1. There can be many difficulties when working with other people. You might not see eye to eye on the resolution to a problem. People have different views and different approaches on how to go about starting and finishing a project. Certain people’s personalities could also clash. The way to resolve these problems are to let everyone get there word in, one persons views may be an asset to what’s goin on and if there view isn’t heard then you would never know it. If at all possible combine all the ideas to make one great idea. Teamwork in the long run gets things done quicker and having more then one brain thinking about the challenge is always a good idea.

Nicholas Carr’s essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid” he claims that Google is somehow effecting our concentration because we are so used to obtaining our information about the world so fast off the web. We are no longer concentrating on the longer books and readings, and that learning off the web has altered our way of absorbing information. Carr claims that his brain has been reprogrammed and he can feel it most strongly when he is reading. His claims his mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. He even says “Once he was a scuba diver in the sea, particles of words, now he zips along the surface like a guy on a jet ski.” Some of his friends and acquaintances – literary types, most of them- many say they’re having similar experiences. Even though he quotes what some professors and studies have shown they are not considered hard facts. His tone throughout was very calm and he was informative. He dragged the essay out going off the subject a couple of times.  Overall I thought his essay lacked the facts and there where times were he went off course but he did get his point across on how he feels the Net is changing our learning process.

In Clay Shirky’s essay he says he agrees with Carr that his premises are correct but he disagrees on what we should actually do about it. He says it focuses more on a very particular kind of reading, literary reading, as a metonym for a whole way of life. Shirky gives his own personal reasons on why he thinks that the web has changed our way of thinking. He agrees with me that Carr went of the subject more then a few times.  He has many different reasons why he doesn’t agree with Carr’s point of view. He says that Carr’s essay wasn’t about thinking or even reading, but about culture. Shirky states that people don’t read War & Peace because it’s too long and not so interesting not because of the web. His evidence in terms of quality was poor. He basically agrees with Carr about the fact that our reading patterns have changed because of the web, but is disagreeing on the reasons why. He’s only giving his opinion and his views on the whole situation. He’s resting on an assumption that all readers may not share. His tone throughout was firm and arrogant and he rejected all of Carr’s reasons.

I agree with both essays, they both relied on their own points of view and both mad good arguments. I would say that Carr offered the most credible evidence because he gives points of views from many different sources. Even though he rambled at times I felt his was more informative and that Shirky’s was strictly from his point of view that everyone may not share.

In Peter Singer’s essay I believe his claim is that most Americans spend their money on too many things not essential to the preservation of our lives and health.  Money that we spend on upgrading to a new TV or more fashionable up to date clothing could be donated to one of a number of charitable agencies and can mean the difference between life and death for children in need.  He describes how most of us would rather spend $200 on dining out in one month, and that same $200 could save a child’s life. His thesis isn’t based off of facts or true life events but is based off of hypothetical situations. His overall purpose is clear and is fairly persuasive and makes you think. He did go off his actual purpose when he went into trying to tell us we need to donate every cent of our extra money, when he started off saying it only takes $200 to save a child. All readers may not share this because some may be the few in which he describes that do give 10% of their income to charities off top. Singer starts out talking to the reader but then switches it up and starts to talk down to the reader. Opposing view aren’t depicted fairly because his argument is one-sided, he doesn’t give the point of view from someone who already contributes to charities. The two hypothetical situations that he gives do not relate to the thesis partly because he is utilitarian philosopher so he wants us to see whether their actions are right or wrong instead of sticking to why we should donate our money. He also says that we are all wrong for not contributing. There are some contradictions in his essay because Singer says if we can only donate $200 that will save a child but then he goes on to say we need and should contribute all of our extra wealth. I don’t agree with the way he tries to demand that people donate every extra dollar they have. I got a little confused when he went into his examples they were a little extreme and were more about morals then whether or not you should donate to charities. The tone of the essay did distract from the real purpose of the essay. Singer started off with a good argument but lost the readers when he became too pushy. Opposing views are not depicted fairly in this essay.

Greg Schaefer’s essay talks about how Singer’s essay started out fairly persuasive in getting the reader to want to donate but the argument loses its strength later on and the reader becomes less persuaded. Greg wants to affect the reader by showing where Singer went wrong in his essay. He states that when Singer begins to demand that people donate every cent of their extra money it doesn’t convince people to want to donate. Greg states that Singer is a utilitarian philosopher, which means he looks at the consequences of an action to see whether it is right or wrong and that he believes that Bob’s lack of action should be condemned and Dora’s actions praised. This has nothing to do with helping a starving child. Greg talks to the reader in a convincing manner rather then a putting people down.  Greg’s main ideas are showing where Singer’s essay loses its persuasion and becomes more of a demand. I agree with Greg’s essay because it takes you through the motions, as he said he went from being irritated at the people who do not donate anything and very persuaded to donate $200 to being very unsure as to whether or not he wanted to donate. Greg’s tone is casual in the beginning stating how Singer’s essay could have been good and showed Singers stronger points. Then Greg’s tone becomes to describe how the essay made him irritated, sympathetic and then confused. His tone didn’t distract from his purpose because I was feeling the same feelings. Opposing views are depicted fairly in this essay.

I agree with Greg’s point of view, he explains how a person might feel from both sides and states how Singer did not provide any real persuasion as to why people should donate their money and left readers wondering why they should donate.

My writing has evolved in many different ways over the years. I’ve dabbled in poetry which in my opinion made me think a lot more because a lot of my poems where from the heart. A lot of thought would go into creating my poems; it wasn’t just about rhyming but telling a story or a message that would touch you when you read it. This writing process flowed into any of my papers that I would write. I would put more time and effort into my writing even if it wasn’t something that was personal. Writing something personal draws out emotions and words you never knew were there in the first place. It’s been over ten years since I was in high school and English 112 is my second college English class. It has made me realize a few things.  I realize in any paper there needs to be a strong and clear thesis statement.  My papers need to have good supporting evidence that can help develop my thesis. I try to put my important compelling ideas in a more polished frame. I am more accurate with giving the hard facts and quoting sources. Being more declarative and expressing my views can make a paper more persuasive to the reader. I know I’m not the best that I could be and my writing is a work in progress. I’m not ashamed of going to dictionary.com and making sure the correct word or the correct meaning is in the right place, because I know that that’s just a part of the writing process.  When I have to type a memo for my boss that he has dictated to me, I’m the one who has to clean it up and re-write it so that it is clearly and professionally written.  So in turn, being a better writer effects me in my everyday life.

Part   1

1. Health Care
2. Global Warming
3. Affordable Housing
4. Child Abuse/Neglect
5. The pay rate doesn’t equal the cost of living
6. Why do men die at an earlier age then women
7. Why are there starving people out there when we are spending millions of dollars on a war
8. The unemployment rate is rising
9. Social security benefits are diminishing
10. Why does going to college cost so much

Part 2

There are over 45 million Americans uninsured, and healthcare has become increasingly unaffordable. Recently I read about Obama trying to pass a healthcare reform bill because the current health care system is failing a lot of us. The uninsured wait longer to go and see a doctor, as a result of that they are diagnosed for diseases late. Health care premiums continue to grow and many businesses choose not to offer a health plan because of this. There needs to be universal health care, maybe something similar to the publicly funded healthcare systems in England and in Canada which both have a high level of popular public support. About a month ago a random guy knocked on my apartment door, when I opened the door he asked if I would contribute to his cause and write a letter to our congressman about why affordable health care is important. I don’t have any health coverage so I felt like this affected me directly. I wrote a half page letter stating my reasons, and that made me feel good. 1 in 5 black people aren’t insured, and I’m one of them.

Part 3

Some may say do we really want the US Tax Code handling our healthcare. The government will most likely pass additional restrictions on smoking, fast food, drinking alcohol, etc. The government might also end up having to ration out drugs, equipment, and services. Private practices would become a thing of the past and less people would go to medical school because of possible reduced pay. People who don’t have insurance can go to these free clinics that the government has set up.  Free health care isn’t really free we would be paying with higher taxes or spending cuts. Healthy people who take care of themselves will have to pay for the burden of those who aren’t healthy because the cost would be spread to all Americans. The quality of healthy care in the US is the best in the world, would it really be better off adapting a universal government controlled health care system like the ones used in Canada and England. Maybe, maybe not.

What Do I Believe?

1. I believe that people are going to make mistakes in their lifetime, and it’s about whether or not you learn and grow from your mistakes. We are all flawed, no one is perfect but no one person is better then the next. We only have one life to live so we better make this run at life a good one.
2. I believe that society is screwed up. Even though we have been here for only God knows how long on this planet there is still so much wrong in the world. Our society doesn’t learn from the past and the mistakes we have already made.  We have evolved so little over a long period of time.
3. I believe that government is just a way for well off people to make sure that they stay well off. Old white men make the rules that effects everyone in the United States, when there needs to be a more diverse group making the rules because the United States isn’t just made up of old white men.
4. I believe that justice should happen a lot more. People who commit crimes should do the time that fits the crime nothing more nothing less and I feel there are many instances where this doesn’t happen.
5. I believe that knowledge is obtainable; you just have to want it. If you want to be smart and know things then you should read and learn about them. It’s up to you on how much stuff you want to learn about.
6. I believe that science isn’t always right, but at least they are trying to find the answers. It can be a very powerful tool to learning about us and the universe.
7. I believe that reality isn’t all about happy moments. There has to be some kind of balance in life and with the happy comes the sad. The reality of life is that there’s going to be both and there’s going to be some things we can’t control.
8. I believe that life is what you make it. If you have a negative outlook on life then that’s how you life will be, if you stay positive then positive things will come of that.
9. I believe that happiness comes from inside of you and know one can take that away from you. Happiness is a state of mind and no matter what situations you have in life if you are eternally happy then that will shine through.
10. I believe that goodness is in everyone from the time they are born. There is evil in the world and there are evil people but they aren’t born that way. I believe that ultimately goodness will win over evil.
11. I believe that death is eminent and isn’t something to be feared. We are born to die, and even though no one knows what waits for us after death it shouldn’t be something that we fear.
12. I believe that God is putting us through a test and I believe that we are failing miserably. Poverty, war, crimes, violence, abuse, pollution….negligence of how frail we are as human beings and how he has given us this planet which we are destroying along with ourselves as a species.

I believe that people…..

We as humans make mistakes everyday, and sometimes we even make the same mistake over and over again.  We are flawed and fragile creatures, but we are also smart and have a lot to offer if we put forth our best effort. I’ve made mistakes in my lifetime, these mistakes no matter how minor or major have shaped me into the person I am today. I am stronger, smarter, and more aware of surroundings because of the mistakes I have made in my lifetime. The more major mistakes have helped me to grow and realize that I too can fall hard but it’s up to me and no one else to pick myself up. There have been instances  where an ex-convict has been deeply remorseful for the pain he/she has caused and I believe that people can change even if there opportunity for other people to see this change has passed, but they aren’t doing it for others to realize but for themselves. I have had some trouble with the law myself and that’s something that I never thought would ever happen to me but I’m human and I made a mistake. From that I have learned so much about myself and others around me, I’ve grown a lot and realized life is what I make it and I have to turn my mistakes into life lessons.  Now I think in depth about my day to day actions, and try (and I say try because I am human) to only do things that are productive, that I can learn from, and things that improve my quality of life.

Some people do feel they are better then others and may feel that they are even less flawed. Maybe because they have a lot of money or power they feel like their mistakes aren’t as important or impactful in their lives. Many socialites in Hollyweird break the law and don’t do as much time as the average person would for the same crime. With their money comes power and there mistakes aren’t looked at as seriously as someone else’s. It doesn’t affect their lives like it would someone else’s that isn’t in their position of wealth.   Yeah there mistakes will effect them for the rest of their lives but don’t have the same kind of impact that it would have on someone less fortunate. These people don’t really learn or grow from their mistakes because there aren’t any long standing consequences behind them.

Hello,

So I have taken a few online courses before and WordPress is new to me. I have been messing around with it and am getting the hang of managing it slowly. Not sure yet if I will like this better then just posting threads in the discussion board, but it does seem interesting and I am open to the idea of letting other people who aren’t in my class view and criticize my writing. I am 28 years old, a single mom, full-time student, full-time administrative assistant, cheerleader for my son’s flag football team, and I am devoted to obtaining my degree. I feel it’s never too late to get back on the ball and I plan on taking my education all the way to the Doctorate level. I wish everyone much success in this class and in life. I am a strong believer if you put positive energy out the positive energy will come back into your life. I also believe in second, third, and fourth chances because we are all human and we mistakes some bigger then others but it’s all about learning from them and moving on. I hope everyone enjoys my views and writing this semester and I look forward to reading other people’s blogs and comments as well.

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