EOA 529-532

I've always been a fan of Martin Luther King Jr. He had a lot of courage to speak out and be everyone's voice, speaking with so much emotion that the words slow down and touch every heart string. Maybe I can relate because most of my friends while growing up were black, so I experienced just as much racism as they did. I never understood what the deal was, its like judging a book by its cover. I believe people should be judged by the "content of their character", because if you know a persons content it means that you took time to get to know them.
One part I enjoy is when he compares racism to writing a bad check, one marked as "insufficient funds".
Its hard to fathom, but even after all the heartfelt speeches there is still racism today. However, I believe that it is getting better, or possibly just affecting a different minority. It might not be as brutal, like lynching and tarring/feather, but its every bit as predominant as before.

Pieterson

I found this essay very interesting and informative about the malaleuca tree. It kept me interested the whole time, and kind of made me feel as if I got an insight into the author's life. It funny because we initially introduced the plant in order to soak up standing water to elminate disease, and oddly enough our good intentions ended up harming the environment once again. I like how he clarified that the name malaleuca which actually means "tree white" not "bad white".
I dont know why, but I just had to giggle at the authors statement "the campus police never minded my going out there alone because I never told them about it." It reminds me of something I would do just to avoid the conflict. I dont think I could have handled the flies though, I hate the sounds of buzzing flies, especially when they crash into your face. On top of that, they bite, definately not my cup of tea.

EOA 447-454

Personally I think this article is very dry and hard to read, although its more of an informative article than reading material. One point I did find intersting was the factcheck.org and its ability to point out inaccuracies in the media. I think this is a genius idea because when it comes to politics so many different media stations have their own facts and opinions that it can get confusing as to whats true and whats not. It also makes it easy to find out whats going on in politics without having to hear all of the extra blabber, quick and to the point, just the way news should be.
Sorry to say it, but after reading the small section on how to take notes it gave me the feeling of never wanting to take notes again. It just all sounded so complicated, and was really linked to using the computer to take notes. What ever happened to copying and pasting important information into a word document with a hyperlink? I mean Im not too much of a note-taker myself so maybe that's why this wasn't too appealing to me.

EOA 393-400

Although I never really liked Bush as our president, whoever wrote this essay for him did a good job. It gave a real sense of American pride and confidence in our country. I like the side notes, and paid attention to how certain words made me feel more emotional than others. This essay is deep and designed to provoke people's emotions and in order to get people to join the army , and also instill a sense of unity amongst the entire nation. Its also noticable that this essay goes for emotion because it makes many emotional appeals that provoke feelings from the crowd.
I like the use of words to describe the terrorists, one's that conjure up feelings of distain, contemp and disgust just at the sight of them.

EOA 354-361

First off I've got to say that this guy comes off as a little bit of a weirdo and somewhat sick minded.It sounds to me as if the author is mocking the rich society, complaining about poor people having too many children. His proposal is making gloves and boots to make them more useful. I also noticed the attitude toward women, regarded as breeders, only good for making more children. Young girls are seen as the same, only to grow up to be a breeder themselves.

Conniff

I think this whole article gave a negative vibe and a sense a hopelessness. Its understandable that by planting trees we will not eliminate our carbon dioxide problem, but it will certainly make an impact if it happens continually. I mean, its better to be trying to plant trees and use different forms of energy, even if it does decrease global warming by 2 or 3 percent. I think people should write articles to make people aware, not scare them and tell them there's nothing they can do about it. Of course we cant change global warming in a day, it took more than a day to get us into it. Even if we can slow down global warming, at least it shows that people are making an effort to keep the earth around.
On the other hand, I found it interesting that our cars let out more carbon dioxide than the amount of gas we put in, about double actually. On thing that comes to mind is thank god for roosevelt, because I think all the national parks he set aside have had their small impact. I have to wonder if there would be any trees left if he hadn't do that.

EOA 317-320

One thing I found interesting is that the government wanted to implement a "fat tax" on "high calorie" foods, but how many calories does it take per serving to fit into the high calorie category? I just couldn't see that idea working for long. I think it is somewhat up to the government to regulate what type of food they put into schools, and to teach kids that eating healthy should be a part of life even when away from their home. I also think that if the idea of being healthy is more or less "forced" on people, that is what some people may need in order to become healthy.
The only thing that bothers me id the comment, "industry responds to consumer demand but does not create it" is a misconception. When people said they wanted a hamburger, Im sure they didnt ask for a high calorie, deep-fried patty on a sugar enriched bun. It almost like they sacrifice quality for nutrition, and it doesnt have to be that way. What it boils down to is money, our business executives are willing to risk public health if it puts a few million in their pocket. However, it also boils down to values and is up to the parents to teach their kids that fast food shouldnt be an everyday meal.