IP Reflection

Though I liked the IP, I felt like I lost motivation halfway through because it was so drawn out. I was interested in my subject initially and made significant headway early on, but then lost enthusiasm as we were supposed to do repetitive research labs (I was already past that point in the paper). Also, I thought the assignment was too structured. Though data research is useful, I enjoy using logic and a more creative approach. Though I am hoping my lack of boring facts will not be detrimental to my grade, I will not be surprised if my comments include one tho the effect of "use more relevant sources." In conclusion, it was an OK assignment, but I am glad for it to be over.

English: The Universal Language

Introduction:
First I give an example of a universal language among a people and how it brought them together.
Then I state my thesis that there should be a universal language and it should be English.

Statement and division of subject:
I break down my main point and give the logic side of why there should be one Global Language.

Reasoning/Arguments:
This is where I bring in data/facts to support my thesis. I also move from the idea that there should be a universal language to the idea that that language should be English.

Pathetic reasoning?.....
Give an example of how people are having to conform to others' ignorance of communication or something of that sort... Not sure where I'll go with this yet.

Conclusion:
State my main points and establish that a Global Language is the first step in world peace.

Best band ever

So everyone is posting pictures of beaches from their own hometowns. Here is the best it gets back in Detroit. The Rouge Factory, Detroit MI.

Writing Canter

I honestly believe I was too far along in the process to use the suggestions they gave me. Either I would have to go a different direction from where I am, or I would have to abandon the type of logic I like to use in my writing to conform to the guidelines they suggested.
If I had gone earlier in the process, I might have been helped by those in the research lab, but I believe hard work on my part--or at least competence in the Google Scholar function--is more effective than suggestions made by the tutors.
I think the labs are a good resources for some, but not for others.

Four Sources

A world language: will it be English?

A scholarly article written to an audience of English speakers. Upholds the idea that English is the language of those who are successful.

Kidnapping and Hostage
Survival Guidelines

Though it seems unrelated at first; this article establishes the idea that to survive a hostage situation, the best thing to do is connect with one's captors. Just as it is hard for a captor to kill a someone he is acquainted with, it is hard for friends to kill each other and the first step to building friendship is communication.

English as a Global Language

An explanation of how English came to have the global power it has in today's world. A scholarly article also written to English speakers to justify the dominance of English.

Native Speakerism

Stating that even among English speakers there is contention, Holliday argues that the prejudice against "non-native speakers" must me addressed. Shortly after September 11, the nationalism felt had negative consequences against "non-native speakers" and for true unity we, as a people, need to change the paradigm of disunity we live by. 

English: The Language of Unity

As the people of Nimrod showed when defying God as a population, the most unifying thing a race can hold together is language. When God cursed the people and made them unable to communicate, he provided the ultimate barrier—the inability for a man to understand his fellow beings. Because of this, the wars and disputes of the past 10,000 years have sprung up and resulted in the death of billions of human beings. It seems that the first step in World Peace is not to accept diversity, but instead to create unity by standardizing the language of the human race.

IP (Yes, that is the official acronym for this paper)

English: The Global Language
Should we, as the human race, adopt a uniform language?
Would this uniformity among all peoples create a better world with less war and contention?
If an international language is adopted, should that language be English?

Solving the issue of no child left behind (possible satire)
Realizing that it is impossible to have a society where every child is above average--or even average for that matter--stop expending resources on the "duds." There is a place in this world for everyone, and while for some this may be a university, for others it is not. Tier schools and have an exam to determine which school a student will attend. Then, the real stars will shine because they are not held back and the others will be able to have a job suited to them

Appropriate response to Iran's nuclear weapon development program
Iran wants the bomb—atomic bomb that is—and the rest of the world doesn't know what to do. While the Israeli's are threatening with air raids, the French (who, coincidentally, are a lot further away from Iran than Israel)  are supplying Iran with gaseous diffusion chambers for uranium enrichment. While something must be done, the real question is what, exactly?

The Intolerances of a Tolerant Society: An In-Depth Analysis of Mark Steyn's "Komen Has its Awareness Raised"

When relating about the non-profit organizations of today that are supposed to epitomize the postmodern tolerant society we live in, Mark Steyn’s "Komen Has its Awareness Raised" makes use of rhetorical devices such as humor, tone, and irony to show how the diversity and tolerance movement are just an illusion to mask increasing intolerance and uniform ideals of organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Steyn cites evidence and makes assertions to increase his credibility and repeatability to the reader.

To begin, Steyn presents two occurrences, one that takes place in Sweden and one in Canada, to draw an emotional reaction from the reader. In Sweden, as Steyn states, it is illegal—even in a church setting—to “express a moral objection to homosexuality. Steyn also states an incident in Canada where a Catholic high school attempted to refuse a homosexual couple attendance to prom. The school was taken to court, however, and the court ruled in favor of the couple. While it is popular in today’s society to be tolerant, Steyn reverses the situation and calls into question the injustice of being unable to be a homophobe. While this is a bold move, it is done quite well because the reader realizes that the freedom, not to be homosexual, but to be homophobic is taken away. Realizing his audience consists mostly of conservative Americans, Steyn draws out angry feelings when he shows people’s rights are being infringed.

Steyn also shows how humorous this awareness ribbon business has become when he talks about the “periwinkle ribbon for acid reflux.” While acid reflux may plague many Americans today, making ribbons to support its awareness seems almost comical. In essence, Steyn argues that the only awareness being raised at this point is the awareness for colored magnetic ribbons.

Steyn then attempts to appeal to the reader’s own logic by stating inconsistencies in the practices of these supposed pro-feminist organizations. While not openly sharing his own opinion, Steyn shows what he believes by the information he presents. He contrasts two organizations, Planned Parenthood and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and shows the inconsistencies, even borderline fraud, that occurs in such organizations. The fact that Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organization, makes over $580,000 per year and that the top eight executives of the same organization make over $270,000 per year, is outrageous. The reader doesn’t need Steyn to tell him that. While Steyn appeals to the emotions of the reader, it is still an obvious use of logos because of the facts Steyn presents to the reader.

The next incident described is one where, under testimony, Cecile Richards claimed that her organization provided the “life saving mammogram” while on the contrary, the organization does not. Because of this lie, the Komen Foundation stopped donating money to Planned Parenthood. An attack on the Komen website occurred shortly thereafter. In preparation for a marathon, the slogan “Help us get 26.2 or 13.1 miles closer to a world without breast cancer” had decorated the website. This was replaced with “help is run over poor women on our way to the bank” by some Planned Parenthood workers. This is another instance where Steyn, while not clearly sharing his own opinion, causes the reader to come to one logical conclusion that these pro-feminist organizations are not as honest and non-profit as they would like one to think. Instead, each organization has its own agenda and motives that may not always be what is best for the people that the organization is intended to serve.

Steyn also uses jargon and vocabulary that appeals to the reader. His writing style may be somewhat pompous and over the top, however, he captures the essence of the postmodern tolerant movement. When referring to the salaries of the top eight executives at Planned Parenthood he says “$270,000 . . . makes them officially part of what the Obama administration calls ‘the one percent’.” Because jobs and salaries are a big part of the upcoming Presidential Election, this type of phrasing is common to many Americans. Also, when speaking of the “Obamacare” policy, he states that the requirement for Catholic institutions to provide contraceptives and sexual education is “more to do with the liberal muscle of Big Tolerance enforcing one-size-fits-all diversity.” This captures the idea as a whole that in all, our tolerant society is becoming increasingly intolerant towards intolerance—ironic, right?

Lastly, Steyn connects with the reader well. Though he is a Canadian-born Brit who was educated at a prep school in London, he seems to speak the mind of a die hard, true blue American. While few Americans can connect to him in biography, it is not difficult to connect to him in ideology. Although he does not state his opinion openly, he presents facts that are concise and well picked to bring the reader to a similar conclusion as his own with only an incompetent person seeing a view dissimilar to his. While many persuasive writers attempt to argue based on superior logic, Steyn picks his facts well enough that the reader believes he is drawing his own conclusion, not that they are playing right into Steyn’s hands.

In essence, Steyn does a thorough job bringing the reader to a view similar to his own. Through his reasoning and evidence, Steyn makes a convincing argument that the liberal ideals that non-profit organizations such as Planned Parenthood stand for are really quite nonexistent; likewise, instead of really being concerned about the issue, the leaders of such organizations only have their own personal interests at heart.

Steyn's Article:
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/komen-338772-planned-parenthood.html

RA Process

I highly disagree with the concept of a Rhetorical Analysis. Though rhetoric is an underlying factor to logic and reasoning, to simplify something so complex as a persuasive analysis into three different types of reasoning is almost offensive. When writing a Rhetorical Analysis, almost all creativity and skill is taken away from the author as he must follow stringent guidelines to fulfill the flawed rubric of the Rhetorical Analysis process. Likewise, I believe it near impossible to write a quality Rhetorical Analysis because it is in such an equation-like format. Since, our instructor has also showed his dislike of the assignment, it is discouraging to be required to complete it.

Review Processes

I like the RA review process more than the Opinion Editorial review process because there was more time to analyze the paper before seeing the author. However, I believe a shortcoming in the RA review was that it was a one way flow of information. The reviewer told the author what he thought and there was little discussion. Sometimes, the author has a good idea, but is not conveying it properly, so a situation arises where the reviewer does not know what the author is trying to say. In all, however, reading a paper aloud, to yourself or to others, helps both the author and reviewer to see mistakes or awkward phrasing.

Another Figure of Literature: Jonathon Swift?

Irony, coincidence, or satire?

I know the answer; but do you?

Figures of Literature: Hemmingway, Twain, and Shakespeare

Hyperbole: Mark Steyn takes the most ridiculous of situations (though yes, it happened) and uses that as an example of what our world is coming to. When he describes the illegality of anti-gay sentiment in Sweden and the incidence of a Catholic school being required to allow a same-sex date at prom, he portrays an idea of commonality, not obscure events.
Irony: Steyn first talks of the "tolerance" of today but then highlights how intolerant the tolerant people are towards those who disagree with them. Later, he makes a joke about getting beat up because of not jumping on the "band-wagon" of diversity which shows how increasingly ironic the concept of acceptance and freedom has become.
Rhetorical question: Though not explicitly stated, Steyn seems to encourage the reader to ask several questions along the lines of "How diverse are we as a society, really?" "What is the real goal of the people running 'non-profit' organizations?" and really, "What is our world coming to?"

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/komen-338772-planned-parenthood.html

RA Thesis Number 1

In his article "Komen Has its Awareness Raised," Mark Steyn makes use of rhetorical devices such as humor, tone, and irony to show how the post modern diversity and tolerance movement are just an illusion to mask an increasingly intolerant and uniform ideals of organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Steyn cites evidence and makes assertions to increase his credibility and repeatability to the reader.

Possibilities

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/komen-338772-planned-parenthood.html

This is an interesting article written by Mark Steyn regarding breast cancer and the feminist movement. In his own way, he sums up what many social conservatives (who are not anti-women) feel about how it is "cool" to "support the cause" and how the whole breast cancer thing is more about clothes and ribbons than actually being useful.

http://universe.byu.edu/index.php/2011/12/01/viewpoint-hows-it-hangin/ 

This article amused me because of how relate-able it was and wasn't simultaneously. I was also born in 1991, but I remember the shows and fads spoken of only as reruns and out of style. When I first read this article, I wanted to look up actual air dates, but couldn't justify wasting the time. Well now I can...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/opinion/why-we-shouldnt-attack-syria-yet.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss 

Lastly, this article strikes me as interesting because it shows two sides of America: the compassionate and the mind-your-own-business side. In Syria, there is much wondering of how the political situation will turn out. While some foreign policy such as Jefferson's invasion of Tripoli during the First Barbary War to stop pirates attacking civilian US ships, other instances such as the Bay of Pigs and the Vietnam Conflict have turned into fiascoes. We are at a crossroads now when we decide what the UN (or rather, the US in disguise, be it fiscally or physically) will do in Syria.

OpEd in Review

Though i like the idea of an opinion editorial, the most frustrating thing for me was going to the writing center. Though some viable suggestions were made, I feel that some suggestions were not applicable to my paper. Frankly, I didn't want to change how I wrote my OpEd because it was just that--my OpEd. I acknowledge that the mentor at the writing center had an outside opinion on my paper, but I disagree with a few of his suggestions and politely ignored them. Other than that incident, I felt the OpEd was an assignment worth doing. Though I come from a Ford family, my favorite car and pride and joy is a Porsche 924. It amused me to talk down on other manufacturers and I think, as a future attorney, that this skill is something I need to develop. All in all, I had fun and am looking forward to the next assignment.

Ford: The Choice of Consumers

During the early 1920s—a time when Europe was struggling to recover from the destruction of World War I, and Japan was still discovering indoor plumbing—a man in Dearborn, Michigan named Henry Ford was attempting to do what no man had done before. He was going to put an automobile in every family’s garage. His method? The assembly line. His philosophy? Three standards: affordability, reliability, and reparability. By continuing with such ingenuity and remaining at the forefront of technology, Ford is the best choice of automobile for all Americans.

Beginning with affordability, Ford has always given Americans the best “bang for the buck” with all their products. In an effort to not only increase the standard of living nation wide, but also to stimulate sales, Ford lowered the price of the Model T to $290 ($3,289 today) and made it possible for every family to be mobile. Continuing this legacy throughout history, the company has introduced an affordable option for every endeavor. From the “Everyman’s Boss” Mustang campaign of the 1960s, we saw a genuine sports car that rivaled the exotics of Europe. Priced at $3,588 when introduced in 1969, the Boss 302 gave young motorsports enthusiasts an opportunity to have a sports car from the same company that beat Ferrari two years prior at Le Mans. It seemed ridiculous to spend $19500 on a Ferrari Daytona when the same engine in your Boss won at Mans. This legacy continues even today when the Taurus SHO rivals far more expensive sport sedans. With its twin turbos, direct injection, and variable valve timing giving it superior power and efficiency, the $38,000 for a Tauurus seems a hefty price until compared to its competitors: the $84,000 BMW 750i, the $75480 Lexus LS, and the $47,280 Cadillac STS. It seems Ford time and time again gives you the best value dollar for dollar.

A classic man with an iconic car.

The next point in the Ford tradition is reliability. Having not only some of the best warranties in the industry, Ford manufactures vehicles that need lesser maintenance to begin with. Having proving grounds in the deserts of Arizona, the swamps of Florida, and the extreme cold of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Ford designs its automobiles to endure and excel in a huge spectrum of conditions. Ford’s vehicles are also subjected to neglect and abuse during comparison testing so that they outperform other cars in most all cases. Seeing the infamous “Pad” (a quarter mile square asphalt lot where handling tests take place) at the Dearborn Development Center, I can attest without a doubt that even the most boring of vehicles produced by this manufacturer will stun the average consumer in durability and handling.

 

The luxury sedan of tomorrow.

Lastly, a common problem with automobiles throughout history has been reparability. When glancing through a Chilton’s service manual for most other manufacturers’ vehicles, phrases commonly pop up that are rarely seen in a manual for a Ford. Phrases such as “special tool part number” or “dealer service only” often appear. This is an important thing to note because it means high maintenance bills. As an ASE certified mechanic, I can honestly say that the easiest cars to work on have been Fords, Lincolns, and Mercurys (all produced by the Ford Motor Company). Where routine maintenance items, such as injector replacement, can involve disassembly of the whole top part of the engine on GMs and some Hondas, on a Ford it is a simple task of removing a few bolts and snapping the new part in.

Now it seems that there are many critics in the world who have yet to see the light and stand by Ford. There are ramblings of “German Engineering” and “Japanese Reliability” that domestic manufacturers can simply not compete with. I assert to you that this is not so. The claim of how German cars have more engineering put into them is not really an advantage. When a part is over complex, it is more likely to fail and be difficult to replace. For example, when replacing the timing belt on a Porsche 944, half of the engine must be disassembled and a special spanner tool is needed. If this belt is ignored or not replaced every 30,000 miles as the manual suggests, a failure would ruin the valves when they crash into the pistons. As to the Japanese supporters, the idea that any one car is inherently more reliable than another is a naïve dream. Though it is true a good design creates a far more reliable product, proper care and maintenance do far more good than a little emblem on the hood that looks like a bull.

It seems that only a lesser man would choose a non-Ford type vehicle. Even after the 108 years of competition, trial, and turmoil, the Ford Motor Company has endured; it still remains at the forefront of the industry and the only sensible choice for us, the American consumers. So next time you decide it’s time for a new car and start shopping around, don’t be deceived by the Japanese paradigm of reliability or the German logic of over-engineering. Instead think for yourself, compare numbers and quality, and lastly, stop by the Ford dealership again and see for yourself that the Blue Oval is what you need. Ford: Drive one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4_HP_vB3l8&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL91709384CE360476

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1227&bih=554&tbm=isch&tbnid=baEFvEnOvI-cXM:&imgrefurl=http://jalopnik.com/ford-taurus-sho/&docid=2b-TLCfmPfBRhM&imgurl=http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/images/12/2009/07/Ford-Taurus-SHO-Ad.jpg&w=1600&h=1066&ei=CFonT52QCcKjiALNkOG0AQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=237&vpy=144&dur=396&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=150&ty=73&sig=102706058105171963066&page=1&tbnh=112&tbnw=148&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:VdJIH0TQCB8J:www.mustangspecs.com/boss/69boss.shtml+http://www.mustangspecs.com/boss/69boss.shtml&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us 

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:GOinvOM2QbsJ:www.supercars.net/cars/1904.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us