Nothing Surprising But Something Interesting

Now in chapter 6 I didn't really find anything surprising but I did find somethings that were interesting. On p.152 when it says "the catagories into which your questions fit can indicate where to research". It then went on to list the categories which are: "fact, definition, interpretation, consequence, value, and policy". The categories itself was what interested me because I never thought of doing a research paper, using the things I look up, and putting them into categories. This seems like a useful way so that I know how exactly to make my research paper as understandable as possible. Also the categories will most likely help me with my own research paper so that it may be a little bit easier for me to do it now that along with the categories I also have questions that will go along with each categories. This website actually is another sourse that seems to help others write research papers. This website pretty much tells you how to do research papers, it shows you the general form, style, and even tells you what mistakes you should avoid. This website seems to be pretty helpful just like how p.152 was helpful. But overall chapter 6 for me even though nothing in it was surprising I found some interesting things so I will definitley go back and look at p.152 so I can look at those categories. I also recommend that page to anyone who might need help on what they should address in their paper.

Crime May Be My New Topic

I'm not sure if this could be my new topic but this was definitely something that caught my eye. In the San Jose Mercury News I saw an article about a handyman that after 3 decades is finally found guilty for killing his classmate. When I was reading this article I realized just how flawed our justice system was during that time and how much it has changed. Who would have thought that a man that committed a crime 30 years ago would finally be brought to justice through DNA evidence when DNA evidence wasn't even around back then. Stories like this has always interested me because of the simple fact that it shows that you can't get away with any crime because sooner or later it is going to catch up with you. Like for example the BTK killer it took them I believe 25 years before they actually found out who was responsible for the murders. Not only that but it shows how even the most unlikely people can commit the most horrific crimes. But if I seriously had to do this topic I would do it to try an see how many crimes in San Jose have been solved over the last....lets say 15 years since DNA evidence had been proved successful. Also to see if the use of DNA evidence has had any kind of help in lowering horrific crimes like this from happening often. Also to look at how many unsolved cases in San Jose has been solved since DNA evidence has been used. This for me is just an interesting topic and it definitely different from what I was going to do before.

Finally A Budget For California But For A Price

Finally after much debate and voting California finally has a budget, but unfortunaltly it comes with a consequence just as everything else in life. (does sarcastic whoppee here). Thus the budget for California has been set as 41 billion dollars now in my opinion thats a hell of a lot of money for one person but when your talking about a state full of people its not so much. And since its not so much money a "few" things have taken a huge cut. One of those things being education like always funding for public schools will shrink even more than it already it and college tuition is to go up again (is it just me or does the govenment feel that college students and parents are made of money). What I don't get though and what makes me mad is they always say that education is very important but yet thats one of the first things they cut, thats being just a little bit hypocritical don't you think. And the government wants to wonder why our test scores are so low duh even I as a freshman college student can see that they are low simply because we have no kind of funds to give our public schools. Uggggg this just makes me so mad but I don't want to get off topic. hehehe But anyway not only was that a downside but now California families will have to pay hundreds of dollars more in taxes. Now this right here is ridiculous....HELLLOOOOO OUT THERE TO ALL THOSE GOVENMENT FOLKS OUT THERE. DO YALL NOT REALIZE THAT WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A RECESSION NO ONE AND I MEAN NO ONE HAS A FEW EXTRA HUDRED DOLLARS OUT THERE LAYING AROUND TO GIVE TO TAXES, WE HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO WITH THAT MONEY. As many of yall can see I'm pretty passionate about this topic simply beacause it effects so many and the government officials don't see that. But I'm going to leave my blog with this quote from John Pitney "It's hard to see any real winner in this." And Pitney put it right with this budget I think everyone loses in one way or another.

Relgion and Advocacy do they relate?

I have to say in my opinion yes and no. Yes because religious practices do seem to encourage people to stand up for what they believe in regardless of how other people may percieve them. Also what relations though religious beliefs encourge in my opinion is how to actually advocate respectfully with others. I say this because in my church I was always taught that even though someone doesn't see things your way you still have to respect their views even if you view them as wrong. Also it encouges you to do right and to do right by others. This in a way shapes advocacy because I've always heard the saying that a person who is good at arguing is also good at seeing things from both sides. But I also can't help but to say no for the simple fact that since many people don't share the same views as us and don't think we do, so its kind of hard to advocate something to someone who doesn't see things the way you do. I'm mean I know that many of you guys have came in contact with people who are so set in their ways that they don't want to hear what anyone else has to say. Talking to those types of people in my opinion is like talking to a brick wall for the simple fact that they don't budge! But thats pretty much how I feel about it okay bye =)

Budget Plan

The article from the San Jose Mercury News that could serve as my research topic is the article about the budget plan. This topic interests me because the budget plan and the budget itself impacts so many people considering on how it goes. For example when this past semester when it had taken so long for California is screwed alot of people over regarding their financail aid when they couldn't decide on a budget. Also it is something that definetly effects me and has effected me. Its also something that I constantly here my parents and people around me talk about.

Comedians And Public Issues

The ideas that chapter 13 made me think of is comedians and how they appeal to their audiences. In chapter 13 it says "writers must appeal quite directly to the values and beliefs of their audience". I thought the same could be said about comedians and how they appeal to so many people. An example would be Chris Rock and how he connects with his audience about the things he says and the views he takes on issues going on in the world today. In one of Chris Rocks comedy specials he talks about rap music and how its not like how it was years ago and the whole audience was agreeing with what he had said because of the age group. But Chris Rock also voices his opinions on topics like political and whethers he for or against certain things like prostitution and gun control. Basically reading chapters 13 made me think of Chris Rock and how he appeals to his audience with the topics in his comedy acts.

Teachers Using Blogs To Connect Better With Students

Shacori Poole

2/10/09

English 1B Sec 18

Favorite Blog

            The blog that I would consider to be my favorite would be Risking Connection Through Blogging by Carlton Clark. I liked this blog because it really talked about how blogging is a form of writing and how sometimes being personal in blogs is a good way to touch people. In the blog Clark writes about how he use writing in blogs to connect to his students and how they can connect to him. He comments on their blogs and they comment on his. In his blog he talks about how in his first entry he talked about how he didn’t want to get personal, but when he wrote in his second entry he got a little personal by talking about how he was nervous for the upcoming semester. When a student of his read his blog he told him that he could tell that he was nervous on his first day of class but that it is a good thing to get at least a little bit personal because it shows your students that you are only human. Another reason why I liked this blog was because he wasn’t boring in his blog he kept it upbeat and talked in a way like you would a friend and not scholarly like you would assume since he is a teacher. Overall though the blog was extremely interesting and was definitely better than all the others I read.