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.

EOA 288-289

Just recently I heard from one of my friends that large chains of companies like Walmart, Target, and Walgreens are now asking for passwords and usernames to sites like myspace, facebook, and twitter. In a way, its like nobody has privacy anymore but at the same time I understand that they are trying to see what type of private life potential employees have to better suit the company. I guess it shouldn't be such a big deal because you are the one with the control, so if there is something you dont want someone to see it can easily be deleted to marked as private.
What I think is a little unfair is that they are going to judge people based upon pictures. A picture can work both ways, if a 19 year old college studentapplies for a job and their name is looked up on facebook and a picture shows them drinking, will that keep them from getting the job? Even though it may be illegal to drink underage, does the necessarily mean that they aren't a good candidate for the job?

EOA 266-269

I believe it took a lot of courage to stand and take footage of a massacre while there's gunshots going off, even if you are used to it. I believe it provides a non-biased opportunity for the people to see what really happened before the media got ahold of it. It also could have provided important information to police in finding a suspect.
The media is blowing everything out of proportion. I understand that it is dangerous to snap pictures in an even such as a plane crash but im sure that there isnt a chance to stand still, even if it doesnt look like people are in a panic. Best believe that there is tension and people are pushing to get out. I mean its not like people are stopping to snap pictures and focusing to get a goo shot, it's more like they are taking pictures to remember a life threating event that they made it through.

EOA 181-184

I notice FGCU has the same layout as far as co-ed dorms, making each floor designated entirely male/female, with stairs that easily lead to each floor. I somewhat agree with the author's argument that living on campus conflicts with their morals. However, one way around this is by choosing roommates with the same morals, that way nobody steps on each others toes. I also believe it is somewhat unfair to make students live on campus, I think its a student's own perogative whether or not they want to make friends at school and be involved in campus activities.
As far as the "safe sex" posters, I think its good schools are starting to advertise and are willing to provide students with anything necessary to promote safe sex. I mean, it could be the other way and the school could care less and STDs could run wild around schools.

EOA 177-179 and 189-191

Personally I thought the Saw movies were pretty interesting until the 5th one. I just saw the other day that they are coming out with Saw VI, I think they just need to give it up already, the movie is too played out. I do agree that the movie does get carried away at some points, but the whole fascination with the Saw series was the grusome killing scenes. I think it catures people because it seems so life-like and its something people hope only stays in movies.
I've seen crash before but I can't remember too many details from the movie. The essay basically gave me a summary of the entire movie. I like movies where some how in the end, everything that went on is interrelated and all the questions that were asked during the movie have been solved. I do notice that there are cetain stereotypes that come along with skin colors, and it was justa great way to teach people a lesson about judging others.

EOA 166-167

I found the article somewhat boring, stating a lot of numbers and statistical findings. However, this does go with the "claims of value" heading. Of course news stations and talk radio are going to skew some minor details, television ratings seem like they're more important than the truth.

As far as the news goes, it reminds me of the BSL situtation going on regarding pitbulls. They have such a bad name because the news ends to blow up the name and makes them horrible. Plus, whats more interesting, a person bit by a small, foofy dog or apowerful dog with a locking bite? Its funny because what it does to the public reflectsin everyday life. The other day I was on craigslist and saw a post that someone got attacked by a pitbull and 2 smaller dogs. I find it funny becausd the only dog they could identify was a pitbull, while the two other vicious dogs remained nameless.

EOA 61-71

On page 70 it says "when there is no verbal text, visual imagesare less subject to analysis and interpretation". I think this might be because when there are words it gives something to disagree with and allows for judgement whether it is right or wrong. I also think that when there is no writing, it allows people to interpret a picture in their own mind and is left up to them to decide what the picture is justifying. The book also goes on to say that "designers pay careful attention to color, background, relative size, etc." and these may also influence how people interpret the meaning of pictures.

I found the gun ad somewhat confusing actually. I've got to ask, why did he have the gun out in the first place? Did they think someone was in the house and went and got the gun? It just seems too..set up i guess. The gun just so happened to be in reaching distance, and he didnt see his child nor hear her voice beforfe he shot. hmmmm.

EOA 132-140

I agree that there is still a lot of debate about what a terrorist is and is hard to separate from other acts like murder. I think something needs to be done about the states especially about Palestine. Its a touchy subject because of treatment issues, but the consequences for their acts are pretty much brushed off while other countries go through harsh consequences. I agre with the last statement that "terrorism is violence comitted by those we disapprove of" because there have been Americans that have attacked America and technically you're no agains people in your own country.
Another reason that I believe the Census is getting wrong information is that it is hard to reach everybody so there is no clear and exact answer. For Example, people in low income areas may be less likely to answer the door and therefor you cannot get accurate information about the area.

LEOPOLD Sanders

I definately agree with Leopold, and that there are unseen consequences to everything that we do. Its all about balance, and cutting out the predator means that there is no more selection process to weed out the weak. There was a common problem on a reef a while back where starfish took it over because they took away all of their natural predators. Its unforetunate that we can't just let nature take its course. We need to adapt instead of trying to make nature conform to what we would like it to be.
The fifth paragraph that Sanders writes is so true instead of fixing the problem the government just patches the problem until it needs fixing again. Its true that our society is a lie and we are told that "things" make us happy. I liked how the author says "It's a pacifier for the ego to suck on," in reference to the American dream that is sold to us every day.

EOA 85-90

Funny that they mention tourtuous methods of getting people to tell the truth, however there have been incidences that police have used their tazers for more than just defense. Its painful and can come quite close to a near death experience.The phrase that comes to mind is the classic "dont tazer me bro!". That clip is the perfect example of police crossing the line and abusing their powers.
I didnt even know there was actually a "truth serum" that can make people cough up even their deepest secrets. I think the author brought up a great point that it should be okay to use if it would help save lives. If it doesn't kill the person that it is given to isn't killed or caused bodily harm it shouldn't be considered a method of torture.

EOA 31-41

After trying to figure out who "he" was in The Declaration of Independence, it started to become a little more clear. One thing I noticed ws that near the end the document uses the word "things" to describe what states may do. I found it rather funny because throughout high school I was always taught not to use vague terms like stuff, it, things, etc. but right here in a federal document they do quiet the opposite.Other than that there's not much to say, it's the Declaration of Independence.
I thought that the Essay about "Sex and the Cinema" wa contrasted heavily to mos of what I thought while I read. One topic that bothered me ws the ratings. If the movies lose revenue because the movie is rated NC-17 it raises concern that movies that rated R are actually supposed to be marked NC-17. I mean, I've seen R movies that expose everything so NC-17 must be nothing short of a porno from what it sounds like. As far as television goes, I think just about everything has been on television, and now with parental locks it shouldnt be such a big deal to cut scenes from movies.