Week 14 Response Prompt

This article is about the history that Aids have taken place in America. Aids was first reported in America in 1981, which wasn’t too long ago. The article covers the views of people and how it affected them and it also covers some myths about Aids. One part of the article covered a story about how Aids is not a “gay disease.” Ryan White was a teenager who had gotten HIV from a blood product that was to help with Hemophilia. With his death in 1990, the Ryan White CARE Act was formed to fund and support HIV-Aids programs. Another part of the article covered how the gay community was affected with the world panicking about Aids. This was followed by the author writing about assumptions that were made. Many people assume that if you are gay or black you have Aids.
When I first read this article I was very interested in what the author was going to say. I really enjoyed this article because it is providing people information about Aids. It is providing information that many people do not know and it also disputes any false myths about Aids. It really does bother me that people think only gays or blacks can get Aids, but after reading this article they will realize that straight and white people can also get Aids. I hope that more people will want to support and fund programs that will educate the public about Aids after reading this article.
The authors stand point in this article is a positive, informative one. He does not make Aids sound like a “gay disease” but instead starts to educate the reader about the truth. He is smart enough to not make assumptions about this disease and wants to share this knowledge with others.
One question that I have for the author is why write about America and not about the world?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7754007.stm

Week 14 Prompt 2

One area of writing that I will continue to work on after English 101 is to use my sources to their fullest potential. English 101 taught me that resources are very important in any kind of paper. Resources are the evidence that will back up your thesis statement; therefore, making your paper much stronger. Without any type of evidence your paper will be nothing more than your own opinion. No reader will listen to you because they could write the same exact paper. However, with scholarly resources, the reader will know you worked hard and they can believe your thesis. One way that I will employ doing so is in future research papers. I will take what I have learned this year and apply it to future assignments.
Another area of writing that I will continue to work on after English 101 is blogs. I have a Xanga account that I do write in. Blogs are something fun to do that helps you express yourself. You can write about anything you want and no one can criticize you on it. You don’t need any evidence to back up what you write about because this is all free writing. I really did enjoy blogs this semester, the only that was hard about it was the deadline.

Week 14 Prompt 1

The process I took in constructing my portfolio consisted of many steps, it is important to get everything. My first step is to revise paper number four and see how many revised pages I can get with that. Paper number is required in the portfolio so I need to know how many more revised pages I need. The next step is to choose which of the three remaining essays I would use to add more revised pages to my count. I would choose the essays that I think will better represent my writing abilities. The third step is to revise the chosen essays further too finally get the twenty-two pages required. If I needed more revised pages I could also revise blogs that I had previously done. Revising blogs are always a good option if more pages are needed. The final step in putting together the portfolio is to make sure I have all necessary papers. I would have to check to make sure I have my portfolio reflection letter draft one and two, paper number four, any other essays that I would use, the permission form that my former group members have signed, and anything else that would be needed.

Thanksgiving Prompt 1

In Japan, there is act that has been passed and it results in nothing but gruesome deaths. Ninth graders from the same classes are pitted against each other on an island. There can only be one winner; everyone else must die. The kids don’t want to fight but Kitano, a teacher, argues that “It's your own damned fault. You guys mock grown-ups. Go ahead and mock us but don't you forget...Life is a game. So fight for survival and find out if you're worth it,” this begins the movie, Battle Royale.
The movie starts off with an attention grabber by revealing who has won another game of battle royale. As they show the girls face, she has a terrifying grin on her face; foreshadowing the grisly things to come. That grin shows how psychotic she has become because of this crazy game. This draws you in because then you start to wonder what has actually happened. The director uses good camera angles making the movie flow. The technical work makes such a big impact on the person watching the film because you get to follow the story plot of many characters. This is especially important with a plot so different and out there.

Thanksgiving Prompt 2

I think Americans should all celebrate Thanksgiving because it is a time when family comes together. I think that is the most important thing about this holiday. The historical purpose to me is just history. To me, Thanksgiving is when we get to see family we haven’t seen in a long time and to eat really good food. The food during the holidays is something that everyone craves and because of Thanksgiving we can satisfy this craving. I mean think about mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, ham, pumpkin pie, and many other goodies you can eat. This day brings all families closer together whether it is with lunch or dinner. Some family members cannot see each other anytime of the year, but they will make a special trip for Thanksgiving.
Another reason they should all celebrate Thanksgiving is to help stimulate the economy. The economy isn’t so good right now but with a special holiday people are willing to spend more. That means with more spenders there is more money within our economy. By stimulating the economy you can help out other people who have been hurt by the bad economy. Basically all you have to do is buy food, eat well, and you have stimulated the economy just like that.

Thanksgiving Prompt 3

I’m thankful for the person who has taken care of me. Who showered me with endless love and devotion. I will love you forever.

Week 13 Prompt 2

Since my peer review on Monday I have identified a couple of things that need to be revised. They include: length of the paper, adding in different sources, using all the resources, and getting someone to revise it. If I were to rank these by priority then length of paper would be the top, then using all resources, then getting someone to revise it, and finally adding in different resources.
I listed length of my paper as number one because it is definitely the one that needs the most work. The length of my paper was very far from the required 1800 words, minimum. So I would have to fix that problem first. Next, was adding in more resources because I didn’t have the chance to. I only used about three resources total in my first draft. So I would have to try and use more resources in my next draft. After I get all of those revisions done then I would ask someone to revise my entire paper. That way I can see what needs to be revised more before I start on anything else. The final thing on priority for me was to add in different resources. Because if I got my paper revised and I didn’t need more sources it would be pointless to add in different sources before.

Week 13 Prompt 1

Before the peer review in class I knew what my strengths and weaknesses were. I had gone over my paper earlier so I knew what I needed to work on. My weaknesses include the fact that the length of my paper does not reach the requirement. Another weakness that I had was not using all the resources I had. I only used one source for part of my essay which isn’t good. Because I have other great resources but haven’t even touched them yet. Another weakness that I have but can fix is my introduction. I don’t think it is an introduction that will capture the audience’s attention.
One strength that I have in my paper is the fact that I have many resources. Because I haven’t even touched on all the sources I have meaning I can write a lot more with them. When I revise my paper I will have to use all of my resources and that would mean a better paper. One other strength that I have is the points that I’m using in proving my thesis are in great number. I had a hard time choosing which ones to write about in fact.

Week 13 Response Post

This article is about Joseph Fritzl who held his daughter Elisabeth a prisoner for twenty four years. While held captive Elisabeth was raped and abused by her father resulting in having seven children. Three of the kids were raised by the Elisabeth’s mother who had no idea where her daughter was. She believed Elisabeth had joined a sect and was unable to take care of her kids. Three children were also kept in the cellar with Elisabeth, never seeing sunlight. The last child died shortly after birth because Joseph Fritzl did call for help. Austrian prosecutors are charging him with slavery, rape, and possibly murder. Joseph Fritzl was caught when the eldest of his children with Elisabeth got sick. Nineteen year old Kerstin fell ill and when they took a blood sample they realized who her parents are.
As soon as I read this article I got sick to my stomach because this is an insane story. How could a father do this to his own child? How could he repeatedly rape her and abuse her? Let alone enslave her with three of her children for so many years. I don’t want to pity Elisabeth but that’s all I can feel for her. I pity that she had to go through all of that and that her children have to live with the fact that their grandfather is also their father. I would expect them to all be mentally unstable and would have to go through years of counseling. I hope Joseph stays in jail for a really long time.
The article is written with a bias that leans toward Elisabeth because they want the readers to show compassion to her. The author doesn’t want any compassion shown to Joseph because what he did is unforgivable. One question I have about this article is what happened during Joseph’s childhood?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7727332.stm

Week 11 Prompt 1

Shinto religion has been a constant in lives of many Japanese living in Japan. Where they live, where they work, extra- curricular activities have all been influeced by this religion. Without Shinto religion we would not have traditions such as Obon, Matsuri, and great movies such as "Spirited Away."

Week 10 Response Post

This article is about the confirmation of millionaire Steven Fossett’s death. Fossett went missing back in September 2007 while traveling a flight alone. A hiker had found Fossett’s belongings last month and so another search began for Fossett. Bones were found about half a mile away from the crash site. These were later confirmed to be part of Fossett and this then confirmed his death. Fossett often broke records and was even the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon. His widow, Peggy, believes finding his bones is just "another step in the process of completing the investigation into the tragic accident that took Steve's life". The initial search was from Yosemite National Park in California to Nevada’s Walker Lake. Another search that took place in July 2008 was in the area of California’s Bodie Hill. The last search was during October 2008 where he was found near California’s Mammoth Lake.
My reaction to this article is that it was a tragic accident but at least now they can confirm he’s dead. His widow doesn’t have to wonder day and night where her husband is. She can finally get the closure that everyone deserves with a death. Fossett can now get a proper funeral to celebrate his life and accomplishments.
The author’s stance on this article is unbiased because this article is to just inform the public about the confirmation of death. The author provides only true, relevant information on the death of Steven Fossett. He doesn’t side with anyone because there is no side to this article. It is just an article to inform the public with the correct information. Other authors would have to write the article the same way because there is no side to take. One question I have about the article is why did the plane crash?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7707397.stm

Week 10 Prompt 2

Here I was again in a rush to complete what I thought I could get done within the hour. The minutes were counting down and I was starting to panic. Why did I wait last minute to do my paper!
I always managed to get papers done on time even when I procrastinated during high school. But college was so different it was harder to get things done. I wanted to hang out with friends and have fun all the time. So I put off my homework figuring I could get it done before it was due. That’s when I slammed into the wall when I wasn’t looking. The homework load hit me hard and I didn’t even see it coming. I had to compromise the quality of my work to get everything done on time. It was affecting my grade and then that’s when I realized. Michelle, you can always hang out with friends later but homework needs to be done now! So as I told myself that I decided to try and get all homework done early. I wanted to present quality homework to get the grades I needed. Just recently I got my paper back that I started early on and I got an A! It was a happy day and I enjoyed the rest of it with a smile.

Week 10 Prompt 1

My news article is about Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter Bristol, who is only seventeen. I’m not surprised that her daughter is pregnant because any daughter can become pregnant. It is just a big deal because Sarah Palin is John McCain’s running mate for 2008. Anything having to do with someone of “celebrity” status is turned into a huge commotion. There are other teenage mothers all over the world, but it’s not a big deal because they aren’t “famous.” For instance, the huge commotion over Jamie Lynn Spears was because she was young and famous. Honestly, why would the press make a big thing about it? Because its politics and they want to make Sarah Palin look like a bad mother and senator. I don’t think that politics should smear the family members in public. It’s not fair to the candidates and to their families. The press thinks it is all fair and game to slur family name but how would they feel about their family being scrutinized by the public? Imagine how Bristol feels about being seventeen, unwed, and pregnant. I’m sure she is already embarrassed by the whole thing and the press just makes it worse.
The author’s stance in the article is one that is unbiased because it provides both sides of the story. One side of the story is that Sarah Palin will be a bad candidate because she can’t even keep her daughter from getting pregnant. Others say that it’s just something that happens and that it shouldn’t be a big deal. But it is a good thing that the author shows both side of the story so the reader can decide how they want to view the story in their minds.
One question that I have about the topic is: How does Sarah Palin feel about her daughter’s pregnancy?

http://usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-01-palin-daughter_N.htm?imw=Y

Week 9 Repsonse Post

This article is about a body that was found in a 1994 white Chevrolet on Monday. When the body was first found they believed it to be the missing nephew of Jennifer Hudson. Just recently they have confirmed it is indeed Julian King. The police have not released any information on how or when Julian died. His father had been arrested before the body had been found.
This is a very sad story because Julian was only seven years old. Not to mention Jennifer and Julia have to suffer the lost of their family. Both Jennifer and Julia have lost their mother and their brother. Julia has lost her son while in the case of Jennifer she lost her nephew. I’m sure they are going through a very difficult time right now. It’s really sad that someone would kill three people especially when one is only a child still. What more is the fact that they really wanted to find Julian, they really wanted him back alive. Jennifer Hudson had offered a $100,000 for Julian’s safe return. It is especially sad because many volunteers were looking for him. Imagine how upset they are right now. I’m upset and scared for this world because of things like this. The world is going to fall apart one day because of the cruel actions of people. I think murder is unforgiveable and only based on animalistic instincts.
The author’s stance on this is for the Hudson/King family because he tells of their sad story. The author doesn’t put up the fathers side of the story because this article is all for Julian. The father has been arrested but has not been charged, is the only thing the author wrote about in this article. One question I have about this article is why was Julian found in a car and not in the home?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7694020.stm

Week 9 Prompt 2

Boyd, James W. “Shinto Perspectives in Miyazaki's Anime Film ‘Spirited Away.’” The Journal of Religion and Film. 8.2 (2004). 26 October 2008 .

Chan, Wing-tsit. ed The Great Asian Religions: An Anthology. University of California: Macmillin, 1969.

Japan. US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. International Religious Freedom Report 2006. Asia, 2006.

Littleton, C.Scott. Shinto. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

"shinto." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 26 Oct. 2008. .

Spirited Away.Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli, 2001.

Week 9 Prompt 1

An interesting topic for an individual paper would be on Shinto religion and how it affected Japan’s culture. This topic interests me because I haven’t done any research on a religion before and this one is part of my heritage. Being part Japanese I think it’s good to know what kind of religion your ancestors could have been. Not to mention I read how it influenced how Japan’s culture turned out today. Shinto’s influence in Japan’s culture is really amazing when you look at it. For example in sumo, a priest always blesses the ring with salt or rice before each match. This is done because of the Shinto customs that believe in pure things.
One thing that my make this an unsuitable topic is the fact that I have no background of religion. I don’t know anything about it and that might mean I would have to do more research into religion in general. But then again this could be a good thing, starting off with a clean slate. Because I have no religious background I would be unbiased in my writing on Shinto religion. Which would make a better paper considering my thesis statement, on how Shinto religion influenced Japan.

Week 7 Prompt 1&2

Dear Author,
I have found a fallacy in your editorial and I am writing to you about it. The fallacy I have found in your editorial is affirming the consequent. You wrote “The girls who excel in academics at my high school are attractive and socially savvy.” That is a fallacy because it is saying if you are a girl who is academically smart that means you are also attractive and socially savvy. Which is unlikely all true because you don’t have to be attractive to be smart? One way to fix your fallacy is by saying “most girls at the high school who are academically smart are also attractive and socially savvy. This leaves a more room for correctness because not everyone is attractive and savvy.
Sincerely,
Michelle Nakamura
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=804436

Week 7 Response Post

This article is about Umm Anas who is a trained female suicide bomber. She was recently married but still wants to live her life out as a suicide bomber. Even her husband supports her choice in becoming a suicide bomber. If she were to get pregnant she would wait until she had the baby before dying. Her baby will be left to her parents to take care of. Most suicide bombers do not tell their families which is the case with Umm. She believes that dying for a religious cause is “a gift from God.”
My initial reaction to this article is repulsion that Umm, only eighteen years old, would actually commit suicide. Is killing herself more important than raising a family she may have? Is it more important than her family and husband? If I was her family I would have slapped some sense into her. There is no point in killing yourself and killing others with you. I wonder if she really feels nothing when she knows that she will kill women and children. Does she even consider that it could be her family that could be killed by a blast? I honestly think they should detain her so she doesn’t kill anyone.
The stance of the author is an un-biased one because it is a report on a young, female suicide bomber. Evidence that supports that is the questions that the author asks. One question was “what would you do if you were pregnant?” The article is all about her and it’s not like the author asked her why she would do such a horrible thing?
One question I have about the article is how they find girls like her? How does the Islamic Jihad manage to find girls willing to die like that? It really amazes me that they can find so many girls to do suicide bombings. I think it’s really sad that girls have to end up like this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7667031.stm

Week 6 Prompt 1

This ad is really about the bike shown in the advertisement. It is not about the model holding up the bike. Nor is it about the brick wall behind the model. The model is dressed in a fancy, frilly dress. It’s like the ad is saying buy this bike and you’ll have models coming to you. Or it could mean if you buy this bike you’ll look good on it. But once you read the slogan the ad seems to make more sense. The slogan is “perfectly fit.” Meaning getting fit is by buying this bike and you’ll look like her. They use the model in the advertisement to draw attention to it. If it were only the bike standing up on the brick wall it wouldn’t be as eye catching. Advertisement needs an attention grabber for a consumer to actually look at their advertisement for more than a few seconds.


http://www.kgsbikes.com/images/IMGVIEWER2/Sarah_Brilliant_June_07_ad-RGB-16-20.JPG

Week 6 Response Post

This article is about Oprah Winfrey trying to frame the ex- headmistress of the school she owns in South Africa. The ex-headmistress, Nomvuyo Mzamane, is suing Oprah for $250,000 dollars in court. Oprah suggested that Nomvuyo knew about the abuse going on in the school. However, Nomvuyo claims she did not know anything and that Oprah is framing her. The incident of the abused girls was when a matron, Tiny Virginia Makopo, abused six girls. It is claimed that she tried to fondle and kiss the girls. She would also kick and punch them.
I’m not surprised that an incident like this happened because it happens in a lot of schools. It is in the news because it is the school that Oprah built and owns. Incidents like this happen all over the world and most people try to cover it up. They try to cover it up because it gives the school and everyone associated with the school a bad name. There isn’t enough information for me to decide on who is wrong or who is right. Oprah could be telling the truth or she could be lying to cover up this incident. I think most celebrities will try and cover up something that causes them to look bad to the public.
The authors stand point in this article is neutral because the author provides a back story to each side. It tells the reader of Nomvuyo who is suing Oprah and it tells of Oprah suggesting that Nomvuyo knew about the abuse. The author also provides information that had come previously about the six girls being abused. The matron has pleaded innocent to the fourteen counts of indecent assault, assault, and criminal injury. The author does not write towards one side because there isn’t enough information or truth to do so.

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx/?news=333722&GT1=28103

Week 6 Prompt 2

Benefits of peer review include having people around your age reading it. This means your writing will probably be understood more than if someone older were to read it. When I write it’s usually to target those around my age because we’re going through the same things. Another benefit of having peer review is that they can find mistakes you might not catch. Sometimes I will overlook small mistakes that could cost me points on a paper. However, if I have someone peer edit it then they could catch it. One more benefit of having peer review is you can learn from their paper. For example, they could put an idea in a way that you would have never thought of.
One difficulty of having peer review is having to write some harsh comments about that paper. It can offend the person or they could take it the wrong way. Sometimes it the paper will be so bad that you cannot write anything positive. That is something very hard to do for me.

Week 5 Prompt 1

Our group had to first decide on a topic that everyone at least knew about. We at first could not think of any topics that would be good to write about. We asked our instructor on some ideas and she gave us one about sports and games. We then started brainstorming about how to write about sports and games. We had to be inventive about our ideas because we didn’t want the same ones as another group. I had come up with an idea of how sports will one day become obsolete because of video games. But we soon realized that it would be hard to prove with solid evidence. The only way to prove that would be by opinion. So my group had to be creative again so we finally decided on the argument of evolution versus creation. Our group later decided that we all believed in both creation and evolution. So our topic will be about how the world was created by evolution and creation.

Week 5 Thesis Statements

1. Evolution and creation have been fighting the war for dominance in this world, but who said it cant be both?

2. There are those who say evolution others will say creation and then there are those who believe in both. We are those people.

3. Thanks to Charles Darwin we have the theory of evolution and thanks to God we have creation. I believe God and Charles have worked hand in hand to create a new theory.

4. The arguments between whether evolution or creation created this earth is getting old. We have a new argument that it was neither creation nor evolution. Our argument is that it was both.

5. Despite all of the fights on which actually created the world. Evolution and creation actually have more things in common than you can imagine.

Week 5 Response Post

My article is about China's milk industry and how low the standards have become. Recently, in China there have been four deaths of babies that have been linked to milk. Thousands of others have also gotten ill from the milk in China. Milk production in China is so low that the quality of the milk is bad. Farmers will actually water down the milk to increase the quantity by thirty percent. Then the middle men will add melamine to increase the protein amount. Because no one has tested milk for melamine it was sold to the public with this dangerous chemical. Sanlu, is the company that where this problem had started from. This company even knew about the chemical being put into the milk, yet they did not say anything.
The writer’s stance on this article is to show the public how China lacks standards for their milk industry. Within the first paragraph the author immediately starts off with stating four babies have already died. The author also provides no good points to as why this happened. The author only provided facts about how bad this situation actually is.
I am extremely horrified that Sanlu did not stop the sale of this milk. They are so greedy that they were willing to risk human lives to make money. It is extremely sad that four babies had to die and thousands of others had to get sick for Sanlu to tell the truth. Sanlu, should have not bought any milk that contained melamine in it.
One question I have about this article is: why not invest in better care for cows? If they invested in the health and well-being of the cows then this problem wouldn’t have happened. They should also test the milk for melamine before they buy it. Because now they will be sued for thousands of dollars because they caused four deaths. They would have saved money in the long run if only they realized the consequences.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7635466.stm

Week 3 Response post

My news article is about Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter Bristol, who is only seventeen. I’m not surprised that her daughter is pregnant because any daughter can become pregnant. It is just a big deal because Sarah Palin is John McCain’s running mate for 2008. Anything having to do with someone of “celebrity” status is turned into a huge commotion. There are other teenage mothers all over the world, but it’s not a big deal because they aren’t “famous.” For instance, the huge commotion over Jamie Lynn Spears was because she was pregnant, young and famous. Honestly, why would the press make a big thing about it? Because its politics and they want to make Sarah Palin look like a bad mother and a bad senator. I don’t think that politics should smear the family members in public. It’s not fair to the candidates and to their families. The press thinks it is all fair and game to slur family name but how would they feel about their family being scrutinized by the public? Imagine how Bristol feels about being seventeen, unwed, and married. I’m sure she is already embarrassed by the whole thing and the press just makes it worse.
The author’s stance in the article is one that is unbiased because it provides both sides of the story. One side of the story is that Sarah Palin will be a bad candidate because she can’t even keep her daughter from getting pregnant. Others say that it’s just something that happens and that it shouldn’t be a big deal. But it is a good thing that the author shows both side of the story so the reader can decide how they want to view the story in their minds.
One question that I have about the topic is: How does Sarah Palin feel about her daughter’s pregnancy?

http://usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-01-palin-daughter_N.htm?imw=Y

Week 3 Prompt 2

I strongly believe that education is not important because you can also find a job. And in this world money is what keeps it going. Right after high school you can also work at McDonalds and start making money already. The sooner you start working the faster you climb the corporate ladder and the more you’ll get paid. By going to college you have to pay college tuition which results in debt already. By getting a job you don’t have any debt you can only gain money from working. Plus working early instills good morals in the children of today and that can be passed on to their children. That is why I believe that education is a waste of time.
I strongly believe that education is one of the most important things to have in life. Without having education you will have jobs that will provide almost nothing for you and your family. How can you send your children to the doctor or to college on a minimum wage? By going to college first you can start off at a better job and get paid more. That’s why education is very important in today’s world.

Week 3 Prompt 1

Strategies that I will adopt from A Writer’s Reference to use for my paper include: letting details tell your story, structuring your essay like a story, and making connections between your experiences and those of your readers.
I want to use details in telling my story because it not only helps capture the attention of the reader but also keeps the attention of the reader. As a reader myself I am more captivated by a personal essay when the reader gives better details. Because it helps you imagine yourself in place of the writer throughout the story.
Another strategy that I would use in my personal essay is to structure my essay like a story. Stories tend to be more interesting and captivating than an essay. The chronological sequence helps the reader and writer keep track of the happening events. And because most stories are in chronological order it will help the reader relate it to a story.
The last strategy that I would use is to make connections with your readers. By personally connecting to your reader it makes the reader understand a greater amount of what we’re trying to get through.