedgh is the lead author of the study and a research associate at the Guttmacher Institute. McNeil gets straight to the point in this article and doesn't leave the audience with any questions. Donald G. McNeil writes an effective article utilizes a straightforward approach and a logos appeal.

Source: McNeil, Donald G. Jr.. "Abortion: Worldwide Rate Stopped Falling After 2003." The New York Times 23 Jan. 2012, sec. Health: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 24 Jan. 2012.

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A Boost for the World's Poorest Schools

                 

Ever wonder how many children in the world do not attend school today? Well, right now, 69 million children do not go to school. Pretty big number, I'd say. However, in 1999, 106 million children didn't attend school, which is even worse. So, in 13 years, the world has increased the amount of kids going to school by 37 million. That's a lot of progress. Tina Rosenberg writes about the organization Save the Children and the Literacy Boost program they have developed in her New York Times article "A Boost for the World's Poorest Schools". The organization has done a lot of good for countries like Ethiopia, Nepal, Mozambique, and Malawi especially in providing for those children with illiterate parents. One of the shocking thing about the program was the large amount of absenteeism in the teachers. Their reasons including HIV, living in poverty, and too many kids in a class. However, Save the Children was able to develop a program where the student would take a picture of their teacher in the morning and afternoon of the school day to show that they were there.

Tina Rosenberg's strongest technique in "A Boost for the World's Poorest Schools" is her logos appeal. Her first logos appeal is the statistics she uses throught the article including 69 million children don't attend school, 18 percent increase in primary school enrollment in sub-Sahara Africa, schools in Malawi with 175 students in a class, and 20 percent of teacher absenteeism in Uganda. Rosenberg's second logos appeal is through the people she quotes and how relevant they are including Amy Jo Dowd Save the Children's senior adviser to educational research, Idalina Mauaie a teacher in Chingoe, Mozambique and Esther Duflo a poverty researcher at Harvard University. Throughout the article, Rosenberg uses the pathos appeal for the audiences that have an education and go to school to feel grateful for what they have and sympathize for those 69 million children who don't go to school. Rosenberg also gives her audience an understanding of what the definition o going to school in third world countries is like with books, supplies, teachers, class sizes, and the style of learning. After reading Tina Rosenberg's article from the New York Times, I definitely have more of an appreciation for my education.

Source: Rosenberg, Tina. "A Boost for the World's Poorest Schools." The New York Times 19 Jan. 2012, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 20 Jan. 2012.

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Bye Bye Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes

                           

The Hostess company has filed for bankruptcy so kids say goodbye to those Ring Dings, Hostess Cupcakes, and Twinkies. While I can never say I have ever had a Ring Ding or a Twinkie, I have had a Hostess cupcake and those treats were amazing. However, after having my friend's home-made "Hostess" cupcake, the packaged one does not compare. The company is in debt by millions of dollars and because of this, they want to change their labor agreements with their 19,000 employees. This means more job losses and more people back on the search for the low amount of employment. One different component of Hostess from many modern day food production companies is that they don't try and advertise the "healthy" or "no sugar" or even "organic" approach. At least their honest that their food is terrible for consumers's health. But, one things for sure. A company that owes millions of dollars, sells food full of pure sugar, and not provide worthwhile employment is not needed in the current economy of the United States.

"Twinkies, the Undead Snack" by Mark Bittman uses some nice comparisons, pathos, and expresses his opinion with direct diction. One of Bittman's techniques was the comparison he used for the Hostess company. Bittman writes, "In fact the story of Hostess, as much a fixture as Chevy when I was a kid, is the common tale of extreme debt, real obligations to real live workers and an inability to change with the times," (Bittman 1). This comparison can help audiences closer to age to Bittman compare with the current situation of the Hostess company. The pathos technique used in this article is Bittman's personal experiences with the products of Hostess and how he describes their wonderful tastes and flavors. Bittman also expresses his opinion without doubt, especially when he says,
               "While I would never wish a cut in the standard of living of any worker, and few
                working-class people have control over which job they wind up in, the companies
                that deserve to survive are the ones that produce things we need and provide
                gainful employment.," (Bittman 1).
With that statement, I couldn't agree more with Bittman and he makes a valid, convincing point.

Source: Bittman, Mark. "Twinkies, the Undead Snack." The New York Times 17 Jan. 2012, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 18 Jan. 2012.

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Memoir #1: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

                                   


I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is my first memoir that I am going to read. So far, I have read the first chapter about Maya Angelou and her brother Bailey going to stay with her grandmother. This book was highly recommended to me and knowing how much good Maya Angelou has done for the world, I am excited to read her memoir. My cards are all set up and the rest of the book awaits...

How the Marines video made the Afghan war even tougher

This personal reflection opinion article by Timothy Kudo on the viral video of United States Marines urinating on dead Taliban insurgents was an incredible inside look of what it is like to be a Marine. Timothy Kudo served in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2009-2011 as a Marine captain. And what was even more interesting was that he knew the infantry that posted the disgraceful video on the Internet, the 3rd Batallion, 2nd Marines. Kudo speaks of the Marines most important mission of a sense of morality in building local support. The 42 second video ruined that sense of morality and is going to create a hard battle ahead for those going back to Afghanistan. Not only that, but the peace negotiations the United States is trying to achieve now are going to be more difficult to achieve. Kudo's anger at his fellow Marines provides so much emotion when he describes the process of dealing with enemy death with respect.

The main appeal of the Washington Post's "How the Marines video made the Afghan war even tougher" is ethos and pathos. The ethos appeal is established immediately when Timothy Kudo defines himself as not only a United States Marine, but one who has been to Afghanistan and Iraq. This ethos establishes a great amount of credibility with the audience because Kudo can relate to the Marines and tell his audience what other Marines think of this action. The pathos appeal shows when Kudo says, "I can't imagine what went through the heads of the men in the video, because desecrating the dead goes against every custom and value the Marines hold dear," (Kudo 1). The disappointment and failure of morality in these Marines is what Kudo writes about and how they were taught to treat the dead with respect. With that, Kudo writes of his own experiences while fighting in the Afghan war and how there were situations where discipline was hard, especially when one of their own died, but it still shined through. The pathos appeal and Kudo's Marine experiences really make this Washington Post article incredible.

Source: Kudo, Timothy. "How the Marines video made the Afghan war even tougher." The Washington Post 13 Jan. 2012, sec. Opinion: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.

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Italian Cruise Goes Ashore

When I was younger, I never wanted to see the movie Titanic because I was afraid of the ship sinking, me drowning, and the nightmares brought on by it. Well, here is a somewhat modern day occurrence of the Titanic. An Italian cruise ship went ashore Giglio Island off the coast of Italy late last night. The Costa Concordia was carrying about 4,200 people and right now around 50 of those people are missing. Three were reported dead. The accounts of the Italian Coast Guard, some of the passengers, and a crew member really intrigued me. It was terrible how people were shoving and climbing over each other to get into the life boats. The even more shocking news was that the people aboard the Costa Concordia had not yet performed an evacuation drill yet. The drill was supposed to be performed later today. Honestly, why wouldn't they do the evacuation drill the second day on the boat, so everyone is settled in and it would be performed at the earliest possible time. Even more surprising was what Ms. Alessandra Grasso told the author, "no crew member was trained for evacuation," (Flegenheimer, Pianigiani 1). How can your own crew members not know how to evacuate???? One things for sure and that's I won't be taking a Costa Concordia cruise anytime soon.

Matt Flegenheimer and Gaia Pianigiani both coordinated from New York and Rome to write the article "Search Is On for Survivors From Italian Cruise Ship That Ran Aground" for the New York Times. With that byline at the end of the article saying their location where they were reporting from, ethos is established that this article was not just reported from the distant United States, but with an onsite reporter. Another technique Flegenheimer and Pianigiani use is how they give the need to know facts right away in the first couple sentences. This technique really pulls the audience in so they aren't left waiting. A logos technique that the authors use is how they quote specific and relevant people from the accident including Commander Cosimo Nicastro from the Italian Coast Guard, passengers Alessandra Grasso, Melissa Goduti, relative Christian Arca  to his mother, and crew member Fabio Costa. This technique shows Pianigiani knew who to talk to in Italy and what would appeal to the audience. The correspondence between Flegenheimer and Pianigiani in separate countries to combine together an informative article on the Italian cruise ship crash.

Source: Flegenheimer, Matt, and Gaia Pianigiani. "Search Is On for Survivors From Italian Cruise Ship That Ran Aground." The New York Times 14 Jan. 2012, sec. Europe: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.

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Dogs can identify communication cues

Well, here's a comparison that I would have never imagined...dogs and human babies (except for maybe the cuteness factor). In The Boston Globe, Deborah Kotz reports that dogs can understand simple communication cues like pitch and eye contact, which is very similar to the understanding that human infants try to have with their parents and others trying to talk to them. If you make direct eye contact with your dog and use a high pitched voice, they are more able to try and understand you. Without making eye contact or using a high pitched voice, it is harder for the dog to be able to understand the communication signals. One of the researchers, Jozsef Topal, said, "Our findings reveal that dogs are receptive to human communication in a manner that was previously attributed only to humans," (Kotz 1). Whoever said "Dog is man's best friend" knew what they were talking about!

The beginning of the article "Dogs, like babies, detect subtle communication cues" lacked the official credibility of ethos for author Deborah Kotz. The vague diction makes the audience wonder if the study was actually conducted by scientists or if she is an author spouting out her opinion. The diction with words like "the researchers" and "the experiment" aren't the type of words an audience wants when reading about a scientific study. Eventually, Kotz does cite where the study was conducted, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and one of the researchers on the study, Jozsef Topal. These citations gain Kotz some ethos back, especially when she quotes Topal on the study. Also, Kotz does describe the experiment that the researchers performed. This technique allows the audience to understand how the Hungarian researchers make their statement of dogs understanding communication cues. The clear audience of this article is anyone who is, has been, or will be a dog owner as Kotz describes how dog owners can apply this new information with their dogs. Dogs are like babies in their recognition of communication cues through eye contact and a high pitched voice.

Source: Kotz, Deborah. "Dogs, like babies, detect subtle communication cues." The Boston Globe 5 Jan. 2012, sec. Health/Wellness: n. pag. The Boston Globe. Web. 8 Jan. 2012.

Best AIDS Vaccine in Monkeys

                                         

One of the few reasons that this article peaked my interest was that my biology class studied the immune system over Christmas break and honestly, I enjoyed the content. The best vaccine that the researchers found contained two strains of adenovirus and reduced the monkey's chances of contracting AIDS by 80 percent. Adenovirus is a strain of a virus that causes most colds. Also, with that vaccine, there was less of the HIV virus circulating throughout the blood and body fluids. The new vaccination has given researchers insight that the successful AIDS vaccine is going to need a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) shell around the protein. In this article, the positive attitude of the author, David Brown, really helped the audience see that this piece of research is a positive step towards finding an AIDS vaccination and the scientific world is making progress on this issue.

David Brown's rhetorical techniques used in his Washington Post article "Researchers report the best-yet AIDS vaccine in monkeys" are effective in informing his audience. One technique Brown uses is that he quotes experts on the research project including Dan A. Barouch and Anthony S. Fauci. Not only does he quote these experts, but he also cites their titles and professions which establishes ethos with the audience that his sources are valid. However, some of the jargon and diction that Brown uses in his article is probably foreign to many audiences. The only reason I was able to follow the scientific diction, like "immunogens" and "adenovirus" was because I have knowledge on the immune system and immunodeficiencies. Brown's audience is intended to be scientists, doctors, and students who have an understanding of AIDS and the HIV virus. David Brown's article on the new AIDS vaccine is keeping the scientific world and patients with AIDS positive for a successful vaccination.

Source: Brown, David . "Researchers report the best-yet AIDS vaccine in monkeys." The Washington Post 4 Jan. 2012, sec. National: n. pag. The Washington Post. Web. 5 Jan. 2012.